In October of 1972, Ping Chong gathered a group of artists at Meredith Monk's loft in lower Manhattan to make Lazarus, his first independent theatre work. Twenty years later, during a residency at Artist Space, he brought together a group of "new" Americans to create Undesirable Elements, the first in what has become an ongoing series of oral history projects exploring the effects of history and identity on the lives of individuals living between cultures.

Over the last 30 years, Chong has created over 50 works including: Angels of Swedenborg, Nosferatu, Kind Ness, The East-West Quartet (Deshima, Chinoiserie, After Sorrow, and Pojagi), Truth and Beauty, Kwaidan and Obon: Tales of Rain and Moonlight, and 20 original productions in the Undesirable Elements Series. His work has received numerous awards and has been performed in museums, festivals and theatres around the world, including 11 premieres at La MaMa E.T.C.

To celebrate these achievements, Ping Chong & Company will present the PING CHONG 30/10 SEASON at La MaMa, E.T.C., October 3-20, 2002.

Ping Chong 30/10 will highlight the many facets of this singular artist. The core of the season in New York will be the encore presentation of SlutForArt a.k.a. Ambiguous Ambassador (October 3-13) and the world premiere of UE 92/02 (October 17-20), both at LaMaMa's Annex Theatre. SlutForArt is a multi-media dance theatre work by Ping Chong & Muna Tseng reflecting on the life and times of noted photographer Tseng Kwong Chi. SlutForArt received a Bessie Award in 1999 and has since toured extensively nationwide.

UE 92/02 is a new work by Ping Chong and Talvin Wilks bringing together for the first time memorable women from Undesirable Elements productions nationwide. Also joining the cast for the first time will be Ping Chong himself.

Ping Chong & Company will host a special opening night benefit gala to celebrate the premiere of UE 92/02 on October 17^th. In addition, video screenings of other Ping Chong works will be held in the Annex Theatre Lobby between 6:00-7:30 PM on performance days. The Company will also host free panel discussions on Sundays, October 6 and 13.

Tickets will be available through La MaMa E.T.C. The box office is located at 74A East 4th Street between Bowery and 2nd Avenue. Telephone: 212-475-7710. For information about the Gala Performance of UE 92/02, please call 212-529-1557.

Please watch the Ping Chong & Company website for information and updates about the PING CHONG 30/10 SEASON: www.pingchong.org