7th National Asian American Theatre Conference (ConFest) To Be in Hawaii May 2024
The Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) is excited to announce that CONFEST 2024 is back on! As you can imagine, since our original postponement in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deliberated on this decision many times. In consultation with the CAATA board, artists, and theaters in Hawai‘i and across the nation, we have concluded that to heal and move forward, we as a community long to come together and celebrate.
However, given the severe impact of the last four years on our field and specifically on Hawai‘i itself, we can only do so in the most responsible way possible. This means that to mitigate the impact of inviting our colleagues to visit the ‘āina, we need to ensure that when CONFEST is over, the Hawai‘i theater community is stronger than ever before. As theater artists, we recognize the shifting landscape and the need to be both responsible and responsive. We see this as a moment of change. A moment to gather. A moment to learn. A moment to act.
To this end, Hana Keaka, The Hawaiian Theatre Program in Department of Theatre and Dance, atUniversity of Hawai’i at Mānoa, in partnership with TeAda Productions., and the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists will host the Seventh National Asian American Theater Conference & Festival (ConFest) on Oahu, Hawai‘i from May 24 – 28, 2024.
As such, CONFEST 2024 will focus on celebrating new works by Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), Pacific Islander, and local Asian American theater practitioners. We are restructuring CONFEST so that attendees can enjoy multiple live performances at our host venue UH Mānoa Theater Department and our partner theaters in Honolulu over the weekend. Following the weekend, in lieu of panels, attendees are invited to participate in consequential conversations, workshops and attend staged-readings.
You Are Invited
We want to invite you to come celebrate with us, to come together as a community, and to witness and learn from the work grown in the islands. We are seeking conversations, and looking for future collaborations, and we encourage you to learn about the deep and rich history of Hawaiʻi and its people before attending.
Schedule
The schedule of ConFest will be announced shortly. So stay tuned!
CAATA Membership
Please know that if you buy a full pass or a day pass, you automatically get a free CAATA Membership for a year. CAATA’s membership includes a public member profile on the CAATA Website, opportunities to submit events/training/performances to a CAATA Website, discounts on CAATA-related Programs, and more.
Scholarship
We understand that financial considerations may pose a challenge for some individuals. If you find that access to our offerings is constrained by budget constraints, we encourage you to reach out. We have scholarship opportunities and we are committed to ensuring that financial considerations do not impede participation.
If you have any questions about ConFest, please email us at info@caata.net.
Mahalo to our generous partners and sponsors!
Partners
Hana Keaka, The Hawaiian Theatre Program in Department of Theatre and Dance, at University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
TeAda Productions
Honolulu Theatre For Youth
Kumu Kahua Theatre
Sponsors
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Ford Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
New England Foundation for the Arts
Theatre Communications Group Audience (R)Evolution
UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television
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