Website/Social

www.panasianrep.org

Individual or Collective?

Organization

If this is a collective, what is the name?

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre

About: Please tell us about your self. Some of our programs have benefits for art workers - please tell us if you are an artist and mention the most recent work/venue/space/residency where you have worked/developed your practice.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre was founded in 1977 by Tisa Chang after directing Asian American artists at La Mama ETC where she created a platform to champion professional opportunities for actors, to break stereotyped casting, and to broaden the theatrical vocabulary of American theatre. She harnessed the artistic aspirations of Asian American artists by creating unique adaptations of Asian classics to introduce to American audiences.

Pan Asian’s Mission is to:
• provide professional theatre opportunities for Asian American actors to work under the
highest standards of excellence, not limited by race, language or ethnicity;
• create new works that dignify Asian Americans, dispel stereotypes and address issues
relevant to their community and the world at large;
• expand the artistic horizon for Asian American artists and diverse audiences with
off -Broadway productions, educational outreach and community service.

As the most veteran Asian American theatre company on the East Coast, Pan Asian Rep is an invaluable partner to diverse Asian American, immigrant communities and the New York City professional theatre arena. It serves between 4,000 and 6,000 diverse audience members a year, and has nurtured thousands of actors, playwrights, designers, directors, choreographers, musicians, and managerial staff over a 35 year history, including Film/TV stars Lucy Liu and Daniel Dae Kim, Broadway performers Raul Aranas and Ernest Abuba, and playwrights David Henry Hwang and Philip Gotanda.

In 1988 it received the distinguished THEATRE WORLD AWARD for the "Discovery and Encouragement of New Talent," in 1997, The New York Times described the company as "A Stage For All the World of Asian –Americans," and in 2011, NYTheatre .com said it is an "invaluable bastion of new and diverse work reflecting all kinds of Asian and Asian American experiences.” The company has been invited to represent the United States in arts festivals in Singapore, Egypt, South Africa and Cuba.

Background:

butoh dancer, actor, video artist, choreographer, director, producer, arts administrator, artist