Asian American Girl

By Marina Chan

Asian American Girl is confined in a cage by a Narrator.

Will she ever manage to break free and tell her true story?

Weds, oct 5 at 4pm

ART / New York
520 8th Avenue, 3rd Floor

Suggested Donation for wine & nosh

Your play is about an Asian American girl who is literally trapped by stereotypes. What inspired you to write this? Is this how you also feel as an Asian American woman?

Yes, the play both delineates and universalizes my experiences as an Asian American woman, theatre artist and student, tackling Asian stereotypes in the arts and across the board. The story dramatizes my own identity crisis, when, as a thirteen-year-old, all I wanted to do was play white, blond and blue-eyed Nellie Forbush from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical South Pacific—and my continuous journey and grappling with that seemingly impossible dream, which forced me to confront my Asian identity and question my complex feelings. My own experiences of being stereotyped started as early as middle school, when I was never considered for the ingenue in school shows, but only given character roles, which I soon learned was a much larger issue reflective of our society’s systemic racism, institutionalized barriers, as well as its conforming and uncompromising nature. My play asks what it means to have to constantly grapple with one’s identity and fight for one’s humanity and individuality.

I believe you first got to know Artistic Director Tisa Chang at a symposium you produced at Asia Society - Asian Americans in Theatre: Art and Activism. Can you tell us more about this event?

That’s correct! I had the pleasure of involving Tisa Chang in the first panel of that symposium series, which I conceived and produced at Asia Society and Barnard College! The series overall examined the politics of Asian American theater, artistic identity and activism, with an eye toward expediting awareness and change. The panel with Tisa celebrated the legacy of Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, as well as two other long-established NYC Asian American theatre companies: National Asian American Theatre Company and Ma-Yi Theater Company. I was fascinated that each company has its unique artistic approach to advancing Asian American representation, so the panel examined their distinctive approaches and honored the great progress they’ve made individually and collectively over the past three/four decades and counting!

What's your favorite Asian restaurant in NYC?

That’s a hard question, because I love so many different Asian cuisines, so it’ll be easier for me to answer if I can name a favorite for each! Chinese: Tipsy Shanghai. Japanese: Ki Sushi. Thai: Sea. Korean: Baekjeong KBBQ. Indian: Mint Heights. (As you can tell, I’m a real foodie!)