A History of Asian American Theatre

by Lee, Esther Kim

• ISBN13: 9781107402928
• ISBN10: 1107402921
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-08-11
• Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

Summary

In 1965, the first Asian American theatre company, the East West players, was founded by a group of actors who wanted to find better opportunities in the acting industry. Forty years later, Asian American theatre is one of the fastest growing theatre sectors with over thirty active theatre companies and numerous award-winning artists such as Frank Chin, Jessica Hagedorn, Ping Chong, David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Velina Hasu, and B. D. Wong. Based on over seventy interviews, the book surveys the history of Asian American theatre from 1965 to 2005 with focus on actors, playwrights, companies, audiences, and communities. Emphasizing historical contexts, Esther Kim Lee examines how issues of cultural nationalism, interculturalism, and identity politics affect a racially defined theatre. Addressing issues ranging from actor's activism to Asian Diaspora, the book documents how Asian American theatre has become an indispensable part of American culture.

Table of Contents

Preface

Asian American theatre before 1965

Actors in the 1960s and 1970s

First four theatre companies

Diversification of Asian American theatre

Second wave playwrights

Solo performance

Miss Saigon controversy

The 1990s

Epilogue

Bibliography

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