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ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH Unapologetically Asian: Stories of our Past, Dreams for our Future

Round Table Participants

Howard R. Jang - Moderator In 2018, Howard joined Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity as Vice President Arts and Leadership where he is responsible for Arts, Leadership and Presenting Programs

Prior to Banff, Howard was Professor of Professional Practice in the School for the Contemporary Arts at SFU and was the Director of the Woodward’s Cultural Unit. There, he developed a Creative Entrepreneurship Program in the School for the Contemporary Arts and was responsible for the public Cultural and Community Programs at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.

Howard has been a member of several volunteer boards and committees, most notably for the Canadian Arts Summit, Orchestras Canada, Manitoba Arts Stabilization, the Canada Council, BC Arts Council Music, City of Vancouver, Vancouver Alliance for Arts and Culture, Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, and the Vancouver Foundation’s Arts and Cultural Advisory Committee.

Howard is a member of the board for the Dancer Transition Resource Centre and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Vancouver Chinatown Storytelling Centre.

Trained as a musician, Howard has served as the Executive Director for the Arts Club Theatre Company in Vancouver (2000-2014), Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (1997-2000), and Ballet British Columbia (1993-1997) following work as Orchestra Manager in Vancouver and NYC. 林小湛 | Alannah Ong Alannah Ong works internationally as a renowned actress and acting coach, concert pianist / music professor and image & international etiquette specialist. She is Managing Director of Alannah ‘s Centre for Performing Arts, and the “Home of Loving Heart” Charity Foundation Founding Chairman. Known for the films Double Happiness, Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity, and The Principal of 5 Children, she has worked extensively in Canada and abroad in film, television, radio, and theatre. In 2019 she won the Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in VACT’s The Ones We Leave Behind.

Donna Wong-Juliani Donna Wong-Juliani has had a life-long involvement in, and commitment to, the performing arts and to activities that focus on the betterment of society. Throughout her career she has participated in and/or produced artistic works and projects that have enhanced the communities in which they have occurred. Her firsthand knowledge of the theatre, dance, television, and film disciplines, and her ongoing commitment to the encouragement and development of artists working in all these fields, has led her to play key roles in endeavours ranging from feature film producing, to senior management of a film industry crown corporation, to representation of writers, directors and composers, and to administering non-profit arts organizations.

She was a founding board member of Opera Breve Vancouver, a company which was dedicated to fashioning opportunities for young, classically trained singers, and was, for several years, the organization’s General Director. As well, she was Executive Director of Savage God and JWJ Entertainment, two companies which she and her husband and collaborator John Juliani formed to develop and produce theatre and film/television projects. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia, Urban Ink Theatre, and the Ryga Arts Festival, and on the Advisory Board of Vancouver Civic Theatres, and has been Artistic Associate at Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver since 2003.

Hiro Kanagawa Hiro Kanagawa is a Vancouver-based writer and actor. His play Indian Arm received the 2017 Governor-General’s Literary Award for Drama. His other plays include The Tiger of Malaya and The Patron Saint of Stanley Park, both of which have been performed across Canada. His latest play, a stage adaptation of Mark Sakamoto’s bestselling memoir Forgiveness is the recipient of a National Creation Fund grant and is slated to premiere in 2022.

Also a sought-after script doctor and consultant, Hiro was story editor on the critically-acclaimed Canadian series Da Vinci’s Inquest, Da Vinci’s City Hall, Intelligence and Blackstone. As an actor, he is perhaps best known for his recurring roles and guest appearances on popular American television series such as Altered Carbon, The Man in the High Castle, The X-Files, iZombie and Smallville. Maki Yi Born and raised in Korea, Maki came to Canada in 2000, where she discovered theatre and fell in love with it. After completing a BFA in Theatre Performance at University of Regina and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Studies at Simon Fraser University, she became a permanent Canadian resident in 2010. She landed in Regina, then relocated in Vancouver in 2011 for her apprenticeship at Pacific Theatre.

Since then, Pacific Theatre has been her artistic home, where her autobiographic plays Gramma and Suitcase Stories have been produced. Maki was also part of the touring production of Kim’s Convenience with the Arts Club theatre, an extension of Pacific Theatre’s production, in the beginning of 2020 until the abrupt cancellation due to the pandemic breakout.

Minh Ly Minh Ly is a Chinese/Vietnamese Canadian actor/writer based in Toronto, ON. He trained at Studio 58 in Vancouver, BC. Since graduating from his alma mater, Minh has worked in film/tv and theatre. Selected film/tv credits include, Cardinal (CTV Network), Mayday (Discovery Channel), Star Falls (YTV/Nickelodeon), Nikita (CW Network), and Fringe (Fox Network). Selected theatre credits include, Hana’s Suitcase (Magnus Theatre), Jade in Coal (Pangaea Arts), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Gateway Theatre), and Banana Boys (Firehall Arts Centre).

As a writer, Minh’s first full-length play, GA TING 家庭 (family), has been produced in western Canada (frank Theatre/VACT), and Toronto (Next Stage Theatre Festival). It has also been published by Scirocco Drama, and Playwrights Canada Press included it in an anthology entitled, Q2Q: Queer Canadian Performance Texts. Let’s create a playground we can all enjoy! www.minhly.ca