I AM MULAN PROJECT
The world knows the tale, the myth, the legend, the ballad of Mulan. But does Mulan know Mulan? Incarnated into five distinct personalities, an ensemble of "Mulans" must find a way out of Dìyù (Hell)... and from each other. A confrontation, an introspection, and a deconstruction of the Chinese folkloric heroine, I AM MULAN is a world-premiere existential dramedy by Elizabeth Ung that examines what it means to embrace and reject one's identity and legacy.
i am mulan
hawai'i production 2025
I AM MULAN had its world-premiere production in April 2025. Directed by the playwright, Elizabeth Ung, the story deconstructed the myth and legend of Mulan into five distinct personalities. Weaving together multilingual and multicultural fabrics, this production gave audiences resonance to social issues and introspection into the multi-faceted truths of these characters exploring their identities as Chinese, Queer, and femme icons.
PLAY Development
August 2024 Zoom Cast Reading (clockwise from top left): Sean-Joseph Choo, Karen Li, Sarah Ku, Hi'ilani Okimura, Jackie Liu, Shane Chung
In Fall 2023, I began writing the first draft of this ambitious story. Before then, the seed for this Mulan retelling grew from the specific experiences in the height of lockdown in 2020. Anti-Asian attacks and Sinophobia emerged during this time, which has negatively affected Asian and Asian American identifying peoples, including myself as a Queer mixed-race Chinese person. I wanted to also connect more deeply to my Chinese heritage through language and culture. My father never spoke Cantonese and so, my "mothertongue" never settled into my life. Through my craft of storytelling, I am able to reclaim a part of me that has been excluded, historically and personally.
The first draft of I AM MULAN had a first read-through over Zoom in August 2024 (cast pictured above). A second draft is in the works and will be expected to have an in-person read-through by the end of 2024. I AM MULAN will be submitted to various play festivals, including the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for Region 8.
The continual development of this play further affirms and informs readers and audiences of the lived experiences of the Chinese and Chinese American diaspora through the empowerment of what Mulan represents to us now---a feminist, Queer, and Asian woman warrior who overcame the odds in the face of adversity.
The first draft of I AM MULAN had a first read-through over Zoom in August 2024 (cast pictured above). A second draft is in the works and will be expected to have an in-person read-through by the end of 2024. I AM MULAN will be submitted to various play festivals, including the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival for Region 8.
The continual development of this play further affirms and informs readers and audiences of the lived experiences of the Chinese and Chinese American diaspora through the empowerment of what Mulan represents to us now---a feminist, Queer, and Asian woman warrior who overcame the odds in the face of adversity.
