Effective February 1, 2023, performer and director Nile Harris and playwright, director, and dramaturg Talvin Wilks—visionaries of different generations, both with multifaceted skill sets as artists, producers, and strategic thinkers—will join Managing Director Jane Jung and Associate Director Sara Zatz to lead our 

upon the retirement of Founder and Artistic Director Ping Chong and longtime Executive Director Bruce Allardice. In an exciting, new-to-us model of collaborative leadership, the Artistic Leadership Team will work together to develop and realize a vision for the future of the organization.

The establishment of this new Leadership Team represents a pivotal moment in our multi-year transition from a company identified with a single artist into one that supports a new generation of interdisciplinary artists. The transitional leadership structure is a reflection of this shift, and gives central roles to two artists with deep connections to the Company, alongside existing company leadership. Talvin has been a longtime collaborator of Ping Chong and Company since 1994. He has worked on multiple 

productions and co-wrote and directed the 

series with Ping Chong. Nile is a 2022 PCC Creative Fellow, through which he was in residence with the Company, engaging with the our archive and developing new work.

As they join the Artistic Leadership Team, Jane and Sara will retain their current managerial, administrative, and artistic roles, in addition to taking on new responsibilities. Christina Bixland will also continue to lead the company's Education programs.

“Ping Chong and Company is my life's work, but its future is now Talvin’s, Sara’s, Jane’s, and Nile’s to make.”

adds, “Talvin Wilks, Sara Zatz, and Jane Jung have contributed mightily to the success of Ping Chong and Company as artists and administrators in recent decades, and Nile will bring a fresh contemporary perspective to the mix. I’m confident the company will remain open and responsive to the evolving aesthetic and political conversations of our times, and will always value people first and foremost. I am filled with awe and gratitude as I step aside for new leadership. But I am aware of the challenges that remain ahead in this complicated time. I am fond of saying ‘There is no road until you make the road.’ I look forward to supporting my friends and colleagues at Ping Chong and Company as they boldly make their road.”

Amy Chin, President of the Ping Chong and Company Board

 says, “This moment is especially meaningful, as Ping Chong and Bruce Allardice hand over the reins of the Company to the next generation of artists and leaders—Nile Harris, Talvin Wilks, Jane Jung, and Sara Zatz—who will carry forward the ethos and values of Ping’s visionary work. Ping Chong and Company continues to inspire audiences to think deeply about the world and move beyond our personal cocoons. Through new work generation, support of artists, and the Undesirable Elements series, the organization is pushing back against the increasingly divided and antagonistic society we live in to build connection and seek common truth. The future is bright because we stand on the shoulders of giants like Ping and Bruce.”

The formation of the new leadership team is a key step in a three-year transition plan supported by $900,000 from the Mellon Foundation, which provided lead funding in a $1.5 million budget. We are is currently in the first year of the process, which is being led by the Board of Directors and a 

 consisting of Jane Jung, Sara Zatz, and PCC Board Members Kim Chan, Lillian Cho, and Cathy Barbash. The task force is managed by Boo Froebel with support from the consulting firm

“Through the years, Ping Chong and Company afforded Ping with an infrastructure that allowed him to pursue ambitious projects in multiple mediums over multiple decades. I know first-hand how transformative the company’s support is for younger artists in particular, and I’m excited now to be part of the team imagining new ways for Ping Chong and Company to provide similarly impactful opportunities to other artists, for years to come.” 

"Ping Chong and Company has been a place for discovery, mentoring, and expanded artistry for me since 1994, when I first worked with Ping on 

. I have grown and evolved and become a better artist—more visionary and more expansive—because of the opportunities provided by the company. Over a 50-year history, Ping and his many collaborators have built an incredible legacy that I’m excited to advance for future generations." 

“When faced with the decision to move forward as a Company after Ping's retirement, we were guided by the question: What would Ping Chong and Company look like if it launched anew at this moment in time? For 50 years, Ping Chong has worked with a clear worldview stemming from a complex understanding of history and identity, and has created a rich body of work guided by the values of artistry, precision, humanity, and social justice. As we move beyond Ping’s and Bruce’s retirement, our task is to transform legacy into practice by supporting the next generation of critically minded, socially engaged, experimental artists in working sustainably while pursuing their creative impulses with integrity. The most exciting thing about the future of the company are the artists we will be supporting, and the new work we will create together.” 

“To me, Ping Chong and Company means Art. Dialogue. Community. Listening. Change. Connection. I don’t know what exactly the future will bring, but I know we will continue to build and foster a holistic organization that is a truly welcoming home for artists—one that creates room for growth, risk, learning, and evolution. Talvin, Nile, Jane, and I will challenge and balance each other while asking, together, what stories need to be told, and imagining how we will make space for those stories in innovative new ways that evoke and honor Ping’s legacy while forging new paths forward. I feel grateful, hopeful, and honored to be part of this group, and to have Bruce and Ping’s blessing as we move, with thought, care, and intention, in new and unknown directions.”

 stages meditated confrontations between performer and audience that collage various modes of communication: choreography, reappropriated and scripted text, improvisation, spatial design, and clowning. His work has been presented at the Palais de Tokyo, The Watermill Center, New York Live Arts, Volksbühne Berlin, Prelude Festival, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Otion Front Studio, Grace Exhibition Space, and Movement Research at Judson Church. As a performer, Harris has originated roles in works by Crackhead Barney, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, 600 HIGHWAYMEN, Tina Satter, Robert Wilson, Young Boy Dancing Group, Nia Witherspoon, slowdanger, Lilleth Glimcher, Malcolm-x Betts, and Miles Greenberg. He is currently in rehearsals for the world premiere of Agnes Borinsky’s

, directed by Tina Satter and co-produced by Playwrights Horizons and Page 73, February 12–March 19.

, which commissions artists to create new work inspired by, and in response to, the Ping Chong and Company’s past works. The Public Theater, in association with PCC, will present his T

, a lecture and solo performance about “absence, abjection, and American nationalism,” January 19 & 22 as part of the 2023 Under the Radar Festival. Harris’s 

, a new work co-commissioned by PCC and building on the themes of 

 premieres at Abrons Art Center, July 14-16, 2023.


 is a playwright, director, and dramaturg based in Minneapolis and New York City. He has served as a co-writer/co-director/dramaturg for Ping Chong and Company’s ongoing 

Collidescope: Adventures in Pre- and Post-Racial America

. In 2022, Wilks directed the world premiere productions of 

by Harrison David Rivers at the History Theatre in Minneapolis, MN, 

 by Baba Israel, Grace Galu and Soul Unscribed at LaMama/Here Arts, and the three play saga, 

 by Ifa Bayeza at Mosaic Theatre in Washington, DC. Since 2014, some of his most acclaimed directorial work has been centered at Penumbra Theatre Company including

by Claudia Rankine. His critically acclaimed direction of 

 by Liza Jessie Peterson is featured in the documentary, 

by Cinque Northern which was recently short-listed for an Academy Award. He also served as dramaturg for Camille A. Brown’s Broadway Revival of 

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf 

 by Somi at New York Theatre Workshop/National Black Theatre. Other dramaturgy credits include 

Scat!/Walkin’ with ‘Trane/Hep Hep Sweet Sweet 

ink/Black Girl: Linguistic Play/ Mr. TOL E. RanCE 

In a Rhythm/A History/Necessary Beauty/ Landing-Place/Verge

 (Bebe Miller Company). Wilks is an Associate Professor in the Theatre Arts and Dance Department, University of Minnesota/Twin Cities and is a 2020 McKnight Theater Artist Fellow and a 2022 McKnight Presidential Fellow.


 became Managing Director of Ping Chong and Company in 2019. She previously served as the company’s Director of Planning and Operations (2018-19) and as its General Manager (2010-14). From 2014-17, she was Managing Director of The Civilians, an investigative theater company based in Brooklyn, NY. She is a board member of Musical Theater Factory, Radical Evolution, and Network of Ensemble Theaters and was Producing Fellow for the Broadway musical 

. Jung is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and Mount Holyoke College.


 joined Ping Chong and Company In 2002. As Associate Director, she leads the company’s community engagement and training programs and manages fundraising and development areas. Over the last 20 years, Zatz has been the lead artistic collaborator with Ping Chong on the 

 series, leading the creation of dozens of works in the series, working with partner organizations ranging from regional theaters to community-based arts organizations. Recent productions include 

, with individuals living with chronic illness (Profile Theatre), 

Inside/Out: Voices from the Disability Community 

 (national touring). She has spoken and presented workshops on community-engaged theater at many conferences and universities. She holds an M.Phil in Irish Theatre Studies from Trinity College, Dublin, and an AB from Bryn Mawr College.


Ping Chong and Company Announces New Leadership 

Ping Chong and Company creates works of theater and art that reveal beauty, invention, precision, and a commitment to social justice.

Founded by Ping Chong, Ping Chong and Company is a welcoming home and site of experimentation for multigenerational artists. The company creates original interdisciplinary, community-specific work; and cultivates artistry through training and education programs.


All Island Connect Underwater: A Celebration of Ping Chong and Bruce Allardice

Our tribute to Ping and Bruce and the artistic community that has been a part of their journey for fifty years was an experience beyond any other. As old and new friends gathered and an incredible lineup of performers and toasters shared the spotlights at the sold-out Chelsea Factory, we could feel the love and gratitude that filled the room.

Read all about the event and an interview with Ping, which was featured in the 

: "For A Pioneering Artist, the Joy of Having Done the Work His Way" by Laura Collins-Hughes. 

Here are some videos that we created for the occasion, tributes to Ping, Bruce and a glimpse of our future. These were edited by Satoko Sugiyama.

Ping Chong Tribute Video 

Bruce Allardice Tribute Video 

PCC: The Future

Thank you to Chinese Theatre Works, Fogo Azul, Muna Tseng, Meredith Monk, Jazz Passengers, and host Jessica Hagedorn for creating an evening beyond measure, and illustrating the transformative power of live performance; and to Mia Yoo, Melanie Joseph, Kim Chan, Amy Chin, Councilmember Gale Brewer for your tributes to Ping, Bruce and their partnership. 

Thank you to Chelsea Factory, our Production Team led by Bill Toles, Madison Lusby, Richie Clark, Alejandro Fajardo, Waymon Arnette, and our inimitable event producer Boo Froebel for creating a singular evening that encapsulated the spirit of PCC.

Thank you to our Board of Directors, our generous supporters, and all of you for showing your love and support for Bruce and Ping and our company.

We are entering the next chapter of Ping Chong and Company uplifted by your presence, energy and support. We can't wait to share all that's ahead with you.

s. 2nd from Top: Jane Jung. All Other Photos: Alexis Buatti-Ramos 

A Celebration of Ping Chong and Bruce Allardice! 

PCC and The New School’s Eugene Lang College and College of Performing Arts announce a 

 on February 3 and 4, 2023, celebrating the 30-year history of the company’s groundbreaking interview-based, community engaged, theater series 

 cast members, presenters, creative collaborators, producing partners and colleagues in the field of documentary theater to the university to lead courses, panels, and student workshops, culminating with an evening performance from a new work in progress, 

 is a series of interview-based theater productions by PCC that features local community members telling their own stories of place, identity, and belonging. Since 1992, over 65 

 productions have been made in communities across the country and around the world, exploring issues such as the experience of immigrants and refugees in the U.S., the experience of living with disability, Muslim American identity, and the experiences of survivors of sexual violence. Recent productions have looked at living with chronic illness and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth of color in New York City.

All events are free and open to the public. 

Click here for full schedule and more information. 

Real People, Real Lives, Real Theater: Celebrating 30 Years of Ping Chong and Company’s Undesirable Elements Symposium

Join us in a public tribute to our Founder and Artistic Director 

, who both retire from their leadership roles at the company at the end of 2022. 

All Islands Connect Underwater: A Celebration of Ping Chong and Bruce Allardice 

will take place on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, from 6-9pm, at Chelsea Factory (547 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001).

The event, hosted by playwright, author, and performance artist 

, will take the form of a party punctuated by brief performances.  

, the organization that preserves and promotes the traditional Chinese performing arts and creates new performance works that bridge Eastern and Western aesthetics and forms; New York City-based all-women, trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming Brazilian Samba Reggae drum line 

; legendary multidisciplinary artist and one of Ping Chong’s earliest and most formative collaborators, 

; dancer, choreographer, and founder of Muna Tseng Dance Projects 

whose moving dance-theater solo performance 

was written and directed by Chong; and legendary American jazz group 

. Other luminaries will be toasting Chong and Allardice at the event. 

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