Ongoing Works

Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists (PAPA)

I’m the Creative Director of this awesome organization!

We are a performing artists who seek to enhance and strengthen the presence of Asian Americans in the Philadelphia performing community. We provide community through residencies, performance opportunities, and social events. We hope to empower and retain emerging Asian American theater artists in Philadelphia and reflect the greater diversity of this city and its stories.

“…This debut of PAPA’s work under Ramirez’s creative direction is exciting. Institutional theaters continue to drag their feet when it comes to inclusion. Rather than waiting to be included, PAPA allows its artists to race ahead with meaningful, innovative work representing the real future of performance…”  - Cara Blouin, Broad Street Review

I Will Not Dance…

I’m devising this piece with performer Rachel O’Hanlon Rodriguez and playwright Jason Lindner! We’ve had workshop performances in June 2016, and are gearing up for some big things!

I Will Not Dance is a solo party performance where the audience arrives as guests to the party - the party which is also an intervention. Party guests play games to help their new friend, Kitty, untangle memories of a Saturday night that has lasted a decade. This seriously funny play explores our longing to forget, the excitement of party culture, and the inherent dangers power of having a female body in a masculine dominated landscape.

“…..I’m always here. They know I’m always here. Should that worry me? Do they know? It’s always Saturday. And I like it this way……”

Asian Arts Initiative

I produce public programming for Asian Arts Initiative! Join me for everything from holiday craft fairs to live performances to queer dance socials!

Asian Arts Initiative is a community-based arts center that advances racial equity & understanding, activating artists, youth, and their communities through creative practice grounded in the diverse Asian American experience. AAI was founded in 1993 as a response to community concerns about growing racial tension between African American and Asian American communities. Today, our work is centered around gaining greater cross-cultural understanding through the arts. Located in Philadelphia’s burgeoning Chinatown North neighborhood, Asian Arts Initiative is a multidisciplinary arts center of exhibitions, performances and community projects where all people — across experience and skill levels, age, race, and class backgrounds — can view and create art that reflects our lives, and think creatively about the future we want to build for our communities. Our community-based arts initiatives seek out and cultivate innovative models for artists to engage with local communities.

The DJZ

I’m devising this piece with lead artists Claris Park and Aizhaneya Carter! We’ve had workshop performances in July and November 2018. Updates coming soon!

Welcome to the Department of Judgement Zoning. We invite you to navigate the bizarrely familiar world of The Department of Judgement Zoning where identity rules and bureaucracy is not as mundane as it seems… Efficiency is valued at the DJZ, so please make sure to have your documents ready before you meet a member of our highly trained team of Judges. We are happy to serve you! The DJZ is an interactive theatre piece exploring identity, solidarity, and collective liberation.

The DJZ was developed through the Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists/Asian Arts Initiative 2018 Mini Residency Project and the Naked Angels/The New School Issue’s Project Lab 2017.

“….Director Ramirez’s attention to detail leaves participants feeling the quiet rage and engulfing hopelessness of an indifferent system before they even enter…” - Cara Blouin, Broad Street Review