The Long View After 20 Years As Artistic Director of East West Players, TIM DANG Eyes the Challenges Unmet
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people The long View after 20 years as artistic director of east West Players, TIM DaNG eyes the challenges unmet NT o M a by DIEp Tran l chael Krunk Fu Battle Battle, a musical by Qui Nguyen, Beau Sia and Marc Macalintal, directed by Tim Dang. It premiered in 2011. I M N 1980, when TIM Dang wAs getting ready energetic and communicative. He talks in long-winded yet to graduate from the University of Southern California, one precise sentences. He is tall and slim, with a youthful stride of his college professors gave him some hard-hitting advice. and attitude, and always is looking forward to the next step— “He informed me that of all the people in my senior class, program initiatives, advocacy opportunities or support for an I was going to have the toughest time making a living as an artistic voice that is fighting to be heard. actor,” Dang recalls. He may be a longtime leader, but the end is nowhere in I Now 55, Dang, a Hawaiian-born Chinese-American, had sight. “It doesn’t feel like 20 years,” Dang exclaims. “Someone been used to playing lead roles with multicultural casts at USC. a few years ago called me an elder of the Asian-American Back in Hawaii, he had been part of the dominant population. theatre. I don’t see myself as an elder! There is so much work But, as his professor told him, the world on the mainland was to be done.” less inclusive. “He said, ‘East West Players does really great work, I think you’ll find a home there.’” “DO yOu lIkE scary movies?” Dang asks as Soon after graduation (with a degree in acting, emphasis we’re walking through EWP’s theatre space in Little Tokyo on musical theatre), Dang joined the Los Angeles–based on a sunny fall afternoon. I say no. He proceeds to give me company, then an ensemble of around 100 artists. In 1993, some factoids about EWP’s home: It’s an abandoned Japanese Dang was made the producing artistic director; 2013 is his Union Church that was built in 1922; the original church 20th year at the helm. Counting back to his first involvement altar is underneath the stage (“In case one day it becomes a in 1980, EWP has been Dang’s artistic home for more than church again”); and it was featured in the 1987 horror film 30 years. The professor was right. Prince of Darkness. Founded in 1965, EWP is now the largest Asian-American “This is where all the ghosts are,” Dang confides as we theatre in the nation, and its oldest continuously operating thea- enter the balcony. Apparently, actors onstage have seen ghosts, tre of color. Under Dang’s leadership, the theatre transitioned but if there are spirits in the theatre of EWP, they are friendly from a 99-seat black box to a 240-seat proscenium. The budget ones. Most likely, they are the incarnations of the many artists, grew from $350,000 to $1.5 million, with a four-play season, some well known, others a bit more obscure, who have graced plus an annual new-play festival called EVOKE and various EWP’s stages over the years. educational programs for professionals, students and K-12. Nine Asian-American actors—including Mako, Beulah And Dang is tireless. Some months ago, despite a speaking Quo and James Hong—founded EWP as a place where they commitment, play rehearsals, local performance events and a could perform in meaty roles, beyond the waiters and villains meeting with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, Dang remained that were common for Asians in 1960s Hollywood. Onscreen, 110 AMERICANTHEATRE OctobER13 Dang likes to tell his staff that when he arrived as artistic director, his salary was $16,000. Because the old theatre adage “you don’t train to be an artistic director” is true, he learned everything about running a theatre on the fly. One of his first goals was to follow through with the dream of EWP’s first artistic director, Mako, “which was to pay the artists a living wage.” That meant establishing a revenue stream that included corporate and foundation donors. “Mako and Nobu were M both well-known, established actors, and I chael Pal whenever the theatre was in trouble, they wrote a check,” Dang explained. “I didn’t M a Dang have the ability to do that.” So he learned how to fundraise. yellowface was a common practice (Mickey Dang was 34 at the time. “For EWP to Rooney’s slant-eyed turn in Breakfast at Tif- grow to the next step, you needed someone IN 1998, Dang led a $5.6-million fany’s was a mere four years prior), and Asian to come in with energy and a youthful vision, capital campaign to move EWP from its Americans were usually relegated onstage who’s also a really good artist,” says playwright 99-seat storefront spot in Silver Lake to a to minor parts, or to ethnically specific lead David Henry Hwang, who had founded EWP’s 240-seat space in the Little Tokyo neighbor- roles in such vehicles as The King and I and writers institute in 1991. “Tim had that com- hood in downtown LA. And as evidence of Flower Drum Song. bination. He was the right person to begin how small and close-knit the Asian-American Dang’s first production at EWP was in breaking out of the predominant Chinese- community is, the largest donation for the new Godspell (he played Lamar). Early on, he also American and Japanese-American literature, theatre came from Henry Y. Hwang, David took on a variety of administrative tasks at the and create a more diverse theatre, responding Henry Hwang’s father. The founder of Far theatre: “I did box office, stage management, to third-wave and, later, fourth-wave writers.” East National Bank, Hwang senior had been tech,” he recalls. Meanwhile, he worked on his craft, taking on bit parts in iconic ’80s TV shows such as “Star Trek: The Next Genera- tion,” “Night Court” and “MacGyver.” In the process, he met George Takei, who now heads EWP’s board of governors. Dang had watched “Star Trek” as a kid, and seeing the rare actor onscreen who shared his ethnic background made him realize: “If George could do it, I could do it!” Then, in 1993, second artistic director Nobu McCarthy announced her resignation and an offer came from the EWP board to take over as artistic director. Initially he hesitated. Taking an artistic directorship, he knew, would put his still-early acting career at a standstill. Then Dang remembered something that British producer Cameron Mackintosh said, during the 1990 Miss Saigon casting contro- versy: “He said, in a very arrogant way, ‘Well, if you want to see Asians onstage, you produce your own theatre and cast shows with Asians.’ That’s always stuck in my mind.” Dang had been a picketer in that dust-up, and with this memory of activism in mind, he saw an opportunity to expand EWP’s reach beyond its role as a presenter of Asian- American talent. “I had this vision of how much the Asian-American artists’ movement could benefit from a more activist style of leadership.” OctobER13 AMERICANTHEATRE 111 people the accountant for EWP. And he elected to have the new theatre named after his son. “I think his father also wanted a bust of David in the lobby,” says Dang, with a grin. “But David put a stop to it.” Besides the address change, a roster of new programs was launched under Dang’s leadership. One of the first was the Alliance of Creative Talent Services—an agency that con- nected actors, writings and directors to casting notices and networking opportunities. This gave casting agents access to a talent directory of Los Angeles–based Asian-American actors, NT o M writers and directors. a l “We’re the best resource when it comes a hip-hop-infused production of Stephen Schwartz and Roger o. hirson’s Pippin, directed by Dang in 2008. chael I to talent,” confirms Marilyn Tokuda, EWP’s M arts education’s director, who oversees the alliance. She has also created a number of American Theaters and Artists, a coalition The panelists were the artistic heads of nearby EWP educational programs. “Tim has really of Asian-American theatre companies that he major theatres—Christopher Ashley of La given me free rein to create and manage these helped create. Dang spearheaded CAATA’s first Jolla Playhouse, Sheldon Epps of Pasadena programs—it’s empowering,” she testifies. Asian American Theater Conference in 2003; Playhouse, Marc Masterson of South Coast Besides running the day-to-day opera- EWP co-hosted the last conference in 2011. Repertory and Michael Ritchie of Center tions at EWP—he oversees both artistic and When I was trailing Dang last season, Theatre Group. “Orange County is 20 percent financial duties—Dang is also an activist in the EWP hosted a panel event called “Asian Asian/Pacific Islander now,” Dang tells me over community. He sits on the board of directors American Opportunities in American Thea- sushi the day before the panel. “There should of Arts for LA, and he is the vice president tre: Why Not Asian? Why Asian?” to address be a lot more representation onstage there.” and co-creator of the Consortium of Asian the lack of Asian-American actors onstage. Takei believes Dang’s efforts have made a difference along those lines. “Tim has vocal- ized the importance of diversity and advocated Professional and Amateur Rights Now Available! for the casting of Asian Americans to reflect the diversity of America,” the actor asserts.