Tuesday, April 28th - networking at 6:30 pm, open forum starts at 7:00pm ET
Polaris North Studio, 245 W. 29th Street, 4th floor, NYC
Our return to our live monthly panels/discussions, with a simultaneous streaming for our friends outside of New York City. (Everyone should receive the zoom link when you register. If you don't receive it, email TRUnltd@aol.com to request link.)
Co-hosted by KATIE CHIN, celebrity chef, author and playwright (Holy Shiitake! A Wok Star is Born); ARIEL ESTRADA, actor, singer, arts advocate, producer, founder & producing artistic director of Leviathan Lab creative studio for AANHPI performing artists, past National Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator for Actors’ Equity Association Office of Diversity & Inclusion; DOROTHEA GLORIA, a Filipina theater-maker, actress, and performance artist and the founder of RiffRaff NYC, an artist-led platform dedicated to developing new work and sharing multicultural stories through collaborative performance; NINA ZOIE LAM, actor, theater director, dramaturg, arts advocate, founding partner of National Asian Artists Project, a non-profit theater company dedicated to showcasing Asian and Asian American writers and theater artists; PANNEY WEI, founder of Harpe Ventures, a cross-cultural impact producer, activist, and restaurateur, and was a partner in a fund responsible for producing 30 films and 11 Broadway shows (including Legally Blonde, Matilda, Little Shop of Horrors, currently working on Working Girl, Galileo, and The Karate Kid). Facilitated by TRU executive director Bob Ost.
TRU monthly conversations continue about issues of current cultural significance, with a particular focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. We revisit issues of D.E.I. in theater with another look at an ongoing struggle for cultural specificity in casting, as well as the need for a wider diversity of stories that reflect the full range of cultural experience in our country. Though Asian-focused companies like Pan Asian Rep and National Asian American Theater have pushed boundaries, AANHPI representation is still rare in the general theater scene; and though not all Asian identities are interchangeable, the industry still too often treats AANHPI communities as a monolith. Are there Asian communities that are represented, and others that are overlooked? We'll also consider tokenism versus sustained inclusion, and what allyship and institutional accountability can actually look like beyond mere statements and "diversity" language.
TRU offers this as an opportunity for everyone to learn from actual experiences and find ways to support each other while exploring initiatives that might bring us closer to genuine respect and acceptance. All attendees are encouraged to participate in this conversation.
Doors open at 6:30pm for networking and roundtable introductions of everyone in the room – come prepared with your best 20-second summary of who you are, and what you need. The Open Forum will start at 7:00pm. Free for members of TRU, Polaris North and members of LPTW;
$15 for non-members (with a $5 ticket option available to anyone who needs it). Please use the bright red reservation box here on our web page, or email or phone at least a day in advance (or much sooner): e-mail
TRUStaff1@gmail.com
Panelists
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KATIE CHIN
is an award-winning cookbook author, television personality, playwright, and Culinary Ambassador to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Raised in the kitchens of her mother Leeann Chin’s iconic Minneapolis restaurants, Katie began her career in film and television marketing before returning to her culinary roots and building a nationally recognized food and media brand. Katie is the author of five cookbooks, including the bestselling Everyday Thai Cooking, Everyday Chinese Cookbook, and Katie Chin’s Global Family Cookbook. She co-hosted the PBS series Double Happiness and has appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Today, Live with Kelly & Mark, and as a judge on Iron Chef America. She has also competed on Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay, and Cutthroat Kitchen. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bon Appétit, and O Magazine. In recent years, Katie has expanded into live theater with her acclaimed one-woman show, Holy Shiitake! A Wok Star is Born – a heartfelt and humorous exploration of identity, family, and resilience through food. The show has played to sold-out audiences in Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco, and her hometown of Minneapolis. She earned Sherman Oaks’ Whitefire Theatre’s “Solo Fest Best of Fest” and “Solo Fest Legend Award” distinctions. Performances have also raised funds for numerous AAPI organizations and community initiatives. Katie’s storytelling extends beyond the stage. Her TEDx talk, “Dumplings Released My Demons: How Food Can Heal Generational Trauma,” reflects her mission to use food as a vehicle for connection and healing. A dedicated community leader, Katie serves on multiple nonprofit boards and was appointed by Mayor Karen Bass to the Los Angeles Board of City Tourism Commissioners.
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ARIEL ESTRADA
is Webby Award-winning producer, actor, writer, and advocate for Asian American Pacific Islander performing artists. As an actor, he has performed on television, film, commercials, digital media, and Off-, and Off-Off-Broadway. As a producer, Ariel is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director for Leviathan Lab, a nonprofit creative studio for Asian American performing artists. As an arts administrator, he is the Associate Director of the Theatre Program at Fordham University, and the Marketing & Membership Director for the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists. His leadership has been recognized by artEquity, New York Foundation for the Arts, and Theatre Communications Group. arielestrada.com | leviathanlab.com | LI: /arielestrada
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DOROTHEA GLORIA
(she/her) is a Filipina theater-maker, actress, and performance artist based in New York City. Her work weaves ritual, community, and contemporary storytelling, with artistic research focused on mourning practices from the Ilocos region of the Philippines and their translation into contemporary performance. Grounded in process-driven creation, her work centers on collaboration, cultural memory, and collective exchange. Dorothea is the founder of RiffRaff NYC, an artist-led platform dedicated to developing new work and sharing multicultural stories through collaborative performance. Through RiffRaff, she nurtures artists in creating pieces that reflect diverse lived experiences while building community through generative and exploratory processes. As an actress, Dorothea has performed with Spellbound Theater, Rattlestick Playwrights, The Flea Theater, and other New York–based companies. In the Philippines, she has worked with Repertory Philippines, PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association), and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She completed the conservatory program at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She is currently the Co-President of The League of Professional Theatre Women. When not in rehearsal, she can often be found in Bryant Park practicing juggling and flow arts.
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NINA ZOIE LAM
is a founding member of National Asian Artists Project (NAAP) with Baayork Lee and Steven Eng. New York–based theater director and performance arts educator, former modern dancer, trained at the Martha Graham School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, José Limón and Mary Anthony Dance Institutes. She has performed in Dream of the Red Chamber with Taiwan’s Cloud Gate National Dance Theatre, and in the original Broadway company of Miss Saigon. Her performance career includes appearances alongside renowned artists such as, Yul Brynner and Rudolf Nureyev in King and I, Donna McKechnie in A Chorus Line and Mickey Rooney in A Funny Thing Happened … Forum. After 20 years of performing, Nina transitioned into directing and co-founded National Asian Artists Project, a nonprofit dedicated to showcasing the works of burgeoning Asian American writers and theater artists providing performance opportunities and training to the next generation. Select directing and associate directing credits include King and I (U.S. National Tour), Bombay Dreams (U.S. and Canadian Tour), Cinderella (New York City Opera at Lincoln Center), Miss Saigon (Paper Mill Playhouse), The Heart Sellers (Cape Rep Theater and The Depot Theater), projects at Joe’s Pub, The Tank, Museum of Jewish Heritage, Museum of Chinese in America, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, NYU and Berklee College of Music’s Graduate Musical Theater Writing Programs. She is a first generation graduate of Brown University with postgraduate training at the Sanford Meisner Center and Stella Adler Conservatory.
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PANNEY WEI
is the founder of Harpe Ventures and Lumira Entertainment, a producer, activist, and restaurateur spanning Broadway, film, and hospitality, focused on building culture and bridging East and West. Her current credits include Working Girl (with Cyndi Lauper and Theresa Rebeck), The Karate Kid musical (opening May 7 at the Wimbledon Theatre), and Galileo, alongside a film slate including a documentary on Chef Christine Ha, Uncommon Women (with Sarah Jessica Parker), Sitora (with Diffan Norman), and Tiger Mom Academy. She is also a partner with Momofuku alongside James Beard Award–winning chef David Chang, and with Niku X. Continuing a distinguished family legacy that includes Qing dynasty statesman and Marquess Zuo Zongtang—best known in American pop culture through the iconic dish “General Tso’s chicken”—and Senator Chen Liu, she carries forward a multigenerational commitment to leadership, cultural bridge-building, and impact through storytelling, hospitality, and community advocacy.
