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 Frank Chin (born February 25, 1940) is an American author and playwright. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Asian-American theatre. Life and career Frank Chin was born in Berkeley, California on February 25, 1940; until the age of s ...

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 East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...

and

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre The Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is a New York City-based theatre group that explores the Asian-American experience and provides professional opportunities for Asian-American artists to collaborate. Pan-Asian was founded by Tisa Chang and Ernest A ...

.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 Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

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, 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 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 Michael Paul Chan (born June 26, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Lieutenant Michael Tao on the TNT series ''The Closer'' and '' Major Crimes''. He also acted in '' U.S. Marshals'', playing an assassin. Biography Ch ...

* Dennis Dun *

Amy Hill Amy Marie Hill (born May 9, 1953) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. Hill's first major role was as Yung-Hee "Grandma" Kim on '' All-American Girl'' where her character became the breakout character of the short-lived television serie ...

Rodney Kageyama Rodney Masao Kageyama (November 1, 1941 – December 9, 2018) was an American stage, film and TV actor. He was a Nisei Japanese American (second-generation) and besides acting in Asian American theater groups, he was also a director and designer ...

Lane Nishikawa Lane Nishikawa is a Japanese American actor, filmmaker, playwright and performance artist who was born in Wahiawa, Hawaii and is ''Sansei'' (third generation Japanese American).Kim, Esther. (2006). His work often deals with Asian American his ...

* Greg Watanabe * Victor Wong

Playwrights

Philip Kan Gotanda Philip Kan Gotanda (born December 17, 1951) is an American playwright and filmmaker and a third generation Japanese American. Much of his work deals with Asian American issues and experiences. Biography Over the last three decades Gotanda ha ...

* Hiroshi Kashiwagi * Ken Narasaki *

Rick Shiomi Rick Shiomi (born May 25, 1947)Biography and Genealogy Master Index. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, Cengage Learning. 1980- 2009. is an internationally recognized, award-winning Japanese Canadian playwright, stage director, artistic director an ...

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