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Empress Yee chronicles the life of Cynthia Yee, a San Francisco Chinatown-born burlesque performer, Miss San Francisco Chinatown, and tour guide beginning in the 1960s all the way up to her life in Chinatown today. Despite the pandemic, Cynthia and her band of dancing Chinese grandmas, The Grant Avenue Follies, continues to dance, perform, choreograph shows, create experiences, and delight and inspire audiences everywhere.
Follow Cynthia and her crew as they collaborate and create with The Rice Rockettes, a San Francisco-based Asian drag queen troupe, drop wisdom, and share their vision for Chinatown. Their laughter, wisdom, courage, kindness, and love of all people will give us all a big bowl of Chinese chicken soup for the soul at a time when Chinatowns worldwide and people everywhere need it most.
Director Biographies- Marc Pomerleau and Colin Johnson
Marc Pomerleau
Marc is a Co-Active trained coach, public speaker, strategy consultant, creative experience designer, storyteller, psychonaut advocate, and most recently, producer, writer, and director of short films.
All of Marc’s work aims to shift perspective and assist individuals and organizations access deeper levels of awareness, understanding, and meaning all for the purpose of enhancing resonance, creative collaboration, trust, and fulfillment along the full spectrum of living.
Marc draws on 30 years of executive experience in technology, manufacturing, government, marketing, strategy, and event experience design from the Fortune 500 to co-founding start-ups and non-profits in the U.S. and Asia Pacific.
Marc holds an M.A. in international economics and China studies from The Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC, lived in China and Taiwan for seven years, and loves to explore consciousness and different cultures. In 2022, Marc and his spouse, Laurel Lee, will depart San Francisco to travel the world in search of a new place to call home.
Colin Johnson
Colin Johnson is an award-winning multi-hyphenate production artist who has been operating in the Bay Area since 2008. He is the Artistic Director of Awesome Theatre and Creative Director of Troubleshoot Productions, where his work has been showcased across several mediums, publications and international festivals. Notable collaborators include San Francisco Playground, Circus Center, The Clown Conservatory, Z Space, Laney College, Circus Bella, Skyline High School, The Curran Theatre, 3 Girls Theatre Company, Pianofight, Image Comics, Runway Innovation Hub, San Diego Comic-Con, the Chinatown Merchants Association and UC Maritime Academy.
- Year2021
- DirectorMarc Pomerleau and Colin Johnson
Empress Yee chronicles the life of Cynthia Yee, a San Francisco Chinatown-born burlesque performer, Miss San Francisco Chinatown, and tour guide beginning in the 1960s all the way up to her life in Chinatown today. Despite the pandemic, Cynthia and her band of dancing Chinese grandmas, The Grant Avenue Follies, continues to dance, perform, choreograph shows, create experiences, and delight and inspire audiences everywhere.
Follow Cynthia and her crew as they collaborate and create with The Rice Rockettes, a San Francisco-based Asian drag queen troupe, drop wisdom, and share their vision for Chinatown. Their laughter, wisdom, courage, kindness, and love of all people will give us all a big bowl of Chinese chicken soup for the soul at a time when Chinatowns worldwide and people everywhere need it most.
Director Biographies- Marc Pomerleau and Colin Johnson
Marc Pomerleau
Marc is a Co-Active trained coach, public speaker, strategy consultant, creative experience designer, storyteller, psychonaut advocate, and most recently, producer, writer, and director of short films.
All of Marc’s work aims to shift perspective and assist individuals and organizations access deeper levels of awareness, understanding, and meaning all for the purpose of enhancing resonance, creative collaboration, trust, and fulfillment along the full spectrum of living.
Marc draws on 30 years of executive experience in technology, manufacturing, government, marketing, strategy, and event experience design from the Fortune 500 to co-founding start-ups and non-profits in the U.S. and Asia Pacific.
Marc holds an M.A. in international economics and China studies from The Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC, lived in China and Taiwan for seven years, and loves to explore consciousness and different cultures. In 2022, Marc and his spouse, Laurel Lee, will depart San Francisco to travel the world in search of a new place to call home.
Colin Johnson
Colin Johnson is an award-winning multi-hyphenate production artist who has been operating in the Bay Area since 2008. He is the Artistic Director of Awesome Theatre and Creative Director of Troubleshoot Productions, where his work has been showcased across several mediums, publications and international festivals. Notable collaborators include San Francisco Playground, Circus Center, The Clown Conservatory, Z Space, Laney College, Circus Bella, Skyline High School, The Curran Theatre, 3 Girls Theatre Company, Pianofight, Image Comics, Runway Innovation Hub, San Diego Comic-Con, the Chinatown Merchants Association and UC Maritime Academy.
- Year2021
- DirectorMarc Pomerleau and Colin Johnson