Skyler Chin – Composer, Lyricist, Librettist / Sita Sunil – Co-Composer, Co-Librettist
Olivia Facini – Director, Producer, Co-Librettist
(2021-2022, Carnegie Hall and Manhasset, NY)
Keep dreaming and telling your story…
Illegal: A New Musical
In-Person Performances
In October, nonprofit Music for Change invited Illegal to be the featured act in their concert at Carnegie Hall. The proceeds from this performance went to establishing a scholarship fund to support young artists of color pursuing training in the performing arts.
In March, we had our first in-person event of 2022. With the support of YAYA Kids Theater, we gave free concert performances of Illegal with its professional AAPI cast, welcoming about 600 audience members over two nights in Manhasset.
Our talented cast: Subin Kara Ahn, Skyler Chin, Nicholas Leung, Anna Stacy, Sita Sunil, and Miguel Sutedjo.
What an Honor!
We were delighted to have prominent guest speakers before each show—New York State Assemblywoman Gina L. Sillitti and US Congresswoman Grace Meng. Also in attendance were New York State Senator Anna M. Kaplan and Nassau County Treasurer David Chiang.
I was honored to receive a New York State Assembly Citation for my contribution to social justice activism in the arts.
A New Version of the Show
If you saw our Yale workshop production in 2019, this version of the show looked a bit different.
This winter, we made quite a few revisions. We kept everyone’s favorite songs, but we enhanced the storytelling aspects of the musical, further developed the characters and their relationships, and even added a few new songs.
About Illegal: A New Musical
Responding to recent anti-Asian racism and violent incidents, particularly against Asian women, Illegal is a historical fiction rap-rock musical that tells the stories of Asian Americans, immigrants, and women of color especially.
Created in 2019 by Skyler Chin, Sita Sunil, and Olivia Facini, Illegal: A New Musical pays respect to the challenges immigrant families face today and gives voice to some of America’s first “illegal” immigrants. Inspired by the 1923 detainment and interrogation of Skyler’s grandfather on Angel Island en route to Manhattan Chinatown, Illegal confronts the history of anti-Asian prejudice that Skyler’s ancestors experienced during the Chinese Exclusion era and that many still face a century later. The show’s bold, irreverent characters and upbeat, comedic moments honor the fighting spirit of those who persevered and allowed future Americans to proudly tell their stories.
A Semi-Finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s 2022 National Music Theater Conference, Illegal is the proud love child of Hamilton and Bruce Lee, with fast-talking clever wordplay, an innovative blend of rap, rock, and historical references, and colorful characters ready to take on the world—with kung fu, if need be. Illegal brings to center stage people largely left out of American history textbooks and mostly unseen on American stages.
Over the last year, Illegal has developed partnerships with over a dozen local and national nonprofits to support funding, outreach, and educational efforts. We’ve raised over $27,000 to bring this show’s message of perseverance, solidarity, and hope to more communities.
Some of our awesome partner organizations:
- Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (official community partner)
- Apex for Youth
- Asian American / Asian Research Institute at CUNY
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (official community partner)
- Chinese Community Center of Flushing
- Chinese Historical Society of America
- Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans
- Great Neck South High School
- Manhasset School District
- OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
- Queens Public Library – Flushing Library
- The Nueva School
- Yale Associations of Rhode Island and Cape Cod
Project Goals
- Respond to pandemic-era anti-Asian racism—which has particularly affected New York’s AAPI communities—with positive narratives by and about AAPI individuals, emphasizing perseverance, solidarity, and hope.
- Introduce Illegal to new communities, especially communities with thriving Asian American populations, and establish strong bases there—with the help of our local Community Partners.
- Educate people, especially young people, about Asian American history by providing context on Chinese Exclusion, Angel Island, and other exclusionary practices that aren’t often taught in schools.
- Inspire young Asian Americans to pursue the arts (particularly theater) and encourage them to tell their stories.
- Entertain audiences with larger-than-life characters and upbeat music that draws on both contemporary and traditional influences to bring them joy during a trying time.
- Show people the richness of their history and culture and inspire them to create meaningful positive change in their communities and in the world.
For more of Illegal
- Listen to songs from the show on Soundcloud or on YouTube.
Many thanks to our Community Partners
