From 1995 to 2005, Chay Yew was as an Associate Artist, and the Founder and the Director of the Asian Theatre Workshop at Mark Taper Forum / Center Theatre Group, under Artistic Director Gordon Davidson.
Asian Theatre Workshop was created to serve Asian American artists and communities in Los Angeles and throughout the country by developing and producing new and provocative Asian American Theatre, and by providing a pubic forum for Asian American theatre artists.
The Workshop programs and activities included local and national productions and co-productions; developmental workshops and readings of new plays like the Asian Pacific Friends readings and the Shoebox Readings that presented informal readings of new works-in-progress; commissioning of new work; the Black Box Performances of one night only performances by cutting edge Asian American artist; and the Lounge Series which hosted dialogue and panels with established and emerging Asian American theatre artists.
Some highlights include the development of plays and playwrights like Diana Son (Stop Kiss, Fishes), Julia Cho (99 Histories, BFE, The Architecture of Loss), Naomi Iizuka (Citizen 13559: The Diary of Ben Uchida), Jodi Long (Surfing DNA), and Jeanne Sakata (Hold These Truths); and the award-winning production and national tour of Alec Mapa's I Remember Mapa and Pointless; the co-production of Alice Tuan's Ikebana with East West Players; The Square with Ma-Yi Theatre Company (New York); A Beautiful Country with Cornerstone Theatre Company; Question 27, Question 28 with East West Players, Japanese American National Museum and The Smithsonian Institute; Sunil Kuruvilla's Rice Boy at Taper, top; and Denise Uyehara's Maps of City and Body with Highways Performance Space.
The plays commissioned and/or developed by Mark Taper Forum's Asian Theatre Workshop have been produced by the Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Kennedy Center, Guthrie Theatre, Studio Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Seattle Children's Theatre, San Diego Rep, Pasadena Playhouse. Playmakers Rep, Theatre at Boston Court, East West Players, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, Asian American Theatre Company, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, amongst others.
Asian Theatre Workshop ceased activities after Chay Yew's departure from Mark Taper Forum in 2005.
ARTICLES
"Los Angeles Intersection: Chay Yew" - The Color of Theater
"Asians Get A Proponent At The Taper" - Los Angeles Times
"Minority Leaders: From public performances in Santa Monica malls to critically acclaimed shows on mainstream stages, original and culturally diverse plays are reaching wider and younger audiences Calendar Live! points you to some of the leading ethnic theater groups in Los Angeles " - Los Angeles Times
"And The People Who Make It Happen" - Mark Taper Forum / Ahamson Theatre
"Will Theatre in Los Angeles Fade To White?" - New York Times
PROGRAMMING FROM 1995 to 2015
Asian Theatre Workshop brochure
Hymn To Her: A Celebration of Asian American Female Voices
The Courage to Stand Alone: Letters from Political Prisoner Wei Jingsheng
Asian Theatre Workshop calendar 1996
World premiere of Ikebana by Alice Tuan produced by East West Players in association with Asian Theatre Workshop
Asian Theatre Workshop calendar 1997
World premiere of Two at the Too: Alec Mapa's I Remember Mapa and Sandra Tsing Loh's Depth Becomes to Her
Asian Theatre Workshop calendar 1998
World premiere of A Beautiful Country produced by Cornerstone Theatre Company in association with Asian Theatre Workshop and East West Players
Word Up! A Festival of Asian American Performance
Asian Theatre Workshop calendar 1999
World premiere of Denise Uyehara's Maps of City and Body co-produced by Highways Performance Space and Asian Theatre Workshop
World premiere of Pointless produced by East West Players in association with Asian Theatre Workshop
The world premiere of The Square at Mark Taper Forum's Taper, Too and Asian Theatre Workshop
Asian Theatre Workshop calendar 2001
New York Premiere of The Square presented by Ma-Yi Theatre Company in association with Asian Theatre Workshop at the Public Theater.
Asian Theatre Workshop calendar 2002
New Plays, New Voices: A Celebration of Asian American Female Playwrights (2003)
World Premiere of Question 27, Question 28 produced by Asian Theatre Workshop and Japanese American National Museum
Transfer of Question 27, Question 28 presented by East West Players in association with Asian Theatre Workshop and Japanese American National Museum
Summerfest: A Festival of New Asian American Theatre Work (2004)
ASIAN THEATRe WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS
Assorted fliers and programs for the Asian Theatre Workshop's APAF, New Works Festival, and Shoebox Readings
Assorted programs from Asian Theatre Workshop's Black Box Performances, and Lounge Series Dialogues
Programs and press from Hymn To Her: A Celebration of Asian American Female Voices
Los Angeles reviews of The Square
New York reviews of Ma-Yi Theatre Company's (in association with Asian Theatre Workshop) The Square
Program for Los Angeles production of The Square
Los Angeles reviews for Question 27, Question 28
Program for Question 27, Question 28
Two at the Too promo materials
Two at the Too reviews
I Remember Mapa San Francisco promo materials
I Remember Mapa San Francisco reviews and press
Mapa Mia interview (Advocate)
Mapa Mia reviews
"Theatre; Annals of Asia in America, In Small Bites" - New York Times
ARCHIVE
Asian Theatre Workshop Seasons 1995 to 2002 (Internal document)
Asian Theatre Workshop Seasons 1995 to 2002 (collected and published in show programs )
