Asian American artists come together at Intiman Theatre to celebrate cultural visibility
- Renee Diaz
- Dec 21, 2021
- 3 min read
Illustration: Kalina Luong
On May 18, four artists gathered virtually to celebrate Asian American art and artists. The event was hosted by the Intiman Theatre — a Seattle-based professional theater company — in partnership with Pork Filled Productions. To commemorate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the artists discussed the power of cultural visibility in American theater and the role performing arts can have in increasing Asian American visibility.
The first artist to perform, Susan Lieu, is a Vietnamese playwright and author whose work portrays overlooked stories. A clip from her show “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother,” where Lieu brings to life a story from her own childhood, was included in the performance. The play intertwines themes of the multi-generational immigrant experience, body insecurity, and the struggle of personal loss.
"These stories are vulnerable,” Lieu said. “Talking about the multifaceted version of us in our country can be seen as weak and breaking harmony. What we are doing is super counterculture to what we have been raised in."
Kathy Hsieh's performance followed Lieu. Hsieh is one of four Asian American women who founded SIS productions, which “strives to create, develop, and produce quality works that involve Asian American women, their themes, and Asian American issues.” Hsieh’s objective is to produce theater in a non-hierarchical and collaborative way.
“Being invisible isn't a choice we have; we do what we need to survive," Hsieh said. "What people are now seeing as Anti-Asian hate is what we have experienced since our beginnings in public schools in this country. We helped create our invisibility in this country to protect ourselves."
Hsieh performed a pandemic monologue, "As If You Never Existed," which she wrote a year ago. Hsieh's character shares her pain in grappling with the absence of her father. In the monologue, Hsieh sends a video call to her father, which the audience receives from the father’s perspective.
"We have been so invisible people haven't had the opportunity to see us on stage,” Hsieh said. “In this panel, we are all creative people who are using our voice through theater as a medium to create visibility because that is our superpower.”
Michael Yichao is a Seattle playwright, actor, and game designer. In his performance, Yichao shared a song from his new musical, "Death Follows Me." The show opens on the first day of the new school year, when Monica, the new girl, and Theo, the school golden boy, witness a supernatural death. Monica goes on to sing "Death Follows Me," telling Theo how death follows her wherever she goes.
Roger Tang, an executive producer for Pork Filled Productions, was next to share a monologue: "When to Give Up," by Kendall Uyeji. In the piece, Uyeji narrates the story of his grandfather being forced to give up his artistry because of Anti-Asian hate. His grandfather is credited with inspiring Uyeji to pursue art.
In the concluding remarks, the artists agreed that there is a lot of pressure in the theater and performing arts industry. Without Asian American role models in the arts, it may seem impossible for them to succeed in this sphere. The artists said they want to produce more art that represents their own contemporary experiences as Asian Americans, rather than being limited to the immigrant stories traditionally depicted in theatrical pieces.
"The wide range of performances we saw shows the spectrum of humanity we represent, [and helps] people realize that we are human beings through art," Hsieh said.
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