Tisa Chang

Tisa Chang (born April 5, 1941) is a Chinese-American actress and theatre director born in Chongqing. Her father, Ping-Hsun Chang, was a diplomat, and her family moved from China to New York City when she was a child. Chang was interested in theatre and began studying acting in high school, at the High School of Performing Arts, then at Barnard College. Soon after finishing college, she started her career as an actor performing in Broadway plays and musicals, including Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. She also appeared in a few films, including Ambush Bay and Greetings.

Chang began directing theatre in 1973, when she began working at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. With money earned from her Broadway acting, she established the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in 1977. Her intention in creating the group was to popularize Asian-American theater and to create opportunities for Asian Americans to find nonstereotypical roles. Chang has received several awards for her work, including a Theatre World Special Award in 1988. She remains active as artistic director of the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre to present.