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The Asian American Theater Company (AATC) is a non-profit theatre performance company based in San Francisco. Its stated mission is "To connect people to Asian American culture through theatre".


Background

The Asian American Theater Company was established in 1973 by playwright Frank Chin to develop and present original works of theatre about Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. AATC is credited as a progenitor of the Asian-American theater movement alongside East West Players and Pan Asian Repertory Theatre.Houston, Velina Hasu. "Currents: Out of the Margins: A National Theatre Conference in Los Angeles Galvanizes Asian-American Forces." ''American Theatre'' 10 2006: 132–7 In addition to being a producing company, AATC is a workshop where Asian Pacific Islander writers, actors and directors can explore ideas and create works that carry with them the AATC's purpose, which is to explore who Asian Pacific Islander Americans are as a people and as a community. For many years the Asian American Theater Company was housed in The Asian American Theater Center located near the corner of Arguello and Clement Streets in San Francisco's ethnically diverse Richmond district. The Theater Center suffered much damage from the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...
, but was able to re-open its doors a year later. The costly repairs however created a heavy economic burden and in 1996 the Asian American Theater Company moved its administrative offices to Japantown, and produced its plays in various theater venues throughout the city such as the Off-Market Theater and the Thick House. Today the administrative offices reside in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood at 1695 18th Street.


Programs

The company's main stage productions are new plays and revivals of classics by Asian Pacific Islander American playwrights, directed, performed and designed by local talent. Most scripts will have been developed at AATC and each will be presented at various venues around the
Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
with full-production run. Under its emerging artists project, young actors, many of whom are making their acting debut, perform plays by new playwrights or revivals of classics by established artists. Many of the actors and writers taking part in the Emerging Artists Project have participated in the Training Program. The group hosts staged readings, where scripts under development are directed, rehearsed and presented, followed by discussion and critique. Readings are free or a nominal donation is requested. Scripts from women and under-represented Asian Pacific Islander groups are especially welcome. A training program consisting of two semesters a year of courses in acting, scene study, voice and movement and playwright's workshops, conducted by professional artists, offered at low cost.


Alumni

Many well known Asian American actors and playwrights have been associated with AATC productions in the past. Notable alumni:


Actors

* Michael Paul Chan *
Dennis Dun Dennis Dun (born April 19, 1952) is an American actor. Early life and education Dun is from Stockton, California. He is of Chinese descent. Film and TV Dun has had prominent roles in several films, notably '' Year of the Dragon'' (1985), ''Bi ...
* Amy Hill * Rodney Kageyama * Lane Nishikawa *
Greg Watanabe Greg Watanabe (born November 8, 1967) is an American actor known for his role in ''Watch Over Me''. He also appears in the independent films, Philip Kan Gotanda's ''Life Tastes Good'', '' Only the Brave'' and ''Americanese''. He is a founding membe ...
* Victor Wong


Playwrights

* Frank Chin * Philip Kan Gotanda * Hiroshi Kashiwagi * Ken Narasaki * Rick Shiomi


See also

* Asian American theatre


References


External links


AATC website

Guide to the Asian American Theater Company Archives
California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, UC Santa Barbara Library.
Guide to the Annotated Catalog to Productions and Scripts in the Asian American Theater Company Archives
California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, UC Santa Barbara Library. {{Authority control Asian-American theatre Theatre companies in San Francisco Asian-American organizations Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco Arts organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area Arts organizations established in 1973 Performing groups established in 1973 1973 establishments in California