Losing Face
It’s Christmas Eve and a white man and his younger Chinese boyfriend lover are waiting for the white man’s half-Chinese daughter to show up. What could go wrong?
Losing Face deconstructs the domestic drama into a series of Groundhog Day-esque failed reconciliations. A love story grappling with race, sexuality, love and fatherhood.
Nathan Joe is a playwright and performance poet of Chinese descent, born and raised in Aotearoa (New Zealand), and currently based in Austin, Texas. His work often deals with the contested nature of belonging and desire as a Queer and East Asian body in a diasporic context. He was the 2020 National Slam Champion in his home country and winner of the 2021 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award (for outstanding emerging playwright in New Zealand). His work has been developed and staged across New Zealand and Australia. He is currently a M.F.A. in Theatre (Playwriting) candidate at The University of Texas at Austin’s Michener Center for Writers.
Danny Bernardo (he/him) is an LA-based multi-hyphenate and proud new company member of the Road. He has worked with such theatres as Steppenwolf, Goodman, Portland Center Stage, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, McCoy Rigby, Musical Theatre West, and East West Players (where he is a teaching artist). As a filmmaker, his work has been seen around the world at such festivals as Cannes (Court Metrage), OutFest Fusion, Reeling, and Perth International Queer Film Festival. He is the founder of Broken Token Productions and a stakeholder of Back Room Shakespeare Project L.A.. Training: Columbia College Chicago, American Conservatory Theater, Second City Chicago. More info at www.dannybernardo.com
“Losing Face”
Mark – Ron Morehouse*
Shawn – Shaun Tuazon
Jennifer – Alexandra Tejada*
*Road Company Member
Stage Directions: Riya Manimaran*
Talkback Moderator: Tony Abatemarco*