Chiang Kai-shek

2004

Yale Cabaret

Written by: Charles L. Mee
Director: Tea Alagić
Stage Manager: Deeksha Gaur

Performed by: Tea Alagić, Nelson T. Eusebio III, and Jessi D. Hill

Assistant Stage Manager: Joanna Romberg
Scenic Designer: Dustin Eschenroeder
Costume Designer: Joanna Romberg
Lighting Designer: Gina Scherr
Video Composition: Carmen Kordas
Sound Designers: Bryan Keller and Gina Scherr
Technical Director: Kat Tharp
Production Supervisors: Sean Culligan, Jannann Eldredge, and Lily Twining
Artistic Associate: Glenn Sturgis

Yale Cabaret Staff

Artistic Director: May Adrales
Managing Director: Alisa Spencer
Artistic Associates: Chloe Chapin, Blake Hackler, Victor Kaufold, Sharath Patel, John Starmer, Glenn Sturgis, Catherine Tate, and Michael Walkup

About the Production
Chiang Kai Chek by Charles Mee is a haunting meditation on the brutality of life under the eponymous Chinese dictator and, more broadly, on the human condition. Structured as a 40-minute monologue shared among three performers, the production combines evocative physical performance with inventive multimedia design to transform ordinary objects into vivid theatrical landscapes.

A single light bulb suspended on a string becomes a police car; a sheet transforms into an elephant graveyard or the image of a murdered infant; light filtering through a wax-paper-filled window frame conjures a jungle, an ocean, or a blinding field of white. Through striking visual metaphors and expressive movement, the performers create a series of unforgettable theatrical images that explore violence, memory, power, and survival.

This production was presented at Yale Cabaret in New Haven under the direction of Tea Alagić, featuring performances by Tea Alagić, Nelson Eusebio, and Jessi Hill.

Tea Alagić Studio
TEA ALAGIĆ STUDIO

REVIEWS / PRESS

Yale Daily News, 28. januar 2005. – Dan Hanzus

Pass on ‘Chek’ for the Cabaret

Overall impression: The reviewer notes that the production is visually and audibly exceptionally rich, with powerful scenes, but that it lacks a cohesive and clear narrative structure.

Main critiques and praise:

Acting and direction: The actors (who are also first-year directing students at the School of Drama) show exceptional physical commitment and creativity on stage. The directorial approach and stage design (including costumes, lighting, and frames on wheels) are rated as visually impressive.

Content and tone: The play is described as explicit and dark, with depictions of graphic violence, brutality, and descriptions of rape in a concentration camp, interwoven with moments of poetic beauty.

Conclusion: Although the play has technical and structural flaws (acting and vocal inconsistencies, as well as a script that occasionally feels fragmented), certain visual and theatrical moments allow these 40 minutes to deliver a unique theatrical experience for lovers of avant-garde theater.

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