August 2020 Newsletter

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View this email in your browser Our Perspective: Asian American Plays Summer is still in full swing for Our Perspective: Asian American Plays! Thank you to all those who tuned in to our special Q & A Virtual Panel on July 15 and thank you again to our panelists who attended. Watch the July virtual panel on our website. This month, we offered a special class: Stage and Screen Writing Fundamentals for Tai People. Taught by Melissa Kong, this course runs Aug 4 through Sept 8 and has started with an enthusiastic bang. Mia Park moderates another exciting Virtual Panel on Wednesday, Aug 12, 6-7pm CDT which will be livestreamed on the Our Perspective YouTube and Facebook pages. The video recording will remain on our website, but watch live if you can. There will be two Chicago based, Asian American ASL interpreters on the panel. Special thanks to Veramarie H. Baldoza and Colleen Bajalis for their ASL interpretation services. See below and here for more info. We are also thrilled to be offering the class, BIPOC Playwrights Perspective: An Introduction, taught by local playwright Sue H. Pak. This introductory playwriting course is for Chicago based BIPOC writers to develop their theatrical voice through writing ten minute plays. Runs for 4 weeks on Tuesday nights from Sept 15 to Oct 6, 7-9pm CST. Cost is $120, scholarships available. Learn more here and see below. The workshop production of FRAGMENTED, written by Our Perspective’s 2020 Playwright in Residence Karissa Murrell Myers, has officially been rescheduled to Monday, Nov 16th at 7pm CST. Learn more here and see below. After years of founding and running Our Perspective: Asian American Plays, Mia Park will step down as Executive Producer at the end of 2020 and Karissa Murrell Myers will be stepping into this role. Mia will still remain active on the producers team and we gratefully thank her for all the hard work she has put into the creation of OP. We look forward to continuing the work that she started!  Thanks for your support during these continually challenging times. If you're able to support us with a financial acknowledgement, please know that your funds go directly towards empowering Asian Americans and Black, Indigenous, People of Color to express themselves as writers, actors, and directors in the theatre arts. Donations can be made, here. Our Perspective is an Arts Initiatives Program of the non-profit group Asian Improv aRts Midwest and is partially funded by a Microgrant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events, with Year of Chicago Theatre support from The Joyce Foundation. A Virtual Panel With Chicago AAPI Theatre Artists Round One Ask a theater artist! Join some of Chicago's brightest in this special Q&A panel livesteamed on Facebook and on YouTube. Moderator Mia Park asks your questions about the industry, representation, and more.  We're truly honored to host these esteemed panelists. Richard Costes is a Deaf actor, director, and Accessibility Consultant. Cheryl Hamada is a highly experienced stage and film actor. Gavin Pak is an actor and playwright. Helen Joo Lee is an actor, improvisor, and educator. Matthew C. Yee is an actor, musician, and playwright. Special thanks to Veramarie H. Baldoza and Colleen Bajalis for their ASL interpretation services.  BIPOC Playwrights Perspective: An Introduction Craft, Voice and Vision: Creating Art, Creating Change. This introductory playwriting course taught by Sue Pak is designed for Chicago based BIPOC writers to develop their individual theatrical voice through writing a ten minute play. We are at a moment in history when supporting and promoting traditionally marginalized voices is more crucial than ever. As BIPOC artists, we must resist systemic oppression, by actively creating and disseminating those stories that must be told. September 15th-October 6th, 7-9PM, online. The course value is $120. If you're unable to pay full price, you may qualify for a sponsored scholarship or sliding scale tuition. Email hello@our-perspective.com for more information. Class is limited to 12 participants. Learn more here. FRAGMENTED by Karissa Murrell Myers will be livestreamed (more details TBA). Featuring performers Karissa Murrell Myers, Emily Marso, and Brennan Urbi, FRAGMENTED tells the story of K, a hapa (half Asian) girl growing up in Idaho who is following the rules of her conservative community: marriage, house, planning for kids. But her desire to be an actor burns in her heart, against her husband’s wishes. She decides to leave her hometown and her toxic marriage, and moves to Hawaii to get her masters in performance. After that, her entire life changes as she seeks to find out her true identity. Told in a series of explosive vignettes, this play explores family, politics, and the challenges and joys of being multicultural in America. Directed by Spencer Diedrick, assistant directed by Daniella Wheelock. Runs 60 min. More information on our website. You're receiving this newsletter because you're a friend of AAPI theatre and have connected with Our Perspective: Asian American Plays and its producers. If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, please unsubscribe below and take care. Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? 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