Aftermath Liturgy: New Commissioned Play by Award-Winning Playwright Min Kahng
Contemporary Asian Theater Scene to Debut New Commissioned Play by Award-Winning Playwright Min Kahng
World premiere staged reading of “Aftermath Liturgy” explores the crossroads of personal identity and faith in San Jose’s Japantown.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – April 21, 2026 – Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) presents the world premiere staged reading of “Aftermath Liturgy,” an original play with music commissioned from awardwinning playwright Min Kahng, on May 2 at Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose’s Japantown.
The one-hour theatrical experience explores the collision of identity, faith, and queerness through a narrative that reflects Kahng’s lived history. The production features a unique staging in which Kahng performs as the live musician while an actor portrays his persona—a pastor guiding the audience through the moment when personal truth and religious doctrine collide and how to navigate it. The performance includes live music, visual projections, and audience participation.
“This commission reflects our dedication to developing new works that bring authentic, often-unheard Asian American stories to the forefront,” said Leianne Wong Lamb, board president of CATS. “By presenting Min’s deeply personal journey, we are expanding the AAPI theatrical canon with a story that is both timely and essential for our community.”
Staging the production at Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose’s Japantown provides a sitespecific layer of authenticity. By telling a story about the deconstruction of faith within an active sanctuary, the production seeks to bridge cultural gaps and foster dialogue about belonging and selfdiscovery.
“The staging of ‘Aftermath Liturgy’ is particularly powerful because it allows the audience to witness the creator interacting with a version of his own story within a religious space,” said Caroline Kondo Moore, CATS Theater Programs co-director. “It is an interactive journey that invites the audience to reflect on how we rebuild when the systems we were raised in no longer hold our truths.”
Kahng is a prominent voice in Northern California theater, recently receiving a San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle award for his musical “Happy Pleasant Valley.” A MacDowell Fellow and National Endowment for the Arts grant recipient, Kahng is also known for “The Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga.” “Aftermath Liturgy” marks his most autobiographical storytelling to date.
Lisa Marie Rollins, a Filipina and Black director, playwright and theater maker, serves as director for Aftermath Liturgy. Rollins leads THE IRIS LAB, a residency, research space and new work incubator for global majority theater makers located at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Under Rollins’ direction, actor Will Dao is the featured performer opposite Kahng in this production. Dao previously collaborated with Kahng on “The Four Immigrants” (TheatreWorks) workshops and the world premiere production of “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” (Bay Area Children’s Theatre)
CALENDAR LISTING
WHO: Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) and Min Kahng, playwright and composer
WHAT: The world premiere staged reading of "Aftermath Liturgy," a CATS-commissioned original play with music.
WHEN: Saturday, May 2, 2026, show at 8 p.m., followed by a Talkback at 9 p.m. with the playwright and cast
WHERE: Wesley United Methodist Church, 566 N. 5th St., San Jose, CA 95112
TICKETS: $23.18 general admission; $17.85 Students and Seniors. Purchase tickets at Eventbrite.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Leianne Wong Lamb
leianne@catsasiantheaterscene.org
408-592-7766
Caroline Kondo Moore
caroline@catsasiantheaterscene.org
408-832-0302
ABOUT CONTEMPORARY ASIAN THEATER SCENE (CATS)
Founded in 1995 by the late Dr. Jerry Hiura, the late Steve Yamaguma, and Miki Hirabayashi Bellon, Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS) champions Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) artists in Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area. The organization supports and presents artists through staged readings, comedy, music, film screenings, and its annual signature events, the AAPI Playwright Festival and Silicon Valley Asian Pacific FilmFest. Located in San Jose’s Japantown, CATS continues its founders’ vision of enriching the cultural landscape by supporting, mentoring, and presenting AAPI artists and their stories. CATS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Learn more at CatsAsianTheaterScene.org.