The Rainbow Minute
The Rainbow MinuteThe Rainbow Minute
Thursday, May 10
“Asian-American Playwright Chay Yew" (read by: Elaine Summerfield)
Born to Chinese parents in 1965 and raised in Singapore, Chay Yew created and produced provocative plays addressing racism, homophobia and censorship – all issues he experienced in his life.
Surrounded by American pop culture, he moved to the U.S., attending Pepperdine University at age 16. There he experienced casting biases because he was Asian, telling one professor, “You think I’m going to be playing The King and I for the rest of my life? No way.”
A move to Boston University earned Yew an M.F.A. in communications. He experienced another casting dilemma after developing a television script based on a newspaper story about arrests in a campus rest room. No one showed up to audition for the roles.
A return to Singapore? More about that tomorrow.
Playlist
Playlist temporarily unavailable.