Independent Theatre Hungary, Eötvös Loránd University, and Színház Magazine invite you to join 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 will share their experiences related to ethnic minority representation in the American theatre scene and present 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 will be 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 will support the issue of Roma self-representation in theatre, too. The project outputs will be disseminated online in English and Hungarian to reach wider target groups.
The discussion will be led by:
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.
This roundtable is 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 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.
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 develop our knowledge commons collectively. Anyone can 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. View the video archive of past events.
