E-race-ing Stereotypes in Theater
By Larissa Lee, Staff Writer

This past October, my roommate took me to see Avenue Q for my birthday. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the show, it features a cast of Sesame Street muppets gone wrong. While the majority of the show featured raunchy themes or lyrics of questionable taste (which, by the way, I write as a sincere compliment to the show), one song stuck out in particular. The song entitled, “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” is probably the most publicized song of the show, but probably the most relevant to this article. Everyone’s a little bit racist, for sure, but where does do we draw the line between a joke and blatant racism? Where does the comedy stop and the racism begin?

This type of stereotyped representation is something that Asians deal with in all walks of life and all fields of play. However, I wondered whether I was the only one with this belief. Are Asians stereotyped in theater? Since, I have had limited on-stage experience, I thought I would turn the question over to a more qualified group. This past April, I had the pleasure of seeing HKSA Sensation 2K4 perform in Kimmel. So, I decided to ask a few members of the cast and crew of the Hong Kong Student Association’s Sensation 2K4 to talk about their opinions about Asians in the theater and they were more than happy share their views with me.

Overall, the HKSA Sensation Students believe that there is a stigma against Asians in the media. Dan Liu, a junior majoring in Film and Television Production says, “Yes, there has been a stereotype that Asians have funny accents and all do martial arts.” Aimee Hui, a junior in Communications, continues by noting, “Asian live performers are almost always pianists, string players, maybe a band player here and there. It goes along with the idea of ‘Asians aren't real actors’ or that ‘Asians are one-dimensional’ because they stick to the same instruments and roles. When was the last time you saw an Asian actor play sensitive, thoughtful heartthrob in one movie, and then turn around to pull off a laugh-your-pants-off comedy?” Jennifer Tsang, a junior in Communications, agrees with Hui and Lui and adds, “I blame television and the media for the repetition of Korean deli clerks and Chinese computer nerds and Japanese school girl tourists that in some way fit with conventional ideas and attitudes, but in a larger way reinforce and perpetuate these narrow views on Asian life.”

These stereotypes, unfortunately, do not stop with main stream media, but have even pervaded Broadways shows. I always envisioned theater as an arena that allowed for more expression, it being less pressured by the confines of popular taste. However, as Hui talks about seeing the Broadway production “Flower Drum Song,” it would seem that Broadway is not exempt from these stereotypes. “I thought it played into Asian stereotypes - the accents and the submissive personalities especially. It was great bringing Asian culture onto the stage, but the Americanized stereotypes seemed too apparent.” Likewise, I feel Aimee’s frustration with theater. It can be so difficult to find a representation of Asian culture that meaningful rather than gimmicky. Tsang also agrees, and adds, “I've been attending Asian cultural performances since I was a freshman in high school. It's ironic - each show always has the intention of ‘raising cultural awareness’ and yet - only Asians attend the show.”

Although I fear these stereotypes, seeing the students of HKSA’s Sensation brought a sense of passion and hope to the picture. From the audience point of view I could see the creativity and hard work that these students have put into the production and it made me optimistic to know that Asians were making a statement in the theater world. It would seem that likewise, internally, there was an overwhelming sense of pride. Liu, director of last year’s show, marvels at the growth of the cast, “Seeing everyone grow and learn through working with each other and working towards a common goal: to make the vision happen and perform the play to the best of everyone's abilities.” Hui, producer of this year’s show, also speaks passionately about the performing arts, “The stage is always the most fun for me. There's nothing like the rush you get when you run onto stage to give your all to the crowd out there.”

Likewise, these three students hold high expectations for upcoming show, Sensation 2K5. Hui promises audiences, “It's going to be the best show ever! With daring martial arts, magic spells, and well, not a prince in disguise, but maybe a frog or two! Haha, sounds weird doesn't it? But trust me, no other show at NYU will compare. On another note, we're also aiming high for our ticket sales and audience count. Last year we had about 300 people - the largest audience of the competing shows that night. A Chinese newspaper featured us because of our prominence. This year, we're planning to beat our own record.”

With this kind of enthusiasm from the student community, I feel that we are well on the way to breaking stereotypes and barriers that have been keeping Asians from fully reaching their potential in theater. Liu takes note of this revolution in progress, “The trend has already started. Slowly, Asians are getting a foothold in the entertainment industry and destroying stereotypes held for over 40 years!” However, as Tsang points out, we must not forget the universality of the performing arts, “I feel like when a part of the audience identifies with me, I'm bringing to light the universal qualities that are innate to each of us. So, it's not longer an issue of being Asian, or white, or Hispanic, or Eskimo… and it becomes something that's just human.”

For more information or interest in participating in this year’s HKSA Sensation, please contact Producer Aimee Hui via e-mail (ah687@nyu.edu). Mark your calendars: HKSA Sensation 2K5 goes up April 23, 2005. Support your fellow students and Asian performing arts!