www.thestage.co.uk: Leah Nanako Winkler knew she wanted to be a writer when she was about seven. The playwright had been underestimated in her Japanese school in Kentucky – “because I’m half-Japanese and not full Japanese” – but in the second grade, a teacher singled out a personal essay she had written, and told her mother.
2 comments:
I agree that not just Asian-American women, but men as well should be more present onstage. There is a very slim amount of theatrical productions that have characters of Asian descent, and in general very few Asians being cast in them. I can only think of two shows off the top of my head that have an Asian cast- ‘Miss Saigon’ and ‘King and I’ - the same two that Nanako mentions. I’d love to see more than just that. I do understand that the Asian percentage in the United States’ population is pretty small, so of course proportionally there wouldn’t be as many of them represented in mainstream productions. However, even still, I think it’s necessary to include more of them all around. Not just for the Asian kids growing up and feeling like they’re being represented, but so that everyone else can be exposed to other cultures and people as well. With the recent ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ and growth in popularity of things like K-pop, Asians have been less in the background and brought more into the attention of the population, and I think that the future will hold more diversity and inclusion as we move forwards.
I whole heartedly agree with the fact that Broadway, and the entertainment industry in general, need more Asian-Americans represented in their shows. Growing up Asian-American, I’ve always found it hard to relate to American characters as well as Asian characters. I don’t fully fit into either of those groups, and not having representation makes it hard to fully relate to any character. I know that there is a great change going on right now to color conscious casting, and I’m waiting for a strong Asian-American lead to emerge and make an impact. Growing up Asian in a predominately white society made finding role-models difficult. There was always a physical trait that I’d have to sacrifice to relate to a character. Asians in general are usually portrayed as a side kick, which is not role-model worthy. I can’t wait to see a true Asian-American character grace the stage and take over mainstream theater without conforming to Asian stereotypes.
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