Seven people sit on stage. Four people call technical cues. Two men give their critiques.
Ping Chong is one of the latter.
He sits on the edge of the stage as actor José Miguel Hernández begins to read his lines.
Chong, who was commissioned by Producing Artistic Director Timothy Bond to create an original show, "Tales from the Salt City," at Syracuse Stage, stopped Hernández in the middle of his dialogue. The lights turned off and all the actors fell out of character, back to their natural selves.
"José, put the emphasis on us," Chong said, directing everyone to start from the beginning of the scene again.
In "Tales from the Salt City," seven Syracuse residents share true stories of their immigration to the United States and their adjustment to life in Syracuse.
The show, which is presented chronologically, dates back to the year 1654 - when the Onondaga Nation showed the French local salt springs.
Featured in the show are individuals from Sudan, Macedonia, Mexico, Cuba, Cambodia, an Onondaga woman and an African-American Syracuse native.
Hernández took the stage again. "Why are you working so hard?" he said from the script. "You are making us look bad."
Chong smiled. The emphasis that Hernandez put in his line made the character come alive - the kind of results Chong looks for from the people in his works.
"My favorite part is when they finally get it," Chong said. "It's work. It's not like it's a picnic; it's hard work. So when they finally get it, it's very satisfying."
Chong specializes in historically accurate shows that deal with serious issues, such as violence, disability, war, drug abuse and immigration.
In his Undesirable Elements Production Company, Chong casts real people to tell their own stories instead of using actors, and usually casts six to eight people of different races, economic backgrounds and religious beliefs.
"Mostly it's about getting people to see difference of otherness," Chong said. "The objective is to get people to see differences as non-threatening, but also to see that the people we see as different are very much like who we are."
In order to share his message of understanding, Chong travels to different cities across the United States and the world two to three times a year, creating Undesirable Elements shows.
Before going into production, Syracuse University professor and "Tales from the Salt City" dramatist Kyle Bass said he wasn't sure working with Chong would be a great experience.
Bass said he expected Chong to be rather exclusive to suggestions and that he would not be open to criticisms and ideas from the cast and staff.
"But none of those were realized," Bass said. "He was incredibly open."
Sara Zatz, associate director of Ping Chong & Company and Undesirable Elements project manager and co-writer, said although Chong might seem intimidating, he is very open with whomever he works with and values others' opinions.
Zatz, who started with Chong in 1997 as an intern, said he is like a family member to her, and she has learned from his unorthodox writing and directing.
"Ping is an incredibly generous artist to work with," Zatz said. "He's collaborative, open to outside opinions, and I believe he enjoys sharing the artistic process. When I first started co-writing, he said 'Make sure your name is on the program, make sure you get your credit.' A lot of artists wouldn't do that."
Zatz said she and Chong counterbalance each other.
"He's looking for an aesthetic beauty that matches social urgency," she said. "He cares about justice; he cares what it means to be an outsider in the world. Always in his work, there's something about the dominant cultural force versus the outside force." Chong said growing up in Manhattan's Chinatown and then being thrust into a high school outside of Chinatown, where he was the only Asian, helped shape who he is today.
"That was traumatic, because I was around my own people then all of a sudden I was an outsider," Chong said. "You find yourself in this bigger outside culture, and you get confused about who you are and where you belong."
Because of Chong's life experiences, he creates Undesirable Elements shows like "Tales from the Salt City" to promote understanding, he said.
"This is art, but it is really social activism," Chong said. "That's what I love about it."
Although Chong's family worked in the theater and Chinese Opera, he had other plans. He wanted to be a filmmaker, but despite his original aspirations, he is content with the life path he is on.
Chong's company was one of 10 arts organizations selected for a joint $15 million grant from the Nonprofit Finance Fund, to experiment with new program models to adjust to a changing society.
"The satisfying part about doing this project is we're giving voice to people whose stories aren't heard," Chong said. "That's the important thing. We're helping Americans learn about each other."
pmjackso@syr.edu
Be the first to comment on this article!