Product Description

A companion piece to the Asian American Writers' Workshop's The NuyorAsian Anthology: Asian American Writings on New York City, Tokens? The NYC Asian American Experience on Stage presents a vibrant portrait of a burgeoning theater scene. Alvin Eng, Tokens?'s editor and contributor, describes the ten plays and performance pieces included in the collection as offering "a great viceral snapshot of what Asian American theater was like in New York City in the 1990s." Other playwrights whose work is found here include David Henry Hwang, Jessica Hagedorn, and Han Ong. The book concludes with "The Verbal Mural," a discussion of the history, current directions, and future prospects for Asian American theater in New York City, gathered from interviews with founders, leading members, and rising stars of the Asian American theater. Through their powerful words and passionate voices, Tokens? chronicles the struggles of Asian American artists to find a place in the off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theater world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2022844 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 455 pages

From the Publisher
Asian Americans on stage and off in contemporary New York City

From the Inside Flap
"A diverse collection of passionate, provocative, poetic and powerful plays from some of today's most remarkable Asian American playwrights. Defiantly unique in voice and universal in emotion, each work potently strikes the heart and mind. This wonderful volume is absolutely requisite reading for those who love the theater and Asian American literature." —Chay Yew, award-winning playwright of Red, Porcelain and A Language of Their Own, among others

"The story of Asian American theatre in New York City is no neat three-act play. As it's been for theatre by any ethnic or cultural minority, it's been a struggle. In Tokens?…that history is well and candidly told. As for the plays that are included in this anthology: Each work proves that it's worth the struggle to give voice to an untold story. Tokens? is a valuable contribution to Asian American cultural history." —Ben Fong-Torres, former editor of Rolling Stone and author of The Rice Room: Growing Up Chinese American, Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons, and Not Fade Away: A Backstage Pass to 200 Years of Rock and Roll

About the Author
Alvin Eng is currently a Teaching Artist with the "Young Playwrights Program" of the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY. He is an author, performer, lyricist, and journalist of many celebrated theatrical works including The Flushing Cycle, an autobiographical one-man play, and Mao Zedong: Jealous Son (an Abstract Portrait), an opera.

Customer Reviews

great collection of plays, background, discussions, etc.
this is one of the best collections of asian american plays out there. includes 10 plays from the most prominent playwrights, as well as younger, less-well known writers. selections are funny, varied and dynamic. includes a nice introduction/bio by each playwright, as well as interesting discussions by individual writers about the state of asian american theatre and writings. highly recommended for aspiring writers and thespians!