music by Byron Au Yong, libretto by Aaron Jafferis
Stuck Elevator is an operatic solo performance about a trapped man. Our hero is Kuang, prompted by Ming Kuang Chen, the real-life Chinese restaurant deliveryman who survived 81 hours in a Bronx elevator in April 2005. Our character Kuang experiences a solitude and awakening that is super-heroic, yet stationary and hidden. Trapped in the elevator, he relives memories of himself with his wife and son in China, gets mugged by a rapping bladder, encounters General Tso of Homeland Security, and dreams himself into a sexy morsel of Orange Beef. Suspended between the upward mobility of the American dream and the downward plunge into an empty abyss, Stuck Elevator travels between Refuge/Prison, Freedom/Safety, and Voice/Silence for our unknown hero.
Listen to songs from Stuck Elevator in the player below or by clicking this link.
A workshop presentation of Stuck Elevator was produced in June 2007 at Theatre Off Jackson, Seattle. The development and initial presentation of Stuck Elevator was made possible in part through funding from 4Culture, Artist Trust and the Asian & Pacific Islander/Artist Presenting Initiative (API/2) at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC), supported by the James Irvine Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
"Kingdom at Lincoln High School set the bar for what the arts can do for the community." -Peter K. Ellsworth, President, The Legler Benbough Foundation
About Aaron
Aaron Jafferis is a hip hop poet and playwright. Read his bio, his CV, or contact him.
Stuck Elevator
Stuck Elevator is an operatic solo performance about a trapped man. Our hero is Kuang, prompted by Ming Kuang Chen, the real-life Chinese restaurant deliveryman who survived 81 hours in a Bronx elevator in April 2005. Our character Kuang experiences a solitude and awakening that is super-heroic, yet stationary and hidden. Trapped in the elevator, he relives memories of himself with his wife and son in China, gets mugged by a rapping bladder, encounters General Tso of Homeland Security, and dreams himself into a sexy morsel of Orange Beef. Suspended between the upward mobility of the American dream and the downward plunge into an empty abyss, Stuck Elevator travels between Refuge/Prison, Freedom/Safety, and Voice/Silence for our unknown hero.
Listen to songs from Stuck Elevator in the player below or by clicking this link.
A workshop presentation of Stuck Elevator was produced in June 2007 at Theatre Off Jackson, Seattle. The development and initial presentation of Stuck Elevator was made possible in part through funding from 4Culture, Artist Trust and the Asian & Pacific Islander/Artist Presenting Initiative (API/2) at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC), supported by the James Irvine Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.
Press:
“Stuck In Elevator, No Way Out”
Northwest Asian Weekly
“Stuck Elevator Opera”
Seattle Weekly
Theatre Off Jackson Press Release
To request a script or demo CD, email aaronjafferis@gmail.com.