Comedienne and actress Margaret Cho will perform in Grand Rapids on Saturday, Jan. 26, through the sponsorship of the West Michigan Studies Council, a consortium of professionals from area colleges and universities including Hope College.
Cho will perform on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. at Fountain Street Church, 24 Fountain St., in downtown Grand Rapids. The event is being presented by the council as "a night of discussion and laughter."
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The award-winning, Korean-American celebrity is perhaps best known for her 1994 television sitcom, "All- American Girl," and more recently for her critically- acclaimed off-Broadway show, "I'm the One That I Want." Cho's films include John Woo's "Face/Off," with Nicholas Cage, and "Rugrats," in which she voiced the detective.
In 1999, "I'm the One That I Want" toured the country and was made into a movie. The show and tour set records and won New York magazine's Performance of the Year award and was named one of Entertainment Weekly's Great Performances of the Year. The Sundance Channel called the film version of the concert "the indie success of the year." Her book of the same name is now a national bestseller and will be available in paperback in May.
Although Cho's Jan. 26 appearance is in Grand Rapids, she has visited Hope previously. She performed at the college during the 1993-94 school year through the Social Activities Committee (SAC).
The West Michigan Women's Studies Council is a consortium of faculty members and administrators representing women's studies programs and women's centers at Aquinas College, Calvin College, Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University and Hope. Hope is represented by Dr. Jane Dickie, who is professor of psychology and director of women's studies at the college.
The council was formed in late 2001 to increase awareness of gender issues and to share ideas and work together on community projects that enhance the lives of women in West Michigan. Cho's presentation is supported by a grant to the council from the Nokomis Foundation.