Haruna Lee Explained
Haruna Lee, formerly Kristine Haruna Lee, is a Taiwanese Japanese American theatre maker and writer.
Early life and education
Lee was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Japan.[1] They moved from Japan to the United States when they were eight. They did an undergraduate degree at NYU.[2]
Career
Inspired by a myth about Sedna, Lee wrote War Lesbian. The musical, composed by Katie Hathaway, who Lee met at New Dramatists,[3] premiered at Dixon Place in 2014, co-presented by Lee's company, harunalee.[4] [5] Lee appeared in the show playing Ellen DeGeneres.[6] In 2016, Lee performed Communing with You with their mother, Aoi Lee. The 30-minute Butoh piece was performed at Brooklyn Arts Exchange.[7] Lee played Jackie in The Offending Gesture at the Connelly Theater in 2016.[8] They played Meryl Streep as Francesca from The Bridges of Madison County in STREEPSHOW! in 2017.[9]
Lee's play, Suicide Forest, premiered in 2019 with Ma-Yi Theater Company and directed by Aya Ogawa.[10] Lee played the schoolgirl, Azusa, in this production.[11] [12] Lee's mother, Aoi, also appeared in the show, which Ma-Yi remounted in 2020.[13]
In 2023, Lee was invited to join the New Dramatists' resident playwright company until 2030.[14]
Personal life
Lee is half Japanese and half Taiwanese.[15]
Plays
- Suicide Forest
- plural (love), with Jen Goma and Morgan Green[16]
- Communing with You
- Memory Retrograde
- to the left of the pantry and under the sugar shack[17]
- War Lesbian
- Drunkfish Oceanrant
- Plum de Force[18]
- Troika
Filmography
Television
Awards and nominations
!Year!Award!Category!Work!Result!Ref.2020 | Obie Awards | Playwrighting | Suicide Forest | | [19] |
2021 | Steinberg Playwright Awards | n/a | n/a | | [20] | |
Notes and References
- Web site: Szymkowicz . Adam . 2017-04-23 . Adam Szymkowicz: I Interview Playwrights Part 925: Kristine Haruna Lee . 2024-04-03 . Adam Szymkowicz . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/http://aszym.blogspot.com/2017/04/i-interview-playwrights-part-925.html . live .
- Web site: Polak . Brian James . 2021-12-21 . The Subtext: Toward Liberation With Haruna Lee . 2024-04-03 . AMERICAN THEATRE . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/12/20/the-subtext-toward-liberation-with-haruna-lee/ . live .
- Web site: Almasy . Jessica . 2014-12-19 . Kristine Haruna Lee’s WAR LESBIAN: the type of theatre that’ll get lodged in yr throat . 2024-04-03 . Culturebot . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://www.culturebot.org/2014/12/22892/kristine-haruna-lees-war-lesbian-the-type-of-theatre-thatll-get-lodged-in-yr-throat/ . live .
- Web site: 2014-12-16 . Review: War Lesbian . 2024-04-03 . StageBuddy.com . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224303/https://stagebuddy.com/theater/theater-review/review-war-lesbian . live .
- Web site: Shaw . Helen . 2014-12-11 . War Lesbian . 2024-04-03 . Time Out New York . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/war-lesbian . live .
- Web site: Kerry . Rachel . 2014-12-15 . A Journey Down A Crazy Queer Rabbit Hole: Rachel Kerry on War Lesbian Presented by Harunalee and Dixon Place . 2024-04-03 . New York Theatre Review . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/http://newyorktheatrereview.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-journey-down-crazy-queer-rabbit-hole.html . live .
- Web site: Cuba . Julianne . 2016-11-15 . Body language: Mother-daughter dance closes language barrier • Brooklyn Paper . 2024-04-03 . www.brooklynpaper.com . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/body-language-mother-daughter-dance-closes-language-barrier/ . live .
- News: Genzlinger . Neil . 2016-01-11 . Review: ‘The Offending Gesture’ Takes On Foreign Policy’s Barking Madness . 2024-04-03 . The New York Times . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224257/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/11/theater/review-the-offending-gesture-takes-on-foreign-policys-barking-madness.html . live .
- Web site: Solis . Jose . 2017-06-08 . Daniel Dabdoub on Creating all the Meryl Looks in 'STREEPSHOW!' . 2024-04-03 . StageBuddy.com . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://stagebuddy.com/theater/theater-feature/interview-daniel-dabdoub-creating-faces-meryl-streepshow . live .
- News: Clement . Olivia . 2019-03-27 . Kristine Haruna Lee's Suicide Forest Begins at the Bushwick Starr . 2024-04-03 . Playbill . 2024-04-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240404011319/https://playbill.com/article/kristine-haruna-lees-suicide-forest-begins-at-the-bushwick-starr . live .
- Web site: Rine . Natalie . 2020-03-09 . Off-Broadway Review: Ma-Yi Theater Company presents The Bushwick Starr Production of "Suicide Forest" . 2024-04-03 . OnStage Blog . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://www.onstageblog.com/reviews/2020/3/9/off-broadway-review-ma-yi-theater-company-presents-the-bushwick-starr-production-of-suicide-forest . live .
- Web site: Shaw . Helen . 2019-12-18 . The Best Theater of 2019 . 2024-04-03 . Vulture . en . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224257/https://www.vulture.com/2019/12/the-best-theater-of-2019.html . live .
- Web site: Shaw . Helen . 2020-03-06 . That’s Really Mom Up There: Suicide Forest and SKiNFoLK . 2024-04-03 . Vulture . en . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224257/https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/theater-reviews-suicide-forest-and-skinfolk.html . live .
- Web site: 2023-08-02 . Seven Playwrights Granted New Dramatists Residencies . 2024-04-03 . AMERICAN THEATRE . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://www.americantheatre.org/2023/08/02/seven-playwrights-granted-new-dramatists-residencies/ . live .
- Web site: Barbagallo . Jess . 2016-11-01 . "A current gaining more wave:" 25 Years of Artist Development at Brooklyn Arts Exchange . 2024-04-03 . The Brooklyn Rail . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://brooklynrail.org/2016/11/theater/a-current-gaining-more-wave-25-years-of-artist-development-at-brooklyn-arts-exchange . live .
- Web site: Christopherson . Jody . 2019-02-01 . An Interview With Playwright Kristine Haruna Lee . 2024-04-03 . New York Theatre Reivew . en . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/http://newyorktheatrereview.blogspot.com/2019/02/an-interview-with-playwright-kristine.html . live .
- Web site: Einerson . Katy . 2016-02-09 . Talking to the left of the pantry and under the sugar shack: an interview with Kristine Haruna Lee . 2024-04-03 . Culturebot . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/https://www.culturebot.org/2016/02/25454/talking-to-the-left-of-the-pantry-and-under-the-sugar-shack-an-interview-with-kristine-haruna-lee/ . live .
- Web site: Smith . Olivia Jane . 2013-09-10 . Olivia Jane Smith on Plum de Force, written and directed by Kristine Haruna Lee at the Bushwick Starr . 2024-04-03 . New York Theatre Review . en . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224258/http://newyorktheatrereview.blogspot.com/2013/09/olivia-jane-smith-on-plum-de-force.html . live .
- News: McPhee . Ryan . 2020-07-14 . Heroes of the Fourth Turning, A Strange Loop Among 2020 Obie Award Winners . 2024-04-03 . Playbill . 2023-10-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231004085638/https://www.playbill.com/article/heroes-of-the-fourth-turning-a-strange-loop-among-2020-obie-award-winners . live .
- Web site: 2021-12-14 . 2021 Steinberg Playwright Awardees Announced . 2024-04-03 . AMERICAN THEATRE . en-US . 2024-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240403224259/https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/12/14/2021-steinberg-playwright-awardees-announced/ . live .