Irene Zhiyi Chen

Irene Zhiyi Chen is an artist-educator telling stories that dive into in-between spaces with relentless honesty and powerful tenderness, searching for belonging in transcultural, multilingual, and intergenerational contexts. Irene's interests span across theatre education, playwriting, devising, intimacy choreography, sound design, and dance. Irene holds a B.A. (Honors) in Theatre and Education from Brown University and is purusing an M.F.A. in Theatre with a specialization in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities at UT-Austin.

Irene Zhiyi Chen is an artist-educator telling stories that dive into in-between spaces with relentless honesty and powerful tenderness, searching for belonging in transcultural, multilingual, and intergenerational contexts. Irene's interests span across theatre education, playwriting, devising, intimacy choreography, sound design, and dance. Irene holds a B.A. (Honors) in Theatre and Education from Brown University and is purusing an M.F.A. in Theatre with a specialization in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities at UT-Austin.

Scripts

Sailboat Lullaby

by Irene Zhiyi Chen

1
Cast Size
7—10
Genre
drama

When Jasmine visits her alma mater in China, she's longing to meet Ellie again — her former English teacher from America, who was once her longtime mentor and confidante. As Jasmine reckons with her memories of the four years they shared, she finds herself treading a fine line between respect and idolatry, expectations and reality, admiration and love. A coming-of-age story that examines the cost of crossing...

When Jasmine visits her alma mater in China, she's longing to meet Ellie again — her former English teacher from America, who was once her longtime mentor and confidante. As Jasmine reckons with her memories of the four years they shared, she finds herself treading a fine line between respect and idolatry, expectations and reality, admiration and love. A coming-of-age story that examines the cost of crossing borders.

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Close Embrace: A Solo Play

by Irene Zhiyi Chen

Cast Size
1
Genre
drama,
experimental,
movement/physical

With language lifted from interviews and real-life conversations, this play gently explores how the embodiment of the same repertoire of Argentine tango acts as a process of transferring generational teachings of womanhood between my mom and me. What are the possibilities of intimacy and connection in our mother-daughter relationship through dance and beyond?

With language lifted from interviews and real-life conversations, this play gently explores how the embodiment of the same repertoire of Argentine tango acts as a process of transferring generational teachings of womanhood between my mom and me. What are the possibilities of intimacy and connection in our mother-daughter relationship through dance and beyond?

Mostly Side Quests: Life in Eden House

by Irene Zhiyi Chen

Cast Size
10
Genre
adventure,
comedy,
docudrama/historic,
drama

This adventure-game-esque play follows the joys, chaos, and transience of queer communal living, featuring easily distracted players, an eccentric host who crumbles, and a house with a complex history. A documentary play about the soon-to-close Eden House, a queer student housing co-operative in Austin, TX.

This adventure-game-esque play follows the joys, chaos, and transience of queer communal living, featuring easily distracted players, an eccentric host who crumbles, and a house with a complex history. A documentary play about the soon-to-close Eden House, a queer student housing co-operative in Austin, TX.