Yale Bulletin and Calendar

November 12, 2004|Volume 33, Number 11

Alumni to explore Asian Americans'
new role 'in the spotlight'

Four Yale alumni will discuss the expanding role of Asian Americans in the media as part of a series marking the 150th anniversary of the graduation of the University's first Chinese student.

The panel discussion, "In the Spotlight: Asian Americans in Film, Theater and Print," will take place on Friday, Nov. 12, at 2:30 p.m. in the Branford College common room, 74 High St.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is the third offering in a year-long series honoring Yung Wing, who became the first Asian American to earn a degree from Yale -- and likely the first to earn one at any Western university -- when he graduated in 1854.

"Asian Americans have been making headway in becoming more visible in the media via film roles and serving as news anchors," write the organizers of the alumni panel discussion, noting that recent films such as "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," "Better Luck Tomorrow" and "Bend It Like Beckham" have featured Asian actors and directors in narratives that appeal to a mainstream audience. There is also a growing arts scene that allows performers and writers to create productions that explore the experiences of Asian Americans through theater, spoken word, rap and other art forms.

The panelists will look at the challenges that Asian Americans face in light of these opportunities, specifically such questions as: How does the current political climate impact what is heard and accepted as "sellable"? Does the nation's relationship with Asia impact how Asians are represented in the print media or on television? Given that the exposure of Asians is still limited, do Asian-American journalists, artists and directors carry a certain responsibility when creating a story, play or film?

The featured panelists will be:

* Playwright Sunil Kuruvilla, a 1999 School of Drama graduate and an award-winning playwright whose works have been produced at the Yale Repertory Theatre (site of the national premiere of "Rice Boy"), the Mark Taper Forum and the Canadian Stage Company, among other venues.

* Journalist James Dao '79 B.A., who works for the Washington Bureau of The New York Times, where he has covered issues ranging from the presidential campaign to the Iraqi prisoner abuses to the trial of D.C. sniper John A. Muhammed.

* Film producer Christopher Lee, a 1980 Yale College graduate who is chair of the University of Hawaii's new Academy for Creative Media and former president of TriStar Films/Columbia Pictures, where he supervised such films as "Jerry Maguire," "Philadelphia" and "As Good as It Gets."

* Actress Esther Chae, a 1999 drama school graduate, who has appeared in numerous film, theatrical and television productions including the films "S.W.A.T.," the ABC micro-mini series "Millicent Shelton" and the play "Pojabi: The Korea Project."

The Yung Wing 150th Anniversary series was organized by the Asian American Cultural Center and its affiliated organizations, with support from the Offices of the President, Secretary and Yale College Dean, as well as the Graduate School and the Association of Yale Alumni.

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