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Published on 06/19/1995 All articles from this issue

Lisa Yuen: from Los Altos Hills to Broadway

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By Edward A. Sanchez

Special to the Town Crier

The Bay Area has been the birthplace of a number of talented actors such as Tom Hanks, Rebecca DeMornay, Lloyd Bridges ... and Lisa Yuen.

Yuen, a native of Los Altos Hills and 1994 graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles, has achieved in less than a year after graduation what some strive a lifetime to attain. She has landed a role in a Broadway production. What makes her achievement even more remarkable is that she did it all without the help of a talent agent.

Being in the Los Angeles area was a boost to Yuen's career.

An open-call audition in Los Angeles was her first chance to get a role in "Miss Saigon," the New York production she is currently performing in. Yuen is the understudy to Gigi, the head barmaid in a Saigon bar frequented by American G.I.s, and in the ensemble she sings "Movie in My Mind," which expresses her wish to leave Vietnam for America.

Yuen, 23, believes that "Miss Saigon" has some important messages, including the abandonment of Amer-Asian children in Vietnam and their struggle for a better life. She said that many Vietnam veterans who saw the play thought it was true to life.

She has performed in many productions since she started in sixth grade.

"I was around 12 when I started acting. I played Dorothy in the 'Wizard of Oz' with Sunnyvale Community Players. My mom was a teacher there and encouraged me to audition," Yuen said.

While some parents express reservations about their children going into the acting field, Yuen said that her mother was encouraging from the start. "My mom was very supportive," she said. "She took me to and from all my auditions and shows, some of which were in San Jose, a 30-minute drive for her."

Although she had always enjoyed acting as a hobby, she did not consider it as a career until she was at UCLA. She started as a music major, but eventually got involved with John Hall's musical theater program.

Yuen feels that Broadway offers more opportunities for women than in many other fields. "There is not as much of a 'glass ceiling' in the acting field. Many of the leading roles are for women," she said.

In the future, she would like to perform in many other plays. "I'd love to do any of the Maltby/Shire plays like 'Baby' and 'Closer than Ever.' They really show off a woman's talent."

She advises young people that want to go into acting should take three important steps: train, travel to different cities to see different talents and work hard to achieve personal goals.