Author Henry Ong Premieres Plays On Two Coasts

LOS ANGELES, CA, July 29, 2011 (Press-News.org) While the majority of playwrights go unproduced, in August playwright Henry Ong (Fabric, Madam Mao's Memories) will see workshops of two of his newest pieces: Rachel Ray (New York, The Trollope Society, Aug. 24) and The Call of the Nightingale (Los Angeles, Company of Angels, Aug. 30, Aug. 31 and Sept. 1).

"It feels great. It's very exciting", says the playwright. "When you write, you try not to think about whether or not someone will want it. When you think about the odds, it's tremendous. You just write what moves and then hopefully someone will be interested."

Henry Ong is no stranger to against-all-odds success. His very first endeavor, Madam Mao's Memories, was not only selected for production in Ong's home country of Singapore, but went on to international acclaim. In 2010, the City of Los Angeles awarded him a commendation for spotlighting the infamous El Monte Sweatshop Slave Case in Fabric.

One secret to his accomplishments is prolificacy. In addition to the two pieces currently in production, Henry has another two in development. He has written one-person shows, biographies, abstract pieces and linear ones. While Rachel Ray is an adaptation of the 19th century novel by Anthony Trollope, The Call of the Nightingale interweaves four folk tales from Africa, Asia and Europe. "I'm not merely interested in diversity, " maintains the playwright, "I'm interested in diversity of thought."

The Call of the Nightingale will run at Company of Angels, L.A.'s oldest not-for-profit theater company, August 30, August 31 and September 1 at 8pm in the Company's Black Box at The Alexandria, 501 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles. Directed by John Miyazaki. Featuring Kila Kitu, Joshua Lamont, Jully Lee and Tamika Simpkins. Tickets to the event are $12 at the door. For more information, please visit http://www.callofthenightingale.com.

Founded in 2006, Panther Productions creates stories to honor the past and manifest the future of peoples of all colors and creeds. Our mission: to produce entertaining, awareness-raising, and community building works that reflect the world's complexities. Our goals: to reflect diversity, to encourage dialogue and to entertain our audiences.