Inspired by the real life experiences of Somali drivers, Vietnam vets, artists, and more, Global Taxi Driver reveals a little known slice of the city and a view of the world- from behind the wheel of a cab.

Director/Playwright Leilani Chan and TeAda Ensemble members Ova Saopeng and Shyamala Moorty, have teamed up with artists from the Twin Cities Nicole M. Smith, Ifrah Mansour, and Saymoukda Vongsay and a local ensemble to gather stories of taxi drivers from around the globe. Throughout the world, taxi driving is a gateway profession for immigrants, often taken on by people who were once farmers, soldiers, doctors, or lawyers. With the growth of ridesharing taxi alternatives threatening this occupation for immigrants, these stories become more even more urgent to tell.

Come see this work-in-progress before it premieres at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis. Be a part of this creative journey and give us your feedback after the open rehearsal.

Written & Directed by Leilani Chan

Assistant Director Ova Saopeng

Choreographer Shyamala Moorty

Twin Cities Ensemble Members: Nicole M. Smith, Ifrah Mansour, Saymoukda Vongsay

FUNDING CREDITS

Global Taxi Driver is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Project Co-Commissioned by Intermedia Arts, TeAda Productions, East West Players and NPN. For more information www.npn.org. This project is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Network of Ensemble Theater’s Touring & Exchange Network (NET/TEN), supported by lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. GTD has been developed with the support of both the Artistic Innovation and ARC grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation, and California Stories grant from Cal Humanities.