About Us
Connecting Communities Through Theater, Bringing Chinese-Language Stories to a Wider Audience
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Drama Valley Performing Arts enriches the cultural life of the local Chinese community through Chinese-language theater, film, and television, fostering understanding and dialogue across cultures and generations.
We bring together local arts enthusiasts, technology professionals, and professional actors, directors, and designers to create and present stories that reflect the lives of Chinese communities abroad. Through stage performances, with English surtitles for select productions, we welcome audiences of different language backgrounds to share in the theater experience.
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Core Production Team
Director, Producer
Jingkun Yang
Graduated with a bachelor's degree in Theater and Film Acting from the Communication University of China and a master's degree in Creative Film Production from Columbia College Chicago, USA.
Representative Works: "Pepper Zhang", "Blue and White". "Pepper Zhang" is based on a real story of Chinese-Americans in New York and received high praise from the American Asian Association for its educational significance.
Yang has participated in the production of theatrical films that were shortlisted for awards such as the Golden Angel Award at the China-America Film Festival and the Maple Leaf Award at the Vancouver Chinese Film Festival, gaining extensive experience in film production.
In 2018, she served as the overall director for the Southern USA finals of the Miss China World Pageant broadcast by Hong Kong Phoenix Television.
Theatrical Works:
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Portrayed Zhen Huan in Empresses in the Palace
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Played Zhang Yiman in Mr. Donkey
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Played Yasuko Hanaoka in The Devotion of Suspect X
Stage Designer
Haibo Yu
Yu Haibo has created over 200 works across various fields, including stage design, film, television, landscape design, museum exhibitions, live performances, and large-scale events. He is a retired professor of Film and Theater at the University of California, Riverside, a specially appointed professor by China’s Ministry of Education and the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, and a guest professor at the Central Academy of Drama and Shanghai Theatre Academy. Yu is a registered designer with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and a member of the British Society of Theatre Designers (SBTD). He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, the University of Leeds, and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.
His works have been featured three consecutive times (every four years) in the Complete Works of British Scenic Design. He was part of the award-winning team at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (1991), receiving the British "Golden Coach Award." In 2002, he earned the USITT Best Design Award, and in 2013, he was included in the "100 World Stage Designers" exhibition at the World Stage Design Expo.
Publications:
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Fundamentals of Western Stage Design (China Drama Publishing House, 2016)
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Opening the Door to Narrative Spaces: Western Museum Exhibition Design (China Drama Publishing House, 2020)
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Scene Narratives in Film: A Century of American Film Art and Design, 1920–2020 (China Drama Publishing House, 2023)
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Improvisation and Non-Scripted Creation (co-authored, Crowood Press, UK, 2002)
Dance Director
Jason Chen
Jason Chen (Chen Xiang) – Veteran Professional Ballroom Dance Instructor
His expertise lies in ballroom dance instruction, choreography, competition coaching, and guidance, earning him numerous domestic and international awards and an esteemed reputation in the dance world.
In 2023, he won FIRST PLACE at the Teacher-Student Open Competition during the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival, further solidifying his exceptional status within the global dance community.
Beyond his accomplishments in ballroom dancing, Jason actively engages in competition choreography, group dance creation, charity performances, and choreography for films and stage plays.
Line Producer
Zezhong Luo
Graduated in Broadcasting and Hosting Arts from the Communication University of China
Earned a Master of Arts degree from Peking University
Previously hosted various programs on national and provincial television networks, including China Education Television, Travel Satellite TV, and Guangdong Satellite TV.
Sound and Sound Effects Designer
Wenze Li
Composer, music producer, and educator, supported by the CAC (California Arts Council) fund.
Li holds a bachelor's degree in Music Editing from the Communication University of China and a master's degree in Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In addition, he performs as a violist for the LGBTQ symphony orchestra in the San Francisco Bay Area, the "Bay Area Rainbow Symphony," with over 20 concert appearances.
Li has contributed to the sound production of numerous independent films, one of which achieved a box office revenue exceeding $50 million. He has created influential music videos for nonprofit organizations, such as "When Love Dances" for the Alamo Counseling Center in 2020 and "Dream Friends" for Friends of Children with Special Needs in 2021, benefiting more than 50 children from the special needs and LGBTQ communities.
As the operator of Bruce Music Studio, Li completes over 100 music projects annually and teaches audio production at Compass Point Mentorship, where he has educated over 200 students. He is also an advocate for local community music education, participating in more than 10 community events each year.
