California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) President Steven D. Lavine announced that playwright Alice Tuan has been named Head of the Writing for Performance Program in the School of Theater.

“Alice is an adventurous artist with an expansive vision for the future of theater,” said Leslie Tamaribuchi, Co-Dean of CalArts School of Theater. “She is a superb match for the Institute - providing a global context as she challenges the boundaries of contemporary performance. At the same time, Alice offers practical and intellectual approaches to working successfully in the market environment. We are delighted that she’ll be taking this leadership role.”

A multifaceted educator, Ms. Tuan has taught playwriting in settings ranging from universities to the California Youth Authority.  She was a visiting professor at CalArts and at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Austin. For five summers, she worked with teen artists through Project 2050 at New World Theatre, a hip-hop-centric performance camp in Massachusetts. She was an artist in the Los Angeles-based ASK’s Playwright-in-the-Schools Program. Before becoming a playwright, Ms. Tuan taught English as a Second Language in China and Los Angeles.

Of her role as a teacher, Ms. Tuan commented, “when I write I am experimenting, but when I teach I can share experiences, articulate discoveries and guide students towards their optimal process. I hope to provide a program where students can explore to the edges of their minds and write to their hearts’ content.”

Ms. Tuan’s playwriting combines an innovative artistic perspective with keen observations of contemporary life. She has been living and writing in Shanghai for the past year and is working on a new play, Cocks Crow, which revolves around the super power dynamics between the United States and China. She blogs about her experiences in China at aliceinshanghailand.blogspot.com.

Feature Image courtesy of Alice Tuan