“This moment is so surreal for me as an Asian-trans person and as an actor,” said Ni-Ni, who portrays Harriet. “In this moment it feels like exposure. This kind of play hasn’t really been produced very often, so it’s a window for people to see a specific part of the trans-Asian experience.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
He’s also proud to be associated with a predominately Asian American, gender-inclusive production team uniquely consisting of trans/non-binary artists.
“The entire creative team is trans and/or Asian and even the design team is queer, many of them trans,” explained Ni-Ni, 22. “It’s a different experience in that I don’t feel like I have to explain myself to them. When I share my perspectives, it feels like I’m listened to. I don’t feel like I have to advocate for myself. They are already there with me — they just want to know more. There is a base level of respect and understanding.”
Growing up in Kettering, Ni-Ni, son of longtime Dayton Daily News columnist and investigative reporter Mary McCarty, appeared in productions at Fairmont High School including “The Fairy Tale Network” and Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” Upon graduation in 2019, he enrolled in Wright State’s acting program but didn’t find many opportunities to be spotlighted to his fullest. He dynamically portrayed multiple roles in “The Laramie Project” in February 2023 but that production happened during his senior year and marked his final show in the program.
Credit: WRIGHT STATE THEATRE
Credit: WRIGHT STATE THEATRE
“The longer I was at Wright State I started to notice I was only cast in ensemble and understudy roles until my last semester of college,” Ni-Ni said. “But I watched my white peers get cast in mainstage musicals and plays and have consistent and constant opportunities to push themselves in new directions. But if it was more of a traditional play I wouldn’t even be called back, and, really, maybe only one other person of color would be called back or let alone be cast. But I’m still incredibly grateful for ‘The Laramie Project’ experience. It taught me a lot about empathy. I thought I was pretty empathetic before but I was playing people who are homophobic and I had to figure out how not to play them as a caricature and instead see their real perspective. ‘Laramie Project’ made me more well-rounded as a human being.”
Based in Los Angeles, Ni-Ni discovered “Isabel” through a nationwide casting call. He sent in an audition tape in February and was cast in March. The play, which began previews June 14 and continues through July 6, received mixed reviews but TalkinBroadway.com notably praised his performance as “effervescent.”
“This play is so wacky but portrays trans-masculine relationships with nuances both romantic and familial,” Ni-Ni said. “The play is surreal, weird and absurd (spun) within imagined realism. There are deep metaphors but it also is what it is. Gender doesn’t always make a lot of sense and it doesn’t have to. It just is. And that’s all that matters.”
The subject of gender has been a part of Ni-Ni’s story since he was at Fairmont. He told this newspaper during his sophomore year that he confidently explained his switch from a lesbian female to a male identity on social media in the summer of 2016. At the time, Kettering City Schools modified its bathrooms in response to the debate regarding transgender students and bathrooms.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Ni-Ni is confident plays like “Isabel” can provide an engaging invitation for fruitful discussions of gender and identity. He looks forward to moving to New York and awaits more chances to live and perform unapologetically.
“It feels serendipitous,” Ni-Ni said. “I’m hoping for more affirming experiences like this. I’ve always felt capable of doing something like this but I didn’t know if other people would see me as capable, especially so early in my career. I’m entering this industry at the exact right time for who I am as a person.”
Right Now with Russell spotlights arts and entertainment news every Friday and as news arises. From the latest in local arts to the latest in film, music, TV, theater, awards season and other hot button topics, the goal is to fill you in on what’s new in order to satisfy your entertainment cravings. He can be reached at Russell.Florence@coxohio.com.
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