Dmae features Boom Arts, a theatre company dedicated to international and contemporary plays. She’ll talk with curator/producer and founde from the upcoming production of Free Outgoing by Chennai, India-based playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar. 

And in the latter part of the show, we talk with author and scholar Judy Yung who will be in Portland to talk about Chinese American women for the Oregon Historical Society’s  Beyond the Gate Opening Celebration on March 12 at 2pm and a talk about poetry and history of Chinese immigrants at the Angel Island Immigration Station on March 13th. 

Yung is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who were detained at Angel Island.  Born and raised in San Francisco Chinatown, she received her B.A. in English Literature and Chinese Language from San Francisco State University and her Master’s in Library Science and Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from University of California, Berkeley. She was lead scholar in the Crossing East radio series which was awarded the Peabody Award in 2007.

 

Ruth Wikler-Luker and actor Kapil Talwalkar
Ruth Wikler-Luker and actor Kapil Talwalkar

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You can hear Stage & Studio on:

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Ruth Wikler-Luker,Photo: Win Goodbody
Ruth Wikler-Luker,Photo: Win Goodbody

Boom Arts presents four performances only of its US premiere production of Free Outgoing, an internationally acclaimed play from today’s India by Chennai-based playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar. Directed by Snehal Desai of Los Angeles, Free Outgoing features a dynamic LA-based cast including Anna Khaja* (TV’s Quantico) and Anil Kumar* (TV’s State of Affairs and The Cape; cult film American Desi). The cast will also include Kavi Ladnier, Karthik Srinivasan*, and Kapil Talwalkar. Collaborating designers include Stephanie Kerley Schwartz (set/costumes), Sharath Patel (sound), and Katelan Braemer (lighting).

"A Nice Indian Boy", directed by Snehal Desai at East West Players
“A Nice Indian Boy”, directed by Snehal Desai at East West Players

More about Free Outgoing: Modern technology and old-world values collide in this “gripping and insightful” play (Time Out London) about a middle-class home in Chennai torn apart by an indiscreet cell phone video gone viral. Free Outgoing tells a universal yet timely story, set in a uniquely Indian context, about adolescence in the digital age.

Performances will take place March 3, 4, 5 at 7:30pm and March 6 at 2:30pm, all at Lincoln Hall Studio Theatre, Portland State University, 1620 SW Park Ave, Portland OR 97201. Tickets are $12-30 and can be purchased at www.boomarts.org.

Each performance will be followed by a post-show discussion with community guests. March 3: Sri Craven, Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Portland State University. March 4: Vijendran Sathyaraj, teacher of History and Religion, Oregon Episcopal School. March 5: Anita Ramachandran, Co-founder of SAWERA & Social Entrepreneur at Mercy Corps. March 6: Priya Kapoor, Associate Professor of International and Global Studies at Portland State University. Subject to Change.

Actor Kapil Talwalkar
Actor Kapil Talwalkar

Earlier the same week, Cedar Mills Community Library will host Boom Arts for a free preview program and an opportunity to meet the director and members of the cast. This event will take place on Tuesday, March 1st, at 6:30pm at Cedar Mill Community Libarary, 12505 NW Cornell Road Suite 13, Portland, Oregon 97229-5688.
Boom Arts, based in Portland, Oregon, is a boutique presenter and producer of contemporary theatre and performance from around the world. Founded in 2012, Boom Arts has reached over 5000 Portlanders with innovative presentations of vital and timely plays and multidisciplinary performances from countries like Japan, Egypt, Chile, Russia, Uganda, and the US. We’ve produced performances in theatres, galleries, public parks, living rooms, and other sites around the city.

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Chinese-Womens-New-Life-Movement

More about Author Judy Yung:

Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns and Smithsonian’s special Museum Day celebrates Women’s History Month, the Oregon Historical Society will host host Dr. Judy Yung for a slide presentation at 2pm on the lives and stories of Chinese women in America during the Chinese exclusion era. This presentation will explore how these women responded to racial, class, and gender discrimination with resourcefulness, agency, and resilience.

Author and Scholar Judy Yung
Author and Scholar Judy Yung

Professor Emerita Judy Yung worked as associate editor of East West newspaper and head librarian of the Chinatown Branch Library in San Francisco and the Asian Branch Library in Oakland before joining the American Studies Department at UC Santa Cruz, where she taught courses in Asian American studies, women’s history, oral history, and mixed race.

Her publications include:  Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island (1980, 2014); Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco (1995); The Adventures of Eddie Fung: Chinatown Kid, Texas Cowboy, Prisoner of War (2007); and Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America (2010).

A historical consultant to many organizations and research projects, Judy Yung is the recipient of the Association for Asian American Studies’ Lifetime Achievement Award, UC Santa Cruz’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation’s Immigrant Heritage Award.