Happy Birthday, Erin, With Love

Last night I attended a reception after a special performance of Qui Nguyen's "The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G"where I met a Ma-Yi Board member and some of her friends that she brought to the show. The mood was festive and light after a fun show filled with mystery, dance-offs, hand to hand combat, and meta-theatrical devices, and Ma-Yi's Executive Director was kind enough to tell the ladies about my blog which began a lively discussion about who should be on the blog (Matthew McConaughey - no; Daniel Craig - yes). One guest, Erin, asked after Marc Sanchez. When I replied that I did not even know who he was, she suggested I look him up and post him. And when she later revealed that yesterday was her birthday, I promised a Sanchez post. So here he is, Erin! Thank you for supporting Ma-Yi Theater on your birthday. Those of us in the Writers' Lab appreciate the generosity of patrons like you who help maintain the Lab as a place that nurtures writers of Asian descent and helps us tell our stories.

Speaking of the stories of Asian people, I attended a meeting on Monday night hosted by the Asian American Performers Action Committee to address the issues of under-representation of Asian Americans in the theater. The New York Times reported on it, and I am tremendously proud of my friends and colleagues who worked so hard to start this discussion. I do believe the first step in progress is awareness of a problem, and I hope that the discussion can spur some change on stage to reflect the world will live in rather than the curiously white-washed world on many New York stages today. Until then, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS