Beyond Orientalism

On May 2, 2016, a group of organizations came together to explore and discuss important questions related to the Asian American theater experience in a first-of-its-kind forum. A4, along with the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC), Theatre Communications Group, and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, in association with Fordham University Theater Program and Smithsonian Pacific American Center, presented Beyond Orientalism. The forum was held to discuss the pervasiveness of brownface and yellowface in American theater. Although initially focused on these issues in theater alone, the forum went on to take place in other cities around the country, with the discussion expanding to call into question other forms of art, including film and visual arts.

The forum consisted of two panels and a breakout session, facilitating important discussions between prominent theater leaders and members of the community.

The first panel was a discussion among theater leaders from the aforementioned organizations, posing important questions and continuing a discussion of the inescapability of brownface and yellowface in modern theater. The second panel featured AAPI artists who were also activists, and it facilitated an important conversation as to what must be done and can be done to fix these issues.