Intersections of Asian and Black Cultures in Theatre – Velina Hasu Houston with Elizabeth Wong and Philip Kan Gotanda, moderated by Snehal Desai and Eugene Lee
The USC East Asian Studies Center presents, in association with East West Players and the Black and Latino Playwrights’ Celebration, Intersections of Asian and Black Cultures in Theatre as part of the Race/Solidarity: Transpacific Conversations series. This series invites faculty and guest speakers to discuss the current racial reckoning at USC and beyond and start this conversation within a global context. This series will provide a platform for faculty and students to engage with a host of social and cultural issues related to race and racism on both sides of the Pacific. Our aim is to help broaden and deepen the current discussion on race with global and historical perspectives, drawing in particular on the expertise and connections of our affiliated faculty and graduate students who have worked on these topics within diverse East Asian contexts and among Asian diasporic communities.
A panel of noteworthy professional playwrights will explore intersections of Asian and Black cultures reflecting upon their plays, theatre’s capacity to illuminate trans-cultural experience, and the impact of theatre on society. The playwrights will include Elizabeth Wong (Kimchee and Chitlins: A Serious Comedy About Getting Along), Philip Kan Gotanda (Yohen), and Velina Hasu Houston (Tea). The panel will be moderated by Snehal Desai, Producing Artistic Director of East West Players, the nation’s oldest Asian American theatre company; and Eugene Lee, Artistic Director of the Black and Latino Playwrights Celebration, a workshop and showcase featuring professional Black and Latino playwrights and professional guest directors and artists with a focus on craft, cultivation of the artist, and celebration of the work.