Asians in the theatre

Well, The Lion King and Wicked use all kinds of ethnicities too. And Brooklyn. They may not specifically call for asians but asians could certainly be in them.

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That's interesting, eslgr8. I didn't know that!

The only other high-profile Asian performer aside from Lea is the great BD Wong. And Mayumi (can't think of her last name) from Rent, as well as Aiko (can't spell her last name) from the RHS revival. But they're hardly famous relative to the other two. :-/

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Gosh! That is horrible to hear about Jennifer Paz, she is really amazing. I saw her in the recent (still touring) non-union tour. (Which was really good by the way, go see it)

There's also Pacific Overtures and the plays of David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, The Dance and the Railroad et al).

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christmas eve from Q is an asian part played by an asian actress (ann harada). not a role quite up to par with kim from miss saigon however...

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If there's a lack of opportunities, then you have to create them. However, plenty of musicals employ(ed) color blind casting or are willing to - Chicago, Wicked, Les Mis, Aida, Beauty and the Beast, The Rocky Horror Show, Rent, etc. Also, anything with a large chorus tends to cast multi-racially to create a more diverse look. With straight plays it's a little tougher.

There's also South Pacific and Cookin' in addition to the others that have been mentioned. There's Ann Harada (or Ann Sanders) in Avenue Q, Julie Danao in the upcoming Lennon, Deborah Craig in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, etc.

There are Asian-American theater groups. There's the East West Players in Los Angeles who have been around since 1965. There's the Asian American Theater Company which has been around since 1973. 2g (Second Generation) is a fledgling group that has put on The Wedding Banquet and Making Tracks - the latter is playing in California right now for a limited time. There's the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre which is an Off-Broadway company.

Tell your friend to look a little harder or to create her own opportunities if she feels dismayed at a lack thereof. Sometimes you have to make your own way as opposed to accepting what's already out there.

*ETA: Whoops, was beaten to a couple of these examples, but you get the point.

Updated On: 3/30/05 at 08:02 PM

There was a Korean in AIDA {Yoon Kim, I believe}... while I do agree that race will certainly place into factors when it comes to casting people, there are also shows out there for asians too. Unforunately, at places like my school... we have a 100% white cast of King and I. That type of thing bothers me... that it is okay for a "white person {American, not to be offense}" can be an Asian, but an Asian can NEVER play a white person. Just from the Asian perspective, it's very frustrating, when you know someone is better... but your skin plays a factor

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i've also noticed the color blind casting. A black woman playing elpheba...in green makeup of course...but c'mon now...its awesome!

I personally am extremely dismayed because of the lack of Asian casting in shows. I am an aspiring actress and I really hope to do Broadway some day but I am Korean and there is no mistaking my features for that of an Asian. It's something I worry about alot because, while shows like Flower Drum Song are very good shows, I don't want to be limited to "Asian" shows and such. I would LOVE to do shows like RENT (as a main cast member and not just an ensemble) or LSoH but I'm always afraid that I will be looked over immediatly because I am not caucasian. I really hope that this issue will improve by the time I am have graduated from high school or college because I don't see how its fair that I have to limit my goals and expectations or have a slimmer chance of reaching my ultimate goals just because of how I look. I know this is the real world and I can't expect everything to be fair and no matter what happens looks will always be a big part of theatre but it's very disheartening to me to know that I will most likely never get to play, say Audrey or Maureen just because I have Asian features. From my point of view its very dis-heartening because I don't wish to try to make myself look "white" because I'm proud of my heritage but it feels like if I don't, I have such a slimmer chance of getting where I want to be as an actress. It feels like I would have to go to lengths like getting surgeries to make my face less round, or give me a double lid and dye my hair lighter to get the opportunities that other people are offered without all that. Sorry for the length but this is an issue that has been in the front of my mind for a long time ever since I really started to think about acting as a profession.

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No I know, I would NEVER consider surgery to make myself look less Asian. As I said before, I am proud of my heritage and features and I don't really like the idea of cosmetic surgery for superficial reasons to begin with. I still hold onto a hope of Maureen because the show is fairly loose, I think, with ethnicities and such and as for Audrey, I know it is strictly a cuacasian look and maybe I'm thinking irrationally, but if I were good enough by that time, you'd suppose that its something a blond wig could cover for. I don't believe in changing myself physically for other people and I wouldn't let it come to it. If I have to try twice as hard to get roles and get people to see me through my phsyical features then so be it, it's just frustrating sometimes to think about.

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Being an Asian performer (I'm Filipino), it is a little discouraging to think that I will only be cast as ethnic roles (like now, I'm playing the Hispanic migrant worker Roberto in Working). But then, one can only hope for a better future where colorblind casting is utilized more often. There are so many talented Asian actors and performers out there and ready for work. Why must they always wait for another revival of Flower Drum Song or Pacific Overtures or The King and I? People always make a case for black and African American actors; it shouldn't be different for Asians. And there's always August Wilson's "The Ground on Which I Stand" viewpoint, but really, is segregated theatre really the answer here? So, as I plan to continue performing on the stage, I hope Broadway and theatre evolve to the point where skin color or the shape of one's eyes are not factors in casting. Thankfully, I've been pretty fortunate so far in my experience.

~Steven

As an Asian actor, I feel like it's so easy to fall into getting cast as a "foreigner." At the same time because so little is seen of Asians on stage and film, what is seen of them becomes a representation of Asians Americans in general, which can become really tricky because that representation can become a stereotype (e.g. Kung Fu fighters). I definitely think it's so important for Asians American actors and artists to find a way to create their own plays and films to showcase how they want to be seen, and bombard the stage and screen with a diversity of images and portrayals of Asians that it makes it harder to stereotype Asians as being "this" or "that."

Also, on another note: Okay, I grew up liking Miss Saigon and I still love the music, but recently I've just felt that the things that happen in the story are so problematic in terms of representation. I just feel wierd that she kills herself for Chris. Like we've seen so many different shows and movies where the Asian girl sacrifices herself in some way for her white lover (e.g. Madame Butterfly... actually they both have almost the same plot.) And that all is considered beautiful. But turn the tables around with a white girl killing herself for an Asian dude, and I just don't really see that as beautiful. I dunno. Okay. Go. Discuss.