Fundraising for Forbidden City, documentary on precursors to AA theatre

Before there was East West or Asian American Theatre Company, there was the Forbidden City, the Colony Club and a handful of other nightclubs of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, where Asian Americans could actually perform or just hang out, unencumbered by the rampant racism of the time.

Art Dong (adongla@aol.com) filmed Forbidden City USA, a 1985 documentary on the Forbidden City of San Francisco's Chinatown, intercutting rare film footage from the day with contemporary interviews with owner and performenrs from the group. It provides a rare and fascinating look at the predecessors to the growing Asian American theatre scene of today.

Currently, Dong is trying to raise money to keep this documentary in circulation (he needs to pay distribution rights for 10 of the 15 songs in the film). On July 10, 1998, Sacramento's Asian Pacific Theatre Project and Chinese Chamber of Commerce held a fundraiser featuring the surviving members of the Forbidden City; other cities have also held fundraisers.

Folks can help by either a) buying a copy of Forbidden City ($40) or b) sending money directly to Dong's production company:

Deep Focus Products
PO Box 65095
Los Angeles, CA 90065-04237
Fax: 213/254-7112

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