2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The Present Condition, Issues, and Future Possibility of Asian American Theater in the United States
| Project/Area Number |
14510537
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
英語・英米文学
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| Research Institution | Kyoto Gakuen University (2003-2004)
Kochi Women's University (2002) |
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Principal Investigator |
FURUKI Keiko Kyotogakuen University, Dept. of Economics, Associate Professor, 経済学部, 助教授 (80259738)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2004
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| Keywords | Pan Asian Repertory Theatre / East West Players / Theater Mu / Sexuality / Exoticism / Mask Dance / Gender / Theatricality |
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| Research Abstract |
I have conducted the researches on Asian-American theaters mainly in New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, and investigated how Asian American plays have been received and developed by the public. Each theatrical company has cultivated various kinds of connections with its own community, and it is now turning into a notable artistic medium which conveys Asian America culture. Nevertheless, my research and interviews with the artistic directors show that most members of the audience consist of Asian Americans. In the cases of New York and Los Angeles, the people of Asian descent occupy approximately 80-90 percents of the audience. In Theater Mu of Minneapolis, about 50-60 percent of its audience consists of Asian Americans or Asians. In addition, my research clarifies that Asian American theaters are unlikely to occupy the main stream of American drama : The limitations of the playhouses, budgets, public relations make them unable to reach such major theater scenes as Broadway shows. During the time I conducted the research, David Henry Hwang's Flow Drum Song was the only play (musical) that reached Broadway. Asian-American theater companies in West Coast are firmly supported by their Asian-American communities. Yet, this environment also hinders them from blending into the mainstream. Theater Mu in Minneapolis, with much less Asian-American population, has succeeded in outreaching the larger audience through its educational programs as well as its performances of Asian American plays. As a new possibility, Asian American drama is likely to outreach the United States. The plays of such Japanese-American playwrights as Wakako Yamauchi, Philip Kan Gotanda, Rick Shiomi have been performed in Japan, and the seminars and symposiums which feature their lectures were also conducted. I, consequently, intend to continue my research on Asian American drama with a new look at its relations with Japanese theatre scenes.
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