Tria Xiong speaks with a constant smile on her face and consummate kindness in her voice.
The demeanor is a reflex for Xiong, one of the founders of the Theatre Esprit Asia company, a relatively young troupe that launched at the Vintage Theatre in Aurora earlier this year. Chalk up that demeanor to Xiong’s work in television and film; call it the honest mark of a friendly and warm person.
Whatever its roots, that warmth was a big hurdle for Xiong as she prepped to take on the role of Eunice in the troupe’s current production of Julia Cho’s “99 Histories.” The show follows three generations of women from a single family. Xiong’s character, the brilliant but troubled Eunice, wrestles with big issues. Being too kind isn’t one of them.
“Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, she has voices that she hears as well. The playwright doesn’t put on paper exactly what she has, (but) it alludes to the fact that she has something similar to those,” Xiong said. “It’s been challenging.”
Xiong and her fellow TEA theater company members have had plenty of challenges to deal with in the past year. Since the troupe (billed as the metro area’s first Asian-American theater company) formally kicked off its inaugural season in May, Xiong and co-founder Maria Cheng have had to take on all of the demands of starting a new arts organization. In the case of TEA, those have included selling tickets, sticking to a budget and finding a reliable patron base.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride,” Xiong said. “We had a box office budget, and it was tough trying to meet that in our first season. I think we were a little ambitious in our goals.”
But Xiong insists the company members have learned many important lessons in a short time. The troupe opened the run of “99 Histories,” TEA’s third production at the Vintage, to a sold-out crowd. In addition to their critically acclaimed productions of “Dust Storm” and “Spirited and Sworded Treks” in Aurora, the company has hosted new artist showcases in Denver.
“Now we understand the theater community and the audience,” Xiong said. “The first two shows had lots of positive feedback within the theater community and the Asian-American community.”
Those first efforts drummed up support from plenty of local theater vets, including the playwright and director Terry Dodd. Dodd, whose original comedy “Amateur Night at the Big Heart” ran at the Aurora Fox last year, stepped in to direct “99 Histories” after the original choice fell through.
“I’d seen ‘Dust Storm,’ and I’d heard about the company. The word was out,” Dodd said, adding that the talent of the young company and the power of the script convinced him to take the job. “First and foremost, it’s a beautiful play … The journey of the title is, ‘What are our histories? What do our parents give to us that we will possibly give to our children, good or bad?’”
Cho’s drama is all about the complexity of family. Eunice, an acclaimed violinist, returns home to live with her estranged Korean mother. Eunice is unmarried and pregnant and suffers from a litany of psychological problems. As Eunice seeks to reconnect with her mother, the play incorporates flashbacks and dreams.
“It’s a play about pictures,” Dodd said simply. “Cho is very poetic in that sense, and we play with painting the pictures onstage in moments. It’s part of the history of this family.”
The narrative structure has pushed the members of the young company to hone their skills as actors and performers. For Xiong, who’s worked hard to capture the intensity of the character of Eunice, it’s been a process made easier by experience. The TEA troupe set out an ambitious set of goals for its first season, and their second is liable to be just as demanding. Xiong said the new season, to be hosted at the Aurora Fox theater, will include productions of the musical “Madame Butterfly,” Lisa Loomer’s “The Waiting Room” and several original productions.
Tackling complex shows like “99 Histories” has given the members of TEA the kind of expertise needed to pull off such a creative effort.
“Our organization is much better now. There’s been trial and error with the first two shows,” Xiong said. “We knew about this process intellectually, but we didn’t really know about it in our gut.”
“99 Histories”
Runs until Nov. 16 at the Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St.
Tickets start at $25.
Information: 303-856-7830 or theatre-esprit-asia.org.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com