花和霧 flowers and fog debuted in May 18-26, 2024 - as an intergenerational performance work between Melissa Lewis Wong and her mother Joy Chenyu Lewis exploring storytelling, live songs from Joy’s traditional Chinese repertoire, ancestral drag apparitions, and dreaming into futures of their mother-child relationship. Performances invited audiences to intimate Chinatown dim sum picnics in Portsmouth Square and an evening-length multidisciplinary in-theater experience that culminated in a mahjong game and tea.

The show was co-directed by Kat Cole, Kim Ip and Lawrence Tome. Sound design and live accompaniment by Lawrence Tome. Eric Garcia served as production manager and creative consultant. GG torres designed lights; Ainsley Tharp created projection design with support from Zoe Huey; Jessi Barber was Technical Director with support from Zoe Quon; Kevin Lo sound engineered; ABG offered production support.

Joy and Melissa shared a short preview of our project at the historic at Judson Church in NYC - on Monday, April 8, 2024 - as part of the Movement Research series.

This project began in 2020 via many hours of conversation towards a film featuring melissa and Joy. The experimental, personal film grew into an expansive public engagement through a process of continued interview conversations, archival family research, and co-discovering embodiment.

Videography by RAPT Productions
Studio images by RJ Muna, all others by Robbie Sweeny