L.A. Theatre Works' Triumphant China Return
After the success of the 2011 China Tour, “Top Secret: The Battle for The Pentagon Papers” returned to China in 2013 as the first American theater company to appear at National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing as well as major venues in cities across the country.
Top Secret: The Battle for The Pentagon Papers is an inside look at The Washington Post’s decision to publish a study labeled “top secret” that documented the history of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The subsequent trial pitted the public’s right to know against the government’s need for secrecy. The epic legal battle went to the nation's highest court – arguably one of the most important Supreme Court cases.
“‘Top Secret’ has played sold-out audiences…with many performances erupting in shouts of approval from the audience and standing ovations. Perhaps most gratifying…was that those audiences were almost entirely Chinese and young.”
The shows had no trouble finding an audience… ticket-holders showed up in droves, representing a range of China’s scrappiest news organizations. The audience was overwhelmingly Chinese—and overwhelmingly full…It was thrilling.
About the Tour and the Company
L.A. Theatre Works
Top Secret: The Battle for The Pentagon Papers is an inside look at The Washington Post’s decision to publish a study labeled “top secret” that documented the history of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The subsequent trial pitted the public’s right to know against the government’s need for secrecy. The epic legal battle went to the nation's highest court – arguably one of the most important Supreme Court cases.
Producing director Susan Loewenberg; multiple award-winning director Brian Kite; and cast members Margaret Colin (Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on Gossip Girl), John Getz (The Social Network) and Gregory Harrison (Trapper John M.D., One Tree Hill, Ringer). Also in the cast are Hugo Armstrong, Josh Clark, Henry Clarke, Nicholas Hormann, Emilie Ohana, Darren Richardson, Peter Van Norden and Tom Virtue, who are known to Chinese audiences from popular TV shows such as CSI, Drop Dead Diva, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Six Feet Under, Weeds, Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip, The Office, The West Wing, Frasier, Seinfeld and Ally McBeal.
L.A. Theatre Works was the first American theater company to perform at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China’s leading performing arts center (“The Egg”). Additional tour venues included the Tianjin Grand Theater as well as major venues in Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chongqing and Fuling.
L.A. Theatre Works is the leading radio theater company in the United States, committed to using innovative technologies to preserve and promote significant works of dramatic literature and bringing live theater into the homes of millions. The company’s public radio series, featuring stage plays performed by America's top actors augmented by interviews with the artists and others, can be heard in over 100 markets in the U.S.; on Radio Beijing in China; on SiriusXM Book Radio Channel 80; and can be streamed on demand at www.latw.org. The recordings are available worldwide through Amazon, audible.com, iTunes and in bookstores. L.A. Theatre Works audio plays are also available at over 11,000 libraries, and recordings and teaching materials are used by over 3,000 middle and high schools across the U.S.
Tour Schedule
- May 25, 2013 - HANGZHOU THEATRE, Hangzhou
- May 29, 2013 - SUZHOU ART AND CULTURE CENTER, GRAND THEATRE, Suzhou
- May 31, June 1, 2013 - TIANJIN GRAND THEATRE OPERA HOUSE, Tianjin
- June 4, 5, 6, 2013 - CHINA NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, Beijing
- June 8, 2013 - GUOTAI THEATRE, Chongqing
- June 10, 2013 - FULING GRAND THEATRE, Fuling
