Haruna Lee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Haruna Lee
BornHong Kong
Notable awardsObie Award
Website
www.harunalee.com/home

Haruna Lee, formerly Kristine Haruna Lee, is a Taiwanese Japanese American theatre maker and writer.

Early life and education[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Lee is half Japanese and half Taiwanese.[15]

Plays[edit]

  • Suicide Forest
  • plural (love), with Jen Goma and Morgan Green[16]
  • Communing with You
  • Memory Retrograde[16]
  • to the left of the pantry and under the sugar shack[17]
  • War Lesbian
  • Drunkfish Oceanrant
  • Plum de Force[18]
  • Troika

Filmography[edit]

Television[edit]

Year Television show Credited as Notes Ref.
Writer
2020 The Flight Attendant Yes
2022 Pachinko Yes Season 2

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2020 Obie Awards Playwrighting Suicide Forest Won [19]
2021 Steinberg Playwright Awards n/a n/a Won [20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Szymkowicz, Adam (2017-04-23). "Adam Szymkowicz: I Interview Playwrights Part 925: Kristine Haruna Lee". Adam Szymkowicz. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  2. ^ Polak, Brian James (2021-12-21). "The Subtext: Toward Liberation With Haruna Lee". AMERICAN THEATRE. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  3. ^ Almasy, Jessica (2014-12-19). "Kristine Haruna Lee's WAR LESBIAN: the type of theatre that'll get lodged in yr throat". Culturebot. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  4. ^ "Review: War Lesbian". StageBuddy.com. 2014-12-16. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  5. ^ Shaw, Helen (2014-12-11). "War Lesbian". Time Out New York. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  6. ^ Kerry, Rachel (2014-12-15). "A Journey Down A Crazy Queer Rabbit Hole: Rachel Kerry on War Lesbian Presented by Harunalee and Dixon Place". New York Theatre Review. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  7. ^ Cuba, Julianne (2016-11-15). "Body language: Mother-daughter dance closes language barrier • Brooklyn Paper". www.brooklynpaper.com. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  8. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (2016-01-11). "Review: 'The Offending Gesture' Takes On Foreign Policy's Barking Madness". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  9. ^ Solis, Jose (2017-06-08). "Daniel Dabdoub on Creating all the Meryl Looks in 'STREEPSHOW!'". StageBuddy.com. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  10. ^ Clement, Olivia (2019-03-27). "Kristine Haruna Lee's Suicide Forest Begins at the Bushwick Starr". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  11. ^ Rine, Natalie (2020-03-09). "Off-Broadway Review: Ma-Yi Theater Company presents The Bushwick Starr Production of "Suicide Forest"". OnStage Blog. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  12. ^ Shaw, Helen (2019-12-18). "The Best Theater of 2019". Vulture. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  13. ^ Shaw, Helen (2020-03-06). "That's Really Mom Up There: Suicide Forest and SKiNFoLK". Vulture. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  14. ^ "Seven Playwrights Granted New Dramatists Residencies". AMERICAN THEATRE. 2023-08-02. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  15. ^ Barbagallo, Jess (2016-11-01). ""A current gaining more wave:" 25 Years of Artist Development at Brooklyn Arts Exchange". The Brooklyn Rail. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  16. ^ a b Christopherson, Jody (2019-02-01). "An Interview With Playwright Kristine Haruna Lee". New York Theatre Reivew. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  17. ^ Einerson, Katy (2016-02-09). "Talking to the left of the pantry and under the sugar shack: an interview with Kristine Haruna Lee". Culturebot. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  18. ^ Smith, Olivia Jane (2013-09-10). "Olivia Jane Smith on Plum de Force, written and directed by Kristine Haruna Lee at the Bushwick Starr". New York Theatre Review. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  19. ^ McPhee, Ryan (2020-07-14). "Heroes of the Fourth Turning, A Strange Loop Among 2020 Obie Award Winners". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  20. ^ "2021 Steinberg Playwright Awardees Announced". AMERICAN THEATRE. 2021-12-14. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.