Race and Representation in Chicago Theatre at Victory Gardens

Victory Gardens Theater, The League of Chicago Theatres, Silk Road Rising and Lifeline Theatre collaborated on a new conversation series, Race and Representation in Chicago Theater, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 31 January and Monday 18 February 2013.

This conversation series discussed the issues of race and representation in Chicago’s theatre community. The series, featuring panelists including actors, playwrights, and directors, focused on the importance of cultivating, developing, and producing work that “looks like Chicago,” and framed for both artists and audiences the importance of accurate representations in the work we experience together.

Race and Representation in Chicago Theater comprises two events, both of which livestreamed on the global, open-source, peer-produced HowlRound TV channel.

Playing Race, was hosted at Victory Gardens on Thursday 31 January at 7:20 p.m. PST (San Francisco) / 9:20 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 10:20 p.m. EST (New York). Below is a replay of the livestream event.

Alarms went off in a recent La Jolla Playhouse production of Nightingale when white actors played Asian characters. In Chicago, the issue was raised with Oak Park's Circle Theatre's Bollywood treatment of Pippin. Where do we stand on nontraditional casting? Is this a form of minstrelsy or is this harmless cultural appropriation? Join us for an important town hall conversation on playing race in American theater.

Panelists include E. Faye Butler (Actor and singer), Sharon Jensen (of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts), Erica Daniels (Steppenwolf Theatre), Kamal Hans (Rasaka Theatre), and moderator David Finer (Albany Park Theatre Project).

Building a Theatre of Inclusion: Perspectives on Asian American Casting and Producing, was held at Silk Road Rising on Monday 18 February at 5 p.m. PST (San Francisco) / 7 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 8 p.m. EST (New York)

Panelist include David Henry Hwang, Jamil Khoury, and Chay Yew. It was moderated by Danny Bernardo and focused specifically on inequities facing Asian American actors. Below is a recording of the event:

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.