East West Players is presenting “Interstate,” a new musical by Kit Yan and Melissa Li, at the David Henry Hwang Theatre, 120 Judge John Aiso St. in Little Tokyo, with previews starting next week.

Directed by Jesca Prudencio with music direction by Marc Macalintal and choreography by Annie Yee, “Interstate” is an Asian American pop-rock poetry musical that follows Dash (Jupiter Lê), a transgender spoken-word performer who becomes Internet-famous along with his best friend Adrian (Kristian Espiritu), a lesbian singer-songwriter.

Fueled by the allure of fame and a desire to connect with their community, Dash and Adrian embark on a road trip across America for their first national tour. Their fiercely political and deeply personal music touches Henry (Jaya Joshi), a transgender teenage boy living in small-town Middle America, and he finds solace in their art as he struggles with his own identity and family. After blogging about the band and documenting his own gender journey, he decides to set out on a quest to meet his heroes in person, hoping to find answers to his own struggles.

“Interstate” is a touching story about how two transgender people at different stages of their journey navigate love, family, masculinity, and finding a community in the era of social media. It is based on the true story of Good Asian Drivers, a queer band active from 2008 to 2010.

The cast also includes Michelle Noh, Reuben Uy, Stefan Miller, Natalie Holt MacDonald and Krystle Simmons.

Show runs about 2 hours. All patrons must show proof of vaccination and photo ID to be admitted into the theater, which has implemented numerous COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure that artists and audience members are able to safely enjoy their experience.

“Interstate” contains depictions of sex, xenophobia, transphobia (deadnaming, misgendering), homophobia and violence. Haze and strobe effects are used during the production.

Previews: Friday, June 10, 8 p.m.; Saturday, June 11, 2 and 8 p.m.

Opening night: Sunday, June 12, 5 p.m.

Pay-What-You-Can: Monday, June 13, 8 p.m.; Monday, June 20, 8 p.m.

Additional showtimes: Friday, June 17, 8 p.m.; Saturday, June 18, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 19, 5 p.m.; Friday, June 24, 8 p.m.; Saturday, June 25, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 26, 5 p.m.

For ticket information, call (213) 625-7000, email [email protected] or visit www.eastwestplayers.org.

Articles for you