Storied Women: Asian American Playwrights in Conversation

New York City welcomes a bountiful gathering of Off-Broadway stage productions this Spring, focusing on sisterhood, motherhood, and family: Chinese Republicans (Alex Lin, Roundabout Theatre), Meat Suit (Aya Ogawa, Second Stage Theater), and JESA (Jeena Yi, Ma-Yi Theater in residence at the Public Theater), among others. This panel discussion, moderated by Carolina Đỗ, celebrates talent, community and hard work, delving deep into fascinating tales of Asian America and the creative minds and lives behind them.

This program is presented by Asia Society in association with the Asian American Arts Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening Asian American artists and cultural groups through resource sharing, promotion, and community building.

Speaker Biographies

Carolina Đỗ is a theatre maker, community organizer, and proud descendant of Vietnamese freedom fighters and refugees. Her writing has been supported by Soho Rep, JACK, Ma-Yi, FGP Playground Playgroup, Episodic Theater Project, Orchard Project, MacDowell, The Hearth, Fault Line Theatre, Piper Theater and Naked Angels. She is Producing Artistic Leader of The Sống Collective, Mai House Studio, Betterfly Productions, PlayCo’s Associate Director for Community Engagement. https://carolinado.com/

Alex Lin is just a girl from Jersey. As a playwright, her works have been seen and developed at Roundabout, Second Stage, Atlantic, NYTW, MTC, the O'Neill, among others. She has appeared in NYTW, Actors Theater of Louisville, Hudson Valley Shakespeare and Two River as an actor. A Juilliard graduate, she currently writes for season 2 of The Audacity (AMC). Blackburn finalist, Stavis Award winner.https://www.alexandralinholden.com/

Aya Ogawa (they/them) is a Tokyo-born, Brooklyn-based theater-maker. They received the Obie Award for The Nosebleed , which premiered at Japan Society/Chocolate Factory Theater, ran at Lincoln Center Theater and Woolly Mammoth, and toured nationally and internationally. They have also received the Doris Duke Artist Award, Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award, The Playwrights’ Center’s McKnight National Residency & Commission, Resident Playwright New Dramatists.https://www.ayaogawa.com/

Jeena Yi is a Korean American actor and playwright. Born and raised in LA, she now calls NYC home. Her first play JESA will make its off-Broadway premiere through Ma-Yi Theater Company at The Public Theater in Spring 2026. As an actor Jeena will return to Broadway Spring 2026 in David Lindsay-Abaire’s The Balusters directed by Kenny Leon (MTC). @JeenaYi https://www.jeenayi.com/