THE HUNGER & THE HAUNT by Abagael Cheng
April 4 & 5, 2025 at 7 PM | Culture Lab LIC
The Hunger & The Haunt is an original theatrical song recital and community resource fair that explores how folks from the AANHPI diaspora reclaim connection to their heritage and discover new pathways toward ancestral nourishment. This interdisciplinary work combines contemporary dance, spoken poetry, and classical music by exclusively AANHPI composers to tell the fantastical story of a Chinese American girl trying to find her way home as she traverses a mysterious pit of hidden stories.
Each performance is complemented by a community resource fair focused on direct action, where local organizations that empower AANHPI communities in Queens share information about their work and offer concrete ways to get involved. Representing a variety of neighborhoods and AANHPI identities across Queens, these organizations advocate for residents around issues of equitable housing, civic engagement, youth leadership, and economic and social justice.
THE HUNGER & THE HAUNT
PROGRAM
Chinese Female Kung-Fu Superheroes*
inconspicuous from a friendship in three words
From the Taiwan Cypress in Alishan
Credo from The Lost Country of Sight
Nil-Lili from Folksong Revisited
Friends from Three Songs from Athena Departure*
The Watch from Sentiments
A Visit from Brother Ghost on the Harvest Moon (Excerpt)*
Thought, go your way home
bittersweet from a friendship in three words
unrequited from a friendship in three words
Not Quite Stars
On the Hillside from Of Memories and Dreams
*spoken poems **additional text written by Abagael Cheng
Teresa Mei Chuc
Johnum Palado (b. 1999)
Angela Yam
Jennifer Huang (b. 1994)
Juhi Bansal (b. 1984) Neil Aitken (b. 1974)
Jean Ahn (b. 1976)
Shruti Rajasekar (b. 1996)
Athena Kildegaard
Jennifer Huang
Chihchun Chi-sun Lee (b. 1970)
Holly Wren Spaulding
Jennifer Huang
Yangzhi Ma (b. 1987) Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930)
Johnum Palado
Johnum Palado
Juhi Bansal
Julie Baber
Patrick Vu (b. 1998) Radclyffe Hall (1880-1943)
HUNGER & THE HAUNT
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Abagael Cheng (she/her)
Chinese American soprano Abagael Cheng is a singing artist, actor, producer, and activist who strives to break the boundaries of traditional performance and move audiences toward social activism. Cheng aims to deepen relationships within and between communities by engaging audiences with politically relevant narratives and centering collaboration in her productions. She has performed with City Lyric Opera, The American Opera Project, The Why Collective, and Bard Music Festival. She’s a grant recipient of Flushing Town Hall (2025), Queens Arts Fund (2025), The Puffin Foundation (2024), and The Anna Sosenko Assist Trust (2024) This May, Cheng will perform as a soloist in Amy Beth Kirsten’s Savior with City Lyric Opera Learn e at www.abagaelcheng.com. (@abagaelcheng)
ber Scherer (she/her)
er 진미 Scherer is a Brooklyn-based pianist and educator. Her k is rooted in broadening accessibility to the arts and performing errepresented voices in classical music. In March 2024, Ms. rer performed in Eros & Co , co-hosted by Caramoor and the New Festival of Song at Merkin Hall of Kauffman Center Ms Scherer rned to Merkin Hall soon after for the Juilliard Vocal Arts Honors tal with soprano Kerrigan Bigelow - the duo curated a program of l works on history’s silenced women. Ms. Scherer and Ms. low have performed together extensively, as New Music Fellows ongFest, winners of the 2024 Federation of Art Song’s Fellowship petition, and Liederabend partners at Juilliard.
ie Lloyd Paspe (she/her)
ie Lloyd Paspe is a Filipina-American choreographer, dancer, cal artist, and performance maker re-rooting the body in the eratory practice of kapwa ("I and the Other are One"). Her practice imagines forgotten memories that are sown into the body’s fascial ps. She has performed with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, ye Driscoll, Sugar Vendil, and Ching-I Chang, as well as laborating with music artists and opera ensembles in dance and cal performance. She was a 2024 Harlem Stage Emerging Artist low and the 2022 Asian American Arts Alliance Jadin Wong Fellow r performance work has been presented at Harlem Stage, Lincoln nter, Joe’s Pub, UGNAYAN (Manila/virtual), Taikang Space (Beijing), and SAVVY Contemporary (Berlin). www.marielloydpaspe.com. (@mmmlloyd)
Photo credit: Maria Baranova
THE HUNGER & THE HAUNT
CREDITS
Creator, Producer, Director, Writer, Performer (GIRL): Abagael Cheng
Contributing Creator, Choreographer, Loop Sound Artist, Performer (SPIRIT): Marie Lloyd Paspe
Contributing Creator, Performer (NARRATOR): Amber Scherer
Lighting Designer: Xuewei (Eva) Hu
Projection Designer, Poster Designer: Luisa Neves
Set Designer: Matt Wiener
Videographer: Ben Simmons
Program Translators: Xuewei (Eva) Hu, Pam Flores-Lowry, Tai In (Tay Tay) Chung
Special thanks to Anna Membrino, Lucy Fitz Gibbon, and Justina Lee for their support, and to Luisa Neves, Stephenie Wang, Jennifer Song, Nastasia Tangherlini, Sarah Bancone, Amy Zhou, Rena Eleázar, and Erwin Seguia for sharing their stories. A huge thank you goes to our venue partner Culture Lab LIC for their generosity and support.
This project is supported by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Statewide Community Regrants Program (formerly the Decentralization program) with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, and administered by Flushing Town Hall This event is made possible in part with public funds from the Queens Arts Fund, a re-grant program supported by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by New York Foundation for the Arts. This project received additional support from the Asian American Arts Alliance and Materials for the Arts.
ABOUT CULTURE LAB LIC
Culture Lab LIC is a 501(c)(3) formed to be the arts and culture umbrella for Western Queens. We present local, national, and international art of all genres, while supporting New York artists and other nonprofits by providing space, resources and a sense of community. Operating out of a 12,000 square foot converted warehouse, Culture Lab LIC hosts two fine art galleries, an 80 seat theater, classroom space, an 18,000 square foot outdoor venue, and a robust residency program. Culture Lab LIC is dedicated to upholding, equity, diversity and inclusion across all our platforms. To learn more, visit www.culturelablic.org.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are gathered on the traditional and unceded land of the Munsee Lenape, Mohican, Canarsee, Rockaway, Wappinger, Reckgawanc, Unkechaug, Matinecock, Haudenosaunee, and more. "And more" acknowledges that there are groups whose names we do not know who also were part of this land. It is currently home to 110,000 Indigenous people, including those from more than 72 tribes participating in the American Indian Community House alone. We invite you to join us in acknowledging and honoring these communities, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. We acknowledge the history of genocide, forced displacement, and systemic oppression perpetuated by the United States government and other colonial forces. This acknowledgement demonstrates a commitment to beginning the process of working to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.
This land acknowledgement was written with the guidance of the Mannahatta Fund. To learn more and donate, visit www.mannahattafund.org.
THE HUNGER & THE HAUNT
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
MinKwon Center for Community Action
MinKwon Center's mission is to empower Korean, Asian, and immigrant communities to achieve economic and social justice for all. We envision a just and equitable society where all people can live in harmony, dream, and achieve their full potential. To learn more, visit www.minkwon.org.
Te Ao Mana
Te Ao Mana creates opportunities for Pacific Islanders to connect to their artistic heritages, explore their creative processes, and present contemporary performances to Pacific Islander and Non Pacific Islander audiences. These opportunities share holistic depictions of contemporary Pacific Islanders that disrupt dominant cultural narratives about Pacific Islander people. To learn more, visit www.teaomana.org.
South Asian Youth Action
SAYA aims to foster a strong sense of belonging in youth and provide them with tools to thrive academically, professionally, and personally. To learn more, visit www.saya.org.
Na Pua Mai Ka Lani Nuioka
Na Pua Mai Ka Lani Nuioka strives to perpetuate the teachings of hula, the culture of Hawaii, and the spirit of aloha, all in the heart of Queens. To learn more, visit napuanuioka.wixsite.com.
Adhikaar
Adhikaar, meaning “rights” in Nepali, is a women-led community and workers’ center that provides direct services to the Nepali-speaking community and organizes low-income workers and impacted community members to promote social justice and human rights. To learn more, visit www.adhikaar.org.
Korean American Civic Empowerment
KACE’s mission is to empower the Korean American community by promoting civic participation. To learn more, visit www.kace.org.
Queensboro Dance Festival
Queensboro Dance Festival’s mission is to strengthen the dance community in Queens and inspire a greater appreciation for Queens dance. To learn more, visit www.queensborodancefestival.org.
THE HUNGER & THE HAUNT