Asian Story Theater
COUNTED is a bittersweet story about a lonely man who is actually looking forward to a visit from a census worker, because he has a special problem. He’s actually an accountant, and he is familiar with some of the quirks of America’s record keeping system, especially for people who don’t necessarily have all the normal paperwork in hand, for whatever reason. It seems he’s never actually been counted, which presents a particular challenge for everyone involved. COUNTED is funny, topical, and a little spooky, with a little puppetry and special effects, in the holiday tradition. Plus it starts at 7pm, and it’s short!
COUNTED in presented by a team of new talents along with popular favorite performers from all of our companies. New to this project are Lettie S. De Anda and Levani Ko, with Natalie Gelb new in production and a surprisingly touching script by poet and playwright Gill Sotu, a relatively new-to-us writer featured in THE LAST CENSUS earlier this year. Returning company members include Claudette Santiago and Rhys Green on stage, Kali Kamaria Stage Managing, and Kent Brisby directing. An exciting new component is video co-production, coordinated by Director of Photography Steven Salcido and a team of pros that you will hear more about early next year.
Announcing a holiday treat. On November 1st and 2nd, you can grab free tickets to see COUNTED, a Census Ghost Story presented by Asian Story Theater and our census partners; Teatro Máscara Mágica and San Diego Black Ensemble Theatre. This will be at the beautiful El Salon Studio Theatre in South San Diego, across from the San Ysidro Outlet Mall. If you’ve been there for one of our past programs (such as NOT WORKING) you may recall that this theater is quite small, with only about 50 seats. This show is expected to fill up.
Program
Cast
Claudette Santiago
Rhys Green
Levani Ko
Lettie S. De Anda
Creative Team
Writer ~ Gill Sotu
Production ~ Natalie Gelb
Stage Manager ~ Kalí Kamaria
About the Company
Claudette Santiago is an actor born and raised in San Diego, CA, performing in projects for the San Diego International Fringe Festival, Coronado Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, Asian Story Theater, and others. She was last seen in Trash! The Musical for Playwrights Project’s Plays by Young Writers Festival and in Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. for InnerMission Productions. She holds a B.A. in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz, is a graduate of the Meisner/Chekhov Integrated Training Studio in Normal Heights, and is a co-founder and producer for MaArte Theatre Collective, a group dedicated to Filipino-American storytelling.
Rhys Green is co-founder and Artistic Director of the San Diego Black Ensemble Theatre. He earned his BFA in acting from the California Institute of The Arts, and has been a teaching artist with the La Jolla Playhouse. He has toured for Disney, National Theatre for Children, Traveling Lantern, and more, and local appearances include BALLAD OF EMMETT TILL at Ion Theatre and FATHER COMES HOME FROM THE WAR with Intrepid. Mr. Greene is an Associate Artist with the Asian Story Theater and is on the board of Chronos Theatre and Teatro Máscara Mágica. He is the proud owner of Mr. Green’s Coffee Beans, a small coffee roasting business bringing custom roasted coffee beans from around the world (mrgreenscoffeebeans.com).
Levani Ko is an award-winning writer and performer from the Republic of Georgia. Starting with the Brazilian art form of Capoeira (ka-pa-where-a) from an early age, they’ve branched out into other performance and visual art styles and now create “jack-of-all trades” interactive experiences that blend music, dance, acrobatics, and humor, branching choose-your-own-adventure narratives, overly complicated Power Points, and whatever else they can cram into an hour-long script.
Lettie S. De Anda teaches all things theater. She has a Masters in theater and enjoys directing and acting. Lettie has been teaching for about 20 years and her passion is working with students of all ages to help them attain self confidence, and teach them how to harness their own creativity. Lettie’s teaching philosophy is rooted in the idea that all students can benefit and gain many skills from acting classes.
Gill Sotu was previously featured in The Last Census, and we are happy to have him back for this new project. Gill Sotu is an accomplished Navy veteran, poet, playwright, DJ, and performing artist. Best known for his play "Gill Sotu Inspired Me," which he also produced and arranged with Kevin Sandbloom. Currently, he is a teaching artist and a commissioned playwright with The Old Globe Theatre & La Jolla Playhouse, and the official Poet in Residence for the San Diego Writer's Festival. He has over 10 yrs of experience teaching written and performing arts within the penal system, working directly with incarcerated persons & in recovery settings, as well as with veterans and students from junior high to college.
Natalie Gelb has been involved with many other theaters in the community. Some of her recent work includes stage managing Finding Nemo at Maraya Performing Arts, Love Among The Ruins at PowPAC, and Jasper In Deadland at Tenth Ave.
KL (Kent) BRISBY is a writer and producer with a broad background in adapting diverse narrative and performing arts traditions from around the world into new works, often featuring music. Following BIG MONEY, upcoming projects include a new musical set during the Mexican Revolution, REVOLUCIÓN. He recently co-wrote and produced THE LAST CENSUS for Asian Story Theater. Other past projects include RED, WHITE & BLACKLISTED and THE MUSICAL PAUL GAUGUIN, as well as leading development on STORIES OF THE SUN CAFE, HALO-HALO, and the anthology series THE COFFEE PLAYS. Originally from Nebraska, Kent grew up on various Micronesian Island groups, with some time in Hawaii, before returning to the states. He graduated from Whitman College in the Pacific Northwest before settling in San Diego as a performer and director with the San Diego Street Theater.
Kalí Kamaria is a visual artist with a broad background in theater and dance. Stage performances began with Teatro Máscara Mágica, and favorite roles include FA MU LAN and KAHUA with Asian Story Theater, performing in San Diego and San Francisco. She has trained 6 years in Balinese dance and 12 years with Heali’i’s Polynesian Revue.
