List of Asian American theatre companies
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Asian American theatre
companies in the United States. List includes performance groups and organizations whose programming focuses on Asian Pacific American
identity, history, culture, community and experience, or whose members or artistic contributors are primarily Asian Pacific. In addition to theatre arts,
list also includes sections for improvisational
and sketch comedy
groups, and dance performance companies.
Asian American theatre
Asian American theater is theater written, directed or acted by Asian Americans.- Background :Asian American theater emerged in the 1960s and the 1970s with the foundation of four theatre companies: East West Players in Los Angeles, Asian American Theatre Workshop in San Francisco, Theatrical...
companies in the United States. List includes performance groups and organizations whose programming focuses on Asian Pacific American
Asian Pacific American
Asian-Pacific American or Asian-Pacific Islander is a term sometimes used in the United States to include both Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans....
identity, history, culture, community and experience, or whose members or artistic contributors are primarily Asian Pacific. In addition to theatre arts,
list also includes sections for improvisational
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
and sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
groups, and dance performance companies.
Active
- Asian American Repertory Theatre, San DiegoSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, 1995– website - Asian American Theater CompanyAsian American Theater CompanyAsian American Theater Company is a non-profit theatre performance company based in San Francisco.-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...
, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, 1973– website - Cedar Grove OnStageCedar Grove OnStageCedar Grove OnStage is an Asian Pacific American theatre arts organization established in 2006, based in Los Angeles, co-founded by playwright Tim Toyama and actor/director Chris Tashima who serves as Artistic Director...
, Los Angeles, 2006– MySpace - Chinatown 90210, Los Angeles, 2007– MySpace
- Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS), San JoseSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, 1995– website - East West PlayersEast West PlayersEast West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...
, Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, 1965– website - Grateful Crane EnsembleGrateful Crane EnsembleThe Grateful Crane Ensemble is a non-profit 501 Asian American theatre company based in Southern California, established in July, 2001.-Mission:...
, PasadenaPasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, 2001– website - hereandnow Theatre Company, South PasadenaSouth Pasadena, CaliforniaSouth Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, 1989– website - Korus Players, New York City, 1992– MySpace
- Kumu Kahua TheatreKumu Kahua TheatreKumu Kahua Theatre is a community theater located in the city of Honolulu on the island of O'ahu in the state of Hawai'i. Kumu Kahua Theatre is best known for producing plays by local Hawaii-based playwrights, especially plays featuring themes and stories of the people of Hawaii. Kumu Kahua...
, Honolulu, HawaiiHonolulu, HawaiiHonolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, 1971– website - Lapu the Coyote that Cares Theatre Company, University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los AngelesThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, 1995- website - Lodestone Theatre EnsembleLodestone Theatre EnsembleLodestone Theatre Ensemble is a non-profit Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1999. It is a membership-driven organization....
, Los Angeles, 1995– website - Ma-Yi Theatre Company, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, 1989– website - Mu Performing ArtsMu Performing ArtsMu Performing Arts is a Minneapolis based theater group formed in 1992 by Rick Shiomi, Dong-il Lee, Diane Espaldon, and Martha Johnson. It is composed of Theater Mu, which features stage performances and Mu Daiko, a taiko drumming ensemble...
, MinneapolisMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, 1992– website - National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, 1989– website - Pan Asian Repertory TheatrePan Asian Repertory TheatreFounded in 1977 and led by Artistic Producing director Tisa Chang, the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is a New York based theatre group that explores the Asian American experience. Pan Asian Rep provides professional opportunities for Asian American artists to collaborate and create unique works...
, New York City, 1977– website - Pangea World Theatre, Minneapolis, 1995– website
- Second Generation (theatre), New York City, 1997– website
- Silk Road Theatre ProjectSilk Road Theatre ProjectThe Silk Road Theatre Project is a production unit located in Downtown Chicago which presents plays written by individuals of Asian and Arab descent....
, Chicago, 2002– website - SIS Productions, Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, 2000 - website - Stanford Asian American Theater Project, Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, 1978- website - TeAda Productions, Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, 1994– website - Theatre RiceTheatre RiceTheatre Rice is an ASUC sponsored theater group that conducts dedicated shows on the University of California, Berkeley campus regularly, performs externally throughout the San Francisco Bay area, and tours throughout California. Shows traditionally include improvisation, sketch comedy, drama,...
, University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, 1998– website - Vampire Cowboys Theatre CompanyVampire Cowboys Theatre CompanyVampire Cowboys Theatre Company is an Obie Award and Caffe Cino Award winning NYC Indie theatre company first established in 2000, with a mission towards the creation and production of theatrical events based in stage combat and dark comedy with a comic book edge. They began on the campus of Ohio...
, New York City, 2000– website
Defunct
- Asian American Repertory Theatre, StocktonStockton, CaliforniaStockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
- Northwest Asian American Theatre (NWAAT), Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, 1973–2004 - Peeling, New York City, 1995–2005 MySpace
Comedy
- 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, 1994– website
- Cold Tofu, Los Angeles, 1981– website
- OPM (comedy), 1995 website
- Pork Filled Players, Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, 1998– website - Room to Improv, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, 2002- website - SketchComedyShow.com, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, 2007- website - Slant Performance Group, New York City, 1995– website
Dance
- Asian American Dance Performances, San Francisco, 1974– website
- Asian American Dance TheatreAsian American Dance TheatreAsian American Dance Theatre was a not-for-profit community arts organization based in the New York Chinatown from 1974 to 1993. As one of the oldest Asian American community organizations, AADT was notable for its early development and pioneer promotion of contemporary Asian American dance...
, New York City, 1974– (now Asian American Arts CentreAsian American Arts CentreThe Asian American Arts Centre is a non-profit organization located in Chinatown in New York City. Founded in 1974, it was one of the earliest Asian American community organizations in the United States. The Arts Centre presents the ongoing synthesis of contemporary American and Asian art forms,...
) - Chen & Dancers, New York City, 1978– website
- In Mixed Company, New York City, 1995– website
- Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble, Los Angeles, San Diego, 2003– MySpace
- Samahan Dance Company, San Diego, 1974– MySpace