Christian Quinto – who last appeared on the ArtsWest stage in the 2018 production of Jane Eyre: The Musical – plays the troubled student Dennis in Julia Cho’s Office Hour, directed by Mathew Wright and playing at ArtsWest May 2 – May 26. Get more information about the play here, and get tickets here.

  1. The Artistic Team – I think Mathew Wright and the people here at ArtsWest have assembled a team that is truly passionate about the show. From Christopher Mumaw’s cool and smart set design, Alyza DelPan-Monley’s captivating choreography, to the lights, sounds, costumes, and props. They all come together and create this beautiful and dangerous world that we get to play in.
  2. The Cast – Naho Shioya, Vi Davis, and Nik Doner are some of Seattle’s finest actors around. The level of specificity and passion that they bring to their characters everyday is so inspiring for someone like me that just got out of undergrad school. Watching them play is like being in a free masterclass everyday.
  3. The Story – Julia Cho has written such a smart show that on the surface it seems like it’s just about one thing. But as we’ve rehearsed and dug deeper with the poetry that she has written, we’ve discovered complexities and themes that are so current and needed to be talked about. Themes such as immigration, white privilege, white fragility, Western views on the Asian male, and so much more. And as an actor, we always crave for juicy characters and dynamite scripts and Julia Cho’s Office Hour doesn’t disappoint.
  4. Asian-centric story – Naho Shioya who plays Gina in the show has this monologue about her father’s experience about being an Asian immigrant here in the US and it’s what made me want to audition for this show in the first place. As an Asian immigrant I found some of my life experiences in Office Hour. And it’s so cool to have these Asian-centric stories told by Asian people. Looking at you, Scarlett Johansson and Emma Stone.
  5. If you’re a fan of Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone, you’ll love Office Hour! Without spoiling anything, I believe that Julia has written such a cool show that could be a stand-alone Black Mirror episode, like Bandersnatch. And if you’re a fan of Sandra Oh, know that his show has the Sandra Oh “Stamp Of Approval” because she played Gina in the South Coast Repertory Theatre’s production of Office Hour!

Those are my top 5 reasons why you should check out Office Hour at ArtsWest!

Julia Cho’s Office Hour, directed by Mathew Wright, plays at ArtsWest May 2 – May 26. Get more information about the play here, and get tickets here.