I’ve participated in Asian American theatre for over 35 years. Along the way, I’ve picked up a nickname, the Godfather of Asian American Theatre. It’s a little silly and a tad inaccurate (folks like Mako and Tisa Chang had and have more as much, if not way more, cred as heads of East West and Pan Asian Rep), but when the late, lamented A. Magazine hung it on me in the mid 90s, it was for my promotion of Asian American theatre on the national level. And for nearly 25 years, I’ve documented the Asian American theatre scene here at the Asian American Theatre Revue (www.aatrevue.com) I’ve reported the news that playwrights, actors and companies make. I’ve kept a comprehensive calendar on all their shows, I’m even making a stab at maintaining a list of ALL the plays they’ve written. (And I still run a company of my own). Indulge me.
Over that time, I’ve seen astonishing growth, as Asian American theatre has grown from grassroots 
activism to a solid five companies keeping the flame alive to a virtual explosion of dozens of groups across the continent and affinity groups flung as far away as Great Britain, Australia and Canada.
One of the most exciting things I’ve seen is the ever-growing panorama of what Asian American theatre can talk about. It’s no longer just about family clashes, or immigration or even identity issues. Asian American theatre artists have wings to take flight and cover anything they want to write about, from larger than life steampunk heroes (ahem!) to existential teen slasher stories to even refugee sex comedies. We’re straining at the limitations of being banished to the “ethnic slot” in a season—we’re busting out to take over the whole bloody mess.
And when Asian American theatre artists assemble in the same room? Breathe the same air? And share both their experiences and their work? It’s magic. Knowing we are NOT crazy to think fake “Oriental” accents are BS. Knowing outdated stereotypes imposed on us by non-Asian directors and producers is soul-destroying. Knowing “yellowface” (white actors in Asian roles) IS NOT RIGHT. This is a lifeline for Asian American artists across the country (especially if you’re the only Asian actor within a hundred miles).
We’ve gathered four times before…in Los Angeles, in New York, in Minneapolis and in Philadelphia. This year, we’ll be gathering in 
Ashland, OR, for the first time, with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. You can help make it happen. You can make this gathering the biggest one ever. Give to the Consortium of Asian American
Theaters and Artists (CAATA)’s Indiegogo campaign to bring this Conference/Festival to life. $10, $20…($1000 dare we!). Every bit helps. And your impact will be doubled by a matching gift.
See you in Ashland.
Roger Tang is a board member of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA), which hosts the biennial National Asian American Theater Festival and Conference (ConFest). Scheduled for October 1-8, ConFest is a week of performances, panel discussions, plenary and breakout sessions, new play readings, parties, networking and more. Please join us in supporting this year’s gathering at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, titled “Seismic Shifts: Leading Change in the American Theater,” by contributing to our crowd-funding campaign: https://igg.me/at/CAATAOSF
Through the generosity of Drs. Judy Shih and Joel Axelrod, major donors to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, every dollar raised through our campaign will be matched to double our impact in providing assistance to artists attending ConFest.
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