Changing the Culture: Presenting the Voices of Asian and Asian-American Students at Penn

The Theatre Arts Program Presents

CHANGING THE CULTURE: 
Presenting the Voices of Asian and Asian-American Students at Penn 

Created and Performed by Melody Kulaprathazhe (Class of 2022)
Directed by Dr. Rosemary Malague
Talk-back with Professor Deven Patel, South Asia Studies

Thursday, April 21 from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Bruce Montgomery Theatre, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Free Event with Grab-and-Go Reception

The purpose of this performance project, created in part for the THAR 275 course "Real Life Drama: Autobiography, Documentary, and Verbatim Theatre," is to humanize of Asians and Asian-Americans at a time when this community is enduring increased racialized prejudice and attacks (verbal, emotional, and physical). Influenced by the work of Anna Deavere Smith, and conceived as a response to recent inflammatory, anti-Asian remarks made by Penn Law Professor Amy Wax, the project features the verbatim words of Asian and Asian-American students at Penn as they grapple with hate on campus and their own relationship to their identity. By shifting the spotlight to this often-overlooked group, the aim is to reclaim power and inspire healing and reflection.