» Cast

Cast

The current Cast & Crew of OPM’S GREEN TEA PARTY:

JULIA CHO (actor, writer) debuted at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco as the star of Amy Tan’s Immortal Heart, which toured domestically and in France. Since then, she has performed/toured with East West Players, hereandnow theatre company, and Lodestone Theatre Ensemble. She can be seen in Eating Out: All You Can Eat (available on DVD) and the upcoming Tom Hanks film Larry Crowne. Catch her in episodes of Disney XD’s I’m in the Band and Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana. Julia most recently filmed Jeff and Ravi Fail History, a web series for Subway slated to launch in December.

EWAN CHUNG (producer, actor, writer) is from (northern) Virginia. He has been working with OPM since a brief stint in its original Seattle home, then in Los Angeles as of 2001. He recently worked on the independent films, What If People Died by Dominic Mah and Morning with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Leland Orser, and Laura Linney. Other films include Kissing Cousins and Undiscovered. TV credits include Bones, Two and a Half Men, Boston Legal, Chuck, Eli Stone, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, The Unit (along with Charles Kim), Desperation, Las Vegas, Invasion, and Sucker Free City. See what else he’s up to at www.vimeo.com/ewanchung.

LEO FLOWERS (actor) A Chicago native, Leo quickly worked his way into major comedy clubs and colleges across the country. His delivery has been described as “smooth and deliberate,” making observations bordering on “genius and insanity.” No two shows are ever alike, as he’s always attacking the issues of the day from the news and personally. Using his M.A. in Counseling/ Psychology to hilariously dissect human behavior, Leo captivates audiences all across the country. A Laugh Factory regular, Leo made his TV debut on Comics Unleashed w/Byron Allen; was featured on the Bob & Tom Radio Show twice; runner-up in the “San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition;” nationally toured on “Shaved and Depraved Comedy Tour” sponsored by Headblade; co-hosted MTV’s Sports Blender; and cut his acting chops on the WB’s Sorority Forever.

PETER JAE (actor), better known to some as “Pedro,” is excited to be working with OPM for the first time. Fresh to LA from NYC, he’s happy to be surrounded by such a talented group of people. These days you can catch Peter in the new web series, K-Town Cowboys (special jury winner for Best Narrative First Feature at the VC Film Festival), every week on Ktowncowboys.com, where he plays a sensitive douchebag. You can also catch him in a Liberty Mutual Insurance commercial currently playing on national television. He is hungry, he’s passionate, and…he’s a fool!!

BRANDON JOHNSON (actor) is a Second City alumnus (Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles). Here in Los Angeles he performs with Lucha Va Voom. It is a mix of Mexican wrestling and burlesque. If that’s not your scene please stop by the UCB theater where he does various shows throughout the month. If you still think live stuff is too much, then please watch him in this summer’s Get Him to the Greek with Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. What? You don’t go to movies? Fine. Stay on your couch and watch him HBO’s Funny or Die Presents Fridays at midnight….You don’t have cable. Great. There are a slew of great online videos where Brandon plays DJ Ol Youngin with Aziz Ansari (Raaaaaaaandy) at Will Farell/Judd Apatow’s website Funny Or Die. Thanks for coming tonight, I’ve missed you and the kids.

ELAINE KAO (actor) is so happy and excited to be performing with OPM. Some of her TV credits include playing a pistol packing assasssin on NCIS: Los Angeles, an owner of a “happy ending” massage parlor on Entourage, and Kevin Nealon’s wife on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Thanks to Charles, Ewan, and the rest of the cast for all the laughs!

CHARLES KIM (Artistic Director, producer, actor, writer) thanks you for coming out to the show! Charles is proud to be performing with his fellow funny actors and writers once again. Big shout-out to Lawrin for having OPM play in the Fest. Over the years, Charles’ work on stage has been praised by Backstage West, L.A. Weekly, L.A. Times, and The Georgia Strait (Vancouver). His most recent screen work includes appearances in the upcoming feature film, The Wedding Palace, and an upcoming Nickelodeon pilot, Everyday Kid. He thanks God, family, friends, and everyday living for inspiration. And much luv to tha CDMC ☺

JOHN LOPEZ (writer, actor) has participated in the CBS writer’s mentoring program and written for the Los Angeles Times and Vanity Fair.com. He writes because it is “easy” and makes him millions of dollars, which he blows on authentic 19th century Victorian porn and inspirational kitten calendars.

DOM MAGWILI (actor) trained at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco for 2½ years, Darryl Hickman for six years, and at the East West Players since 1974. He has guest starred on such TV shows as Close to Home, JAG, King of Queens, and Becker. He was the King in The King and I and was in the Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler film, 50 First Dates. He and his wife, Saachiko, wrote and directed the acclaimed holiday classic, A Jive Bomber’s Christmas, that has run 9 years. He also wrote and co-directed the feature film, Much Adobo About Nothing as well as directed Cine Excel Entertainment’s movie, Magma. Dom received critical acclaim for his work in the East West Players Production of Proof, as well as the Lodestone Theatre’s production of American Monsters 2, and the Center Theatre Group’s production of Dogeaters. Dom received his MFA in Acting Program at Cal State Long Beach. Dom appeared in the final episode of ER and was recently seen in the HBO show, How to Make It in America. Recently, he played Lord Montague in the SCLA Equity Production of Romeo and Juliet.

CHRIS NORLIN (writer) is a graduate of the UCLA film school and a Jeopardy! champion. His screenplay Curse of the Nibelungen, based on the ancient Germanic legend, was judged to be in the top 100 of the 3,500+ entries at this year’s Scriptapalooza competition. Chris thanks the gang at OPM for making him laugh all these years as an audience member and for now letting him get in on the action!

RANDALL PARK (actor, writer) is an actor and comedian born and raised in Los Angeles. He has been in television and movies. Randall is thrilled to be performing with OPM and also with the love of his life, Jae. Here is a list of other soul mates who have worked together on stage to entertain  the masses: Siegfried and Roy.

CAROLINE PHO (actor) is thrilled to be back performing with OPM. Her credits include Men Who Stare At Goats and Carrie Underwood’s Ever After music video. She can also be seen in various short films including Due Date, The Big V, and One Night Stan. Recently, she co-wrote the Funny Or Die exclusive video Whoreders and will be featured in the upcoming season finale of House M.D. alongside the amazing Hugh Laurie. Caroline graduated from The McIntire School of Commerce at The University of Virginia.

LEE SHERMAN (actor) is proud to have toured Will and Company’s American Voices and Portraits In American Courage. She’s also played in Black Women: State Of the Union, The Colored Museum, Un-Rule-Lee (her one-woman show), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Annoyed By Life and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to name a few. Ms. Sherman has received favorable reviews in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, and Backstage West. Catch Lee on Showtime, TMC and Encore as Agent Alex McKissock in the CIA-action thriller Contract Killers. Lee is also a Teaching Artist for Center Theatre Group’s (CTG)/Performing for Los Angeles Youth (P.L.A.Y.). It is always a pleasure to be able to tickle some funny bones with the OPM crew!

Jae Suh JAE SUH (actor) Jae’s past credits include How I Met Your Mother and commercials for Orbitz and Intel. Her current projects include her marriage to the incredibly sexy Randall Park. Ironically, she can also be seen in the upcoming web series Road to the Altar.

DIANA TOSHIKO (actor) Diana Toshiko was in OPM 2001-2004 and is happy to perform with the group back at the Fringe Festival in 2010! Recent credits: Two Weeks Notice by Myth Tao Productions playing the deadly assassin Ru; New Line’s Horrible Bosses with Colin Farrell; Make a Movie Like Spike with Jamil Walker Smith of SGU Stargate Universe; series regular on season one of the webisode series Hell Froze Over, which won the Outside the Box Award at The New York Television Festival; Bow Down to Your Asian Masters with Emmy Award-winning 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors; the West Coast premiere of The Betrayed by award-winning Nisei playwright, poet, and author Hiroshi Kashiwagi. More info at www.dianatoshiko.com. Much love to cast and crew, family and friends, and to Ewan and Charles for the old skool reunion.

DAVE WILDER grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he quickly learned he had a love for theatre after getting his first part in the school Christmas Play in 6th grade. Shortly thereafter he discovered his passion for improv comedy, which he studied and performed throughout college and high school with groups such as “ComedySportz” in Milwaukee, “The Ad’Libs” in Dallas, and “Baloney Rodeo” in Oklahoma City. After college he moved out to Los Angeles where he continues to do improv weekly on a houseteam at the Westside Comedy Theatre in Santa Monica. He became involved with OPM after doing a promo for Comedy Central with Charles Kim and has been the token white guy ever since.

ESTHER K. CHAE (director) is an international award-winning actor, playwright and academic. Her artistic work has been seen and heard in the US, Korea, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Canada and Russia. As a performer her numerous TV credits include NCIS, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, The West Wing, The Shield, ER, The Young and the Restless; theatre credits such as Yale Repertory Theater, La Mama (NY), Mark Taper Forum/ Kirk Douglas Theater, East West Players, P.S. 122 and Harvard/A.R.T. As an academic she graduated from the Yale School of Drama with an MFA in Acting, University of Michigan with an MA in Theater Studies, and Korea University. She has taught and lectured at NYU’s Tisch Performance Studies, Yale School of Drama, USC, University of Baltimore, Maryland, and Cal State San Marcos. As a writer she has written three plays (all produced) and one short film (Hampton’s Int’l Film Festival). Her most recent solo performance piece So the Arrow Flies, about a North Korean spy and the Korean American FBI Agent that chases her, was featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2008 and will be performed at Ars Nova Theater Festival (NY) and the World Women’s Forum (Seoul). The screen adaptation with the same title was a finalist for KOFIC’s director’s lab. She is a certified stage combatant, trained in Korean Drum and Mask dance, and proud to have trekked the Himalayan mountains (India, 4100m) – despite the altitude sickness. More info at www.estherchae.com.

Frequent and Past Collaborators