Still more on the convening

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A VERY interesting insight which people may not have picked up on...the existing Asian American theatres may not EVER grow any bigger than they are right now....but Asian American theatre as a whole can STILL grow tremendously.

A paradox? Maybe...maybe not.

There are several factors that restrict the growth of existing Asian American theatres. One is that many groups are still dependent on the unique energies of one or two individuals...and these individuals can't physically do much more than they're doing right now.

Second is the fact that growth beyond a certain point in budget size means you're going to be dealing with Equity and the various unions. That's means you're in another league entirely, and it's not an easy one for ANYONE in theatre to enter; not every theatre makes the transition, whether they are Asian American or not.

At the same time, there are waves of growth in the various KINDS of art that's being done. In the early 90s, it was performance art. In the mid 90s, it is sketch comedy. And the fruits of each of these waves are ripening and contributing new artists and writers to traditional Asian American theatres. Is there a third wave coming? Who knows....

The upshot of this is that growth in Asian American theatres may occur in the sheer number of venues and Asian American performing groups, rather than in the size of current AA institutions. We may be seeing a trend with an explosive growth in numbers of groups that cooperate with each other, with multiple Asian American theatre groups in the same geographic area serving the burgeoning needs of the growing Asian American population.

[Above: Playwright Alice Tuan

Below: Interested audience members at the convening]

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