Minorities (Self)Representation in Theatre

Independent Theatre Hungary, Eötvös Loránd University, and Színház Magazine held a roundtable discussion with three representatives of the Tony Award-winning Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC). The mission of the AAPAC is to expand the perception of Asian American performers in order to increase their access to and representation on New York City’s stages. They shared their experiences related to ethnic minority representation in the American theatre scene and presented the findings of their Visibility Reports: Racial Representation on New York City Stages. What problems and stereotypes do ethnic minorities face on New York’s mainstream stages? Is American theatre as inclusive as we imagine it to be? The theatrical representation of minorities on Broadway stages were discussed, with practical perspectives based on the Coalition’s observations and personal experiences. The sharing of relevant know-how and good practices by the AAPAC support the issue of Roma self-representation in theatre, too. The project outputs are disseminated online in English and Hungarian to reach wider target groups.

Discussion Leaders

• Pun Bandhu, actor, AAPAC co-founder (USA)
• Christine Toy Johnson, actor, writer, AAPAC co-founder (USA)
• Nandita Shenoy, actor, playwright, AAPAC member (USA)
• Rodrigó Balogh, artistic leader of Independent Theater Hungary (HU)
• Márton Illés, operative leader of Independent Theater Hungary (HU)
• Noémi Herczog, editor of Theater Magazine (HU)

*The roundtable discussion will be in English.

Workshop Materials

• AAPAC Workshop Slides (download 8.6 MB)
• Beyond Orientalism Video

This roundtable was part of the Roma Heroes - VI. International Roma Theatre Festival, which showcases six performances from diverse European Roma theatres (Hungary, Romania, Italy, Sweden). The aim of which is to present and preserve the values of the theatre and dramatic heroes of the largest ethnic minority in Europe, highlighting the challenges the members of this minority face because of segregative and discriminatory practices—which offend minority rights. Besides the performances and related audience discussions at this festival, workshops are held for theatre artists, academics, and critics so that they can understand more deeply and authentically the importance of ethnic self-representation in theatre and can use relevant aspects, tools, and facts in their work. During the workshops, together with the participants, we will further discuss the main aspects and questions of Roma theatre representation. These have been previously collected by interethnic theatre artists, academics, and critics in the frame of our earlier series of workshops implemented together with Szinhaz.net, the oldest theatre journal in Hungary, and the Eötvös Loránd University Theatre Department. 

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