the First National South Asian American Theatre Conference
Dates
July 19-22, 2007
Venue
Pierce Hall at the Historic Chicago Temple Building
Desi Drama: the First National South Asian American Theatre Conference was organized and hosted by Silk Road Theatre Project with with principal funding from the Ford Foundation and the American Institute for Pakistan Studies. The invitation-only meeting brought together 30 South Asian American playwrights, performers, directors, and administrators from California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York , Washington, D.C., and Germany.
The conference proceedings were held primarily in Silk Road’s theatre venue in Pierce Hall at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, with conversations focused on the challenges faced by theatre professionals of South Asian heritage, and strategies for building a South Asian American theatre arts movement.
At the conclusion of Desi Drama, the following initiatives were developed:
The Theatre Arts Network is establishing an alliance of existing production companies to commission and co-produce original work.
The Archive Project is working to find a permanent institutional home to preserve the rich body of South Asian theater arts that have been and will be produced, as well as searching for new venues to disseminate these works.
The Online Community is nurturing a visible theater arts network via online resources and information sharing.
The Artistic Development Initiative is creating master classes and mentorship opportunities for performers, choreographers, writers, directors, arts administrators, and others.
The Steering Committee is coordinating the other initiatives and is working to establish a South Asian American Theatre Arts Festival and Conference.
To learn more about the Desi Drama Conference Schedule click here.