Stage Director

Winter, 2001, Newark, NJ. Two DREAMers—pre-DACA—meet up on the fire escape, which happens most nights. Both undocumented teens, they grapple with life’s challenges, from family to their futures. When one becomes naturalized, she promises to marry the other so he can receive his papers and truly start his life. As time passes and their relationship shifts, both must confront what they are willing to sacrifice to live freely and belong. This searing and captivating new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning Martyna Majok asks what we’re willing to risk for those we love. 

EPSG:4326

Sanctuary City

Seattle Rep

Inspired by a true story, eleventh grade honor roll student Diane Tran is the child of two Vietnamese immigrants who are now divorced. With her father rarely around and her mother gone, Diane feels bound to help provide financially for her family, be both sister and parent to her siblings, and also keep up her honor roll studies.

Through the lens of an exhausted dream, we follow Diane as she struggles with familial duties, her mother's abandonment, and the injustices of a system lacking compassion or understanding. As Diane's mother shares her own reasons for leaving family behind, Diane must make an impossible decision in this "land of laws."

Bound

Seattle Center

This hilarious, heartfelt new play takes audiences on two road trips, 20 years apart. In one, immigrants Jenny and Joe depart for their new home in Portland, learning to connect as a newly engaged couple. 20 years later, Joe and their adopted daughter, Lucy, set out for a similar cross-country adventure. As Jenny and Joe traverse the strange territory of their new country, and Lucy pieces together their bittersweet family history, this beautiful comedy explores what home and belonging truly mean — and the lengths we will go to for the people we love.

Young Americans

Portland Center Stage

Thanksgiving, 1973. In a small apartment somewhere in America, two recent immigrants meet for the first time. Luna from the Philippines and Jane from South Korea have never experienced an American Thanksgiving before, and tonight neither of them wants to spend it alone.

What begins as an awkward visit becomes an evening of laughter, shared memories, and unexpected friendship. As they swap stories about home, marriage, and what it means to start over in a new country, this warm and funny play captures the quiet courage of building a life far from where you began.

Stage Director

Desdemona Chiang

Events

Upcoming events

7 - 18 Oct, 2026

The Heart Sellers · Virginia Stage Company

Past events

1 - 31 Mar, 2024

Sanctuary City · Seattle Repertory Theatre

9 - 18 Jun, 2023

Bound · Seattle Opera

About

Desdemona Chiang hasn't added a bio