Directing student Chaesong Kim will perform in Lazarus 1972-2022 with Ping Chong and Company at La MaMa from September 29–October 16. The production is a reimagining of Ping Chong’s 1972 Lazarus, which was the first work he created as an independent artist.
Ping Chong and Company (PCC), founded in 1975, creates theatre and art projects that showcase beauty, invention, precision, and a commitment to social justice. The company’s work centers collaborative innovation and community engagement, with a specific focus on interconnected cultures and the relation of multifaceted identities to society. PCC’s range is vast: across nearly five decades, the company has generated over 100 original productions that include intimate interview-based works, visual art installations, and large-scale multidisciplinary projects that utilize puppets, performers, and full sound and projection scores.
Lazarus 1972-2022 transports the resurrected man from his original Biblical setting into the urban purgatory of present-day New York City. The production is a deeply personal work for Chong, who conceived, wrote, and now directs it. The interdisciplinary work reflects on alienation and belonging, the passage of time, and the evolution of Chong’s artistry. Further, Lazarus 1972-2022 is particularly personal for Chong as it marks his return to his artistic home base at La MaMa, and it serves as his final work as the Artistic Director of PCC.
Chaesong Kim (she/they) was raised by two social activists involved in the student-led democratic revolution and labor rights movement in South Korea. As a result, Kim is fueled by a quiet rage toward hierarchy, oppressive systems, and colonization. In her art that works within non-hierarchical frameworks and prioritizes process over product, Kim muses on the differences—or lack thereof—between the personal and the universal. Her work employs movement, sound, text, video, visual art, and interactive technology to research and celebrate what is, and who is, human. In addition to her work with PCC, Kim’s work has been featured in Seoul Dance Center’s CO-Choreo LAB, EstroGenius Festival, and La MaMa E.T.C. She has also performed in Okwui Okpokwasili’s Sitting on a Man’s Head, Samita Sinha’s Infinity Folds, and Claire Chase’s Destiny 2036 with Constellation Chor.
