3rd Day of NAATF 2009

Rolling into the 3rd Day, saw A Voice In the Wilderness by Eugene Oh. Set in a future just after tomorrow, the play is an ambitious attempt to divine the nature of activism and what works and what doesn't when committed progressives try to change the world for the better. While it's still a first draft, there's quite a bit there; the resulting final script will either fall on its face or be wildly successful.

Also saw another LabFest entry, Particles of Pakistan by Rehana Mirza.This is an ambitious attempt to meld politics, history and nuclear physics into a coming of age story for a young Pakistani American who is sent to Pakistan for a summer. There was some very deft, very sure storytelling here; my attention was held during the reading as the play zig zagged back and forth in time, from the present to the 1950s. This is another show that'll be interesting when it is finally finished and polished.

I ducked out early out of Particles of Pakistan (um, apologies to people!), as I was trying to catch the second night of APACUNT, the tripart effort of Kristina Wong, Alice Tuan and Soo-jin Lee to remold the face of Asian Amercan--I mean, Hole American theatre. Tonight has special guest appearances by Shishir Kurup, as well as plenty gratuitous fake violence, histrionics and stray male body parts.

Redefining the name of Asian Americans.

Generating new play titles for the new "cannon" of Hole Amercan theatre.