When Cecilia J. Pang set out to write a play based on the writings of two historical figures, she didn’t expect to reunite with someone from her own past. The CU Boulder theater professor had begun work on a production called Bi-Passing — exploring the legacy of sisters Edith and Winnifred Eaton, regarded as the first Asian women authors in North America — when she got an email from Dr. Mary Chapman, a Winnifred Eaton scholar and professor at the University of British Columbia. The two academics, it turns out, shared a special connection beyond the material at hand.
“We chatted about Bi-Passing, and she promised to help get the word out about the play,” Pang says. “Then Mary asked if I had played the Fool in a high school production of King Lear near Niagara Falls, which I had. I could not believe that I was reconnecting with a high school classmate over the Eaton sisters’ writing.”
The sisters’ story had long fascinated Pang. Both siblings, who were born to an English father and a Chinese mother, used pen names when writing about their experiences as mixed-race immigrants. Edith used the pseudonym Sui Sin Far for her work focusing on the Chinese experience in 19th-century America, and Winnifred selected the name Onoto Watanna as her primary moniker as an author and screenwriter.
“I wanted to write Bi-Passing because I felt like people needed to know about these women,” Pang says. “I had been trying to write this play for many years but got stuck because I was too focused on trying to make their stories theatrical rather than just telling their stories. This adaptation focuses on giving the two sisters a platform to introduce themselves and tell some of their stories through vignettes.”
The world premiere of Pang’s stage adaptation of the Eaton sisters’ short storiesruns at the People’s Building in Aurora from July 14 to 16. Bi-Passing is the third production from Insight Colab Theatre — previously known as Theatre Esprit Asia (TEA), Colorado’s first and only Asian American theater company — following their devised piece APART/ TOGETHER in 2020 and original musical Say My Name in January 2023.
‘A complex relationship’
Insight Colab Theatre’s mission is to “spotlight inclusive, innovative and inspiring works to illuminate our shared human experience.” Pang is committed to broadening the company’s audience by sharing narratives that promote multiculturalism. The company prioritizes diverse casting, training for artists of color, and providing a platform for works like Bi-Passing that explore issues surrounding identity, race and privilege.
“I love being able to share stories by these two Asian writers that many people may not know about,” says Bi-Passing actor Kim Egan. “I think their stories provide a snapshot of what life was like at that time period for Asian and mixed-race people in North America. It is interesting to see the themes that are still relevant over 100 years later.”
As a transracial adoptee — a term describing a child adopted by parents of a racial or ethnic background different from their own — Egan relates to the feelings that the sisters describe in their work. “I know what it’s like to grow up in a predominantly white society,” she says. “Much like the characters in the play, I also struggled with feeling like I didn’t belong to either community.”
Egan and other performers say they are grateful to Insight Colab Theatre for bringing so many Asian American artists together to tell a story of the diaspora here on the Front Range.
“As an Asian American actor, those opportunities aren’t always easy to come by,” says Bi-Passing actor Will Choy Edelson. “I think a lot of the characters in the play have a complex relationship with the way they are perceived because of their race, which feels familiar to me.”
Pang notes that the upcoming premiere is a “‘no frills’ production focused on storytelling.” Because the goal of Bi-Passing is to highlight the powerful work of these trailblazing women, Pang’s direction emphasized the Eaton sisters’ own writing over theatrical artifice.
“I was struck by the simplicity of these women’s stories and didn’t want to distract from their words,” Pang says. “Even though we are telling an Asian story, I hope that people from all walks of life attend. The intent of this production is to introduce these authors to an American audience. In my dreams, people who have never heard of the Eaton sisters will come to see Bi-Passing, find the history interesting and want to learn more about them.”
ON STAGE: Bi-Passing by Insight Colab Theatre. Various times, July 14–16, The People’s Building, 9995 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora. Tickets here.
