A collective of local Asian American playwrights is producing their ninth festival of play readings in Cambridge from October 24-26.
The event will feature readings of group members’ recent work, but with some of the “bells and whistles” of a staged production, said Michael Lin, an eight-year Asian American Playwrights Collective. Although actors will be reading from scripts on stands, he said the audience can expect costume work, incorporated movement, lighting and tech cues.
It allows us to “make better use of our budget while still giving audiences an experience close to what a fully staged production would look like,” said Lin, who added that performing readings also allows playwrights to continue applying for opportunities that require unproduced work.
Credit: Vi Villanueva
Building, Becoming, Belonging
At this year’s Playfest, Lin is debuting a play that he described as “more personal” than his past work.
Lin’s short comedy, “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You,” takes place in a community theater audition room and features an actor auditioning for a romantic lead role despite not understanding what romance is.
“At a base level, it’s an allegory about what it means to be aromantic, which is an orientation under the LGBTQ umbrella,” he said. “But it’s also about asking ourselves about what we want and setting aside assumptions about what society wants us to want.”
“I identify as aromantic,” he said. “A lot of my [work] draws on some level of personal experience, but this one tries to show a part of me that hasn’t really been put on stage before. It’s a little anxiety-inducing to have that level of vulnerability when my usual work puts a lot of emotional distance between me and the audience and tends to be very broad and funny.”
“I think this one will still be funny, too. But it’s vulnerable and personal in a way that I haven’t really put to page before.”
Jamie Lin, a four-year member of AAPC who is not related to Michael, is helping produce this year’s Playfest. Her play, “Sibling Rivalry,” features a brother and sister racing each other to skewer shrimp at a night market in Taipei.
She described it as “confronting parental trauma through shrimp skewering” but in a “lighthearted way.”
“I think we’ve got a really exciting mix of plays this year,” said Michael. “[It’s got] the benefit of having a cohesive theme [and] it’s challenged us to tackle more meaningful subject matter than we sometimes do.”
The playwrights note that some of the works directly address Asian American identity and experiences; not all do.
“There’s value in ensuring that Asian voices don’t have to strictly tell Asian stories,” said Michael. “It’s not to say that we shouldn’t be telling those stories, because if we don’t, who will? But I think it’s nice to have a mix and to stretch our wings creatively on an individual level.”
“This year, even though we still have a mixture of tones that I think is valuable to have in an evening of short theater, this year’s plays really hit home … and will carry meaning outside of the performance space for a long time,” he said.
The Collective
Over the past five years, the group’s productions have been performed in Cambridge, where many members and founders have lived or are currently based.
Both Michael and Jamie were introduced to the group via other Asian American playwrights in the local theater scene.
In 2020, Jamie, who is also an actor, performed in a staged reading with actor and playwright Vivian Liu-Somers, who is also a member of AAPC.
“I said something like, ‘Oh my gosh, this [play] is so cool’ because at that point, I hadn’t acted in all-Asian or majority-Asian work,” she said. “Vivian said, ‘Come with me; I’ll take you to where the rest of us are.’”
Members of AAPC work on their plays independently, but meet monthly to share their work.
“Oftentimes we will bring short plays or excerpts to our meetings to read for each other,” said Michael. “Hearing human voices speaking those words … that’s something that I think almost all playwrights find valuable.”
“Sometimes all you need to hear is the right question, like, ‘Did you think about this?’ ‘What were you intending here?’” said Jamie. “I think it’s super helpful to have another playwright’s lens on your work. It helps us refine our work.”
She said the collective also enjoys “championing each other” and “celebrating each other’s successes.”
In addition to the staged readings, the works submitted are compiled in a self-published anthology, edited this year by AAPC member Hortense Gerardo.
“For me, the annual AAPC Playfest is both a celebration of our creative community and an opportunity to introduce our work to audiences who might not otherwise encounter it,” Gerardo wrote in an email.
AAPC’s Playfest 9 will run from Friday, October 23, through Sunday, October 25, at The Foundry (101 Rogers St.) in Cambridge.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.