The interdisciplinary work dramatizes Asian contributions to the American experience, from the transcontinental railroads to the Internet. It features a cast of 17 and is staged by choreographer Shawn Ku, who is currently dance captain of "The King and I." With a title that refers to the first transcontinental railroad (1869), the show establishes a perspective on Asian-American history as "a journey waiting to be discovered."

An Asian American female TV reporter sets out to ascertain why an Erhu player (an old man with a traditional Chinese string instrument) has been playing for ten days nonstop on a subway platform. The Erhu player is a sort of Asian fiddler-in-the-roof: his haunting music is a timeless witness to the history and legacy of Asian-Americans, conjuring up defining incidents from their immigrant past. The production unfolds in twelve fictional scenes, involving the building of the railroads, the immigration experience of Angel Island, picture brides, the famed Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco, World War II internment camps, the legacy of Bruce Lee, the ordeal of Golden Venture refugees and the role of Asian-American engineers in the building of the Internet.

Alternating scripted and choreographic scenes, the production illustrates the role of Asian Americans in building the backbone of our country, displaying in their own terms the universal pioneer spirit that underlies American life.

The show took shape as a collaboration among Yang, Ku, two composers and two writers. It is political but not abrasive, aiming to be both informative and uplifting. The company sees its role as smashing cultural stereotypes and chronicling Asian contributions to the fabric of American culture. It notes that Asian customs have not traditionally encouraged careers in the arts, but that "as we move farther away from the survival mentality of first generation immigrants, more young Asian Americans are choosing to leave their mark through artistic expression."

Shawn Ku (choreographer) is currently dance captain of Broadway's "The King and I" and appeared in "Miss Saigon." He will appear in Broadway's "On the Town" this Spring. Joan Almedilla (performer), who plays the Picture Bride, and Roxanne Taga (performer), who plays the journalist, have both played Kim in Broadway's "Miss Saigon." Melanie May Po (performer), who is a featured singer/actor/dancer was in the ensemble of the second national tour of "Miss Saigon." Tom Kouo (performer), who plays a Japanese American war veteran, was in the ensemble of Broadway's "Miss Saigon." Welly Yang (producer/director), played Thuy in the Broadway company of "Miss Saigon" and theleading part of the civil rights attorney in the North America/Europeantour of Peter Sellars' "Ceiling/Sky." He has been a guest soloist (vocalist) of the New York Philharmonic. The cast of first and second generation Asian Americans also includes accomplished modern dancers and acrobats.

Among the composers are Woody Pak, a Juilliard grad who has scored a multitude of film, theater and dance projects, Chia-Nan Yen, a recent NYU composition program graduate. The writers are Brian Yorkey, Associate Director of Columbia University's Katherine Bache Miller Theatre, and Dmae Roberts, who received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for her NPR production of her play, "Mei Mei." Set design is by Wan-Lin Cheng and Shih-Pao Lin. Lighting design is by Richard Tatum. Sound design is by Amil David.

In 1997, The Second Generation Productions mounted two productions: "From Chinatown With Love," which was part of Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors, and "Unfinished Dreams" a dance piece about Taiwan's "228 Massacre" in 1947 which was presented at Columbia's Katherine Bache Miller Theater.

Pace Downtown Theater, 3 Spruce St. between Gold St. and Park Row
(Subway: 4, 5, 6 to City Hall)
Presented by The Second Generation Productions
January 15 to 18
Th, Fri at 8:00 pm, Sat 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, Sun 3:00 pm
$20/tdf
Box office 212.346.1715