Asian American Theater Making

This course frames Asian American theater-making as a dynamic assertion of presence, autonomy and complexity against and beyond a backdrop of cultural, legal and historical exclusion, erasure and assimilation in the United States. In investigating theatrical practices and contexts made about, by and/or for Asian Americans, we explore the in/stability of identity as embodied sites of ambivalence, tension and solidarity. How do Asian American theater artists integrate, reject and transcend the myriad expectations of identity and representation? As scholars and artists, we will read plays, witness and create performances, discuss critical and historical essays and artifacts, and interact with active practitioners across a wide spectrum of Asian American theater-making. Open to advanced undergraduates/graduate students.