Join us for the 6th National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival(ConFest) in Chicago this August: a week of theater productions, panel discussions, plenary sessions, new play readings, workshops and other special events.ConFest 2018: Chicago is hosted in partnership with Victory Gardens Theater, Silk Road Rising, and DePaul University School of Theater. The theme Revolutionary Acts will engage people in passionate dialogues about social injustice and inequity in American culture and consider what we, as theater practitioners, can do about it.
This year’s ConFest will be held from August 13-18 and earlybird passes are now on sale through June 15. Browse the Festival lineup below and stay tuned for New Play Readings and plenary speakers announced soon.
Your ConFest 2018 Pass includes:
- 5 Festival Shows
- 5 New Play Readings (lineup coming soon!)
- Ticket to Hot Asian Everything: Revolt and opening night party
- All Conference Plenary Sessions
- All Conference Breakout Sessions (4 tracks)
- Additional Happy Hours & Evening Events
- One year of free CAATA membership
Earlybird Rate: $350
Save $50 through June 15!
2018 Festival Lineup
Presented by CAATA
Directed by Victor Malana Maog
An evening of revolutionary proportions featuring a powerhouse mix of Chicago and national talent — all hosted by the illustrious Emi Macadangdang and Jasmine! Kick off ConFest 2018 in style with a collection of sketch comedy, musical performances and celebrity sightings by some of Asian American theater’s most noted artists. Spend the evening with some of our closest CAATA friends, both old and new. Full lineup TBA.
By Daria Miyeko Marinelli
Directed by kt shorb
Generic Ensemble Company (GenEnCo)
Set over the course of a business lunch in an unknown Japanese restaurant somewhere in the United States, 893 | Ya-ku-za follows an ambitious young assassin’s bid to become the first female member of the infamous Japanese crime syndicate. Over a meal of sushi, witty banter, and quiet threats, 893 | Ya-ku-za explores the cost of ambition and change – questioning what it means to be first and what we’re willing to do to get there.
Written, directed and performed by Christopher K. Morgan
Pōhaku incorporates traditional Hawaiian chant, hula, contemporary dance, theater and storytelling to explore compelling universal themes in the story of Hawaii’s native people, including land loss and fractured identity. In this solo dance theater piece, Christopher K. Morgan connects his personal family story of outward migration away from Hawai’i to the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i, the islands’ colonial history, and its present day status.
Written and directed by Kyoung H. Park
Kyoung’s Pacific Beat
Set in Brooklyn 2017, Pillowtalk brings to life one night in the lives of Sam and Buck, a recently married interracial couple. Through a formal exploration of theatrical naturalism and the codified gender norms of ballet’s pas de deux, Pillowtalk queers the intersections of race, gender, and class to illuminate how liberation and oppression co-exist in our most intimate spaces. Pillowtalk is performed by two queer men of color, JP Moraga and Basit Shittu, and features live music by Helen Yee, choreography by Katy Pyle, set and lighting design by Marie Yokoyama, sound design by Lawrence Schober, and costume design by Andrew Jordan.
By Shahid Nadeem
Translated by Tahira Naqvi
Directed by Noelle Ghoussaini
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
Acquittal weaves together the story of four women unjustly imprisoned in Pakistan during General Zia-ul-Haq’s discriminatory Hudood Ordinances: Zahida, an activist jailed for her political activity; Marium, a pregnant rape victim in prison because she refused an abortion; Jamila, a woman denied divorce by Islamic law, who murdered her abusive husband; and Jannat Bibi, incarcerated in place of her son for theft. In this bleak 1980s prison, the women forge a bond that transcends their differences in class, ideology, and religious practice.
Written and directed by Pratik Motwani
A multimedia experience combining film, Prezi presentation, and physical theater,Embedded is a revolt against all identities that trap us. Embedded follows the journey of a YouTube cyber celebrity – a virtual identity trapped in the algorithms of a social media platform, a world from which it is impossible to disconnect and all communication happens via a “wall.” Questioning notions of identity and image, reality and perception, this devised theatre piece explores our need for real connection and inclusion coupled with our inability to disconnect from our imposed virtual identities.
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