Abstract
American musical theatre has not traditionally been welcoming to the AAPI community. One study stated that, in 2019, there were only 20 Asian-American actors in all Broadway ensembles combined. Another study from 2017 indicated that 95% of all Broadway plays and musicals were authored by Caucasian playwrights. The 2017 off-Broadway run of KPOP: The Musical was, therefore, a groundbreaking event in the history of AAPI theatre. It was an Asian American story being told by an Asian American creative team, and featuring and entire cast of persons of color, 17 out of 18 of whom were of Asian descent. The production was both a critical and commercial success, selling out its entire run and winning Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical, and Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. However, when the show transferred to Broadway, it closed only 17 performances after opening. The purpose of this paper is to investigate what went wrong, and to what extent race may have been a contributing factor in the show’s premature closing.
Presenters
Sheri AndersonDirector of Theatre Arts, Senior Specialist Professor, Artistic Director, Music and Theatre Arts, Monmouth University, New Jersey, United States Juno Snider
Student, Bachelor of Arts (in progress), Monmouth University, New Jersey, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
Asian, American, Theatre, Broadway, Inclusivity, Race, Korean, Kpop, Musical, Identity
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