DRAMA 365 A: Ethnic Studies In Drama

As our country becomes more and more diverse with predictions that by 2042 America will be a minority majority culture, does Asian American Theatre become more relevant or less? What is Asian American Theatre and what is its significance in our multicultural landscape? In this course, we will look at the genesis, evolution and revolutionary construct of Asian American Theatre including the most current discourse around the country on conscientious casting, artistic freedom and responsibility, and diversity and inclusion. Through reading, discussion and critical analysis of plays by Wakako Yamauchi, Philip Kan Gotanda and David Henry Hwang to the newest works by Asian American playwrights, students will explore the role of Asian American Theatre as a socio-political tool in helping to define what it means to be Asian in America and deepen their understanding of events as recent as the yellow face casting controversies in Seattle and nation-wide over the past year, and the 2015 diversity in theatre challenge issued by East West Players.