Amazing Asians in the Arts: Alex Lin

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Alex Lin is a playwright, journalist, and ex-STEM kid based in Saddle River, New Jersey. Initially starting out as an actor, she attended NYU Tisch and began working at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. After receiving direction from Pirronne Yousefzadeh and Marc Bovino, she decided to pursue writing full-time. Currently on a Sloan commission with Manhattan Theatre Club, her work includes Bad Chinese Daughter, LASTHUNTER, Chinese Republicans, 39 Revolutions, a song cycle in the works, and more. In addition to this, she also serves as “head writer for A24 Film/GrandArmy’s frontline space media agency, Supercluster,” where she’s worked hand-in-hand with SpaceX, NASA, Netflix, AppleTV, and SpaceX and “provided coverage for missions… Perseverance, ISS 20, Crew-1, and Inspiration4.” Lin’s advice to young artists? “Always keep applying. Every no is one step closer to yes.” Read on to learn more about Alex Lin and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts! 

Name:   Alex Lin

Heritage:   Chinese-American

Hometown:   Saddle River, NJ

Current City:   Still in Saddle River baby — I'm a good eldest daughter

Current project:   A ton. Working on a Sloan commission with Manhattan Theatre Club, a pilot with my film/TV team, a feature with them as well, LASTHUNTER with Playwrights Realm, and a new Lear adaptation based on my family's old restaurant and the Chinatown jail project.

 

What are some of your favorite credits/projects: 

BAD CHINESE DAUGHTER, my epic play exploring 100 years of Chinese-American history through the lens of one family and its steadfast women. It's how I met my mentor, Chay Yew, and many other collaborators I still love working with today.

 

Any advice for young people getting into the arts?

Always keep applying. Every no is one step closer to yes.

 

How did you get your start?

I actually started in this industry as an actor. I was lucky enough to work at Actors Theatre of Louisville under the direction of Pirronne Yousefzadeh in The Wolves and with Marc Bovino from The Mad Ones. They were both essential in my journey towards writing. Then the pandemic happened, and well, I made writing my primary thing. Lucky me!

 

Do you have any favorite moments in your career that you'd like to share?

Recently? It has to be working on LASTHUNTER with Mike Donahue and our amazing cast. We rehearsed at the ART/NY spaces and broke the curse of each and every one of us having a nightmare rehearsal process in that space. Hooray for that!

What have you found is the biggest challenge in your career?

Being patient. It takes a lot of work and time to get things going, but it's always worth the wait.

 

What are some interesting facts about yourself?

I work in the tech world by day, so both sides of my brain are finally balanced.

 

Do you have any mentors?

Chay Yew. His guidance has been absolutely indispensable to me. I feel very lucky to have met him.

 

Did you always want to be in the arts or did you have another path before you got here?

I was always one foot in the door of the arts and one foot in the door in the sciences. I seem to like to see-saw back and forth, which is fine.

 

Is where you are now where you thought you’d be?

Oh my god, no. I thought I'd be lying in a ditch somewhere, or selling hotdog keychains in the mall. I'm so grateful that I really get to carve out a life in the arts.

 

Do you have any side projects you’d like to highlight?

I'm working on a song cycle with my dear friend and collaborator Cara Hinh. Here's to finally recording some of my sad girl tracks.

 

If you come from parents who aren’t in the arts, what parts of them do you see in yourself that have helped you succeed in the business?

My parents have both always been incredibly hard workers and extremely savvy networkers. Though they're both in the medical field, I feel I learned (and took after) a lot from them by watching how they're relentlessly working from project to project.

 

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self?

What you're wearing is just fine.

 

What skills did you find to be the most helpful in your career?

Being willing to ask dumb questions. And ask for coffee dates.

 

Where did you study at?

NYU Tisch. Loud and proud. Go Violets!

 

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Making my younger sister laugh. 

 

How do you deal with writer's block?

Sometimes you have to write something really bad to write something really good.

 

Do you have a favorite book/screenplay/script?

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

 

Are there any habits you have that have shaped your writing style?

I talk (and unfortunately, think) a million miles a minute. That tends to make my dialogue pretty snappy.

 

What genres do you most enjoy writing?

Creepy shit.

 

To find out more on Alex Lin, please visit her at: 

Website:   alexandralinholden.com

Instagram:   @hemeiling