Asian troupe breaks racial barriers with comic relief

Delivering comedy while enhancing the awareness of racial prejudice, Here and Now, a traveling Asian-American non-profit group theater company performed in the Cal State Long Beach Student Union on Friday.

The performers displayed an array of Asian-American experiences through a multitude of theatrical means.

Different forms of dance, comedy and music were used by the 16 members to shed light to what it means to be Asian in the United States during present times.

Painful yet poignant realities, such as dealing with racial slurs, were addressed. "You slant-eyed chink," "you samurai sword-toting Jap" and "you kimchi eating Korean," were spat out amongst cast members during the show, pointing out the Ôright in your face' realization that racial division is prominent in the United States.

Satiric comic pieces such as Asian Man with his side-kick Twinkie Boy brought tears of laughter to the audience.

Dressed in a yellow Superman-like attire, donning a blaring red ÔA' on his chest, Asian Man teaches Twinkie Boy how to assimilate into the American culture, while breaking through glass ceilings.

"You will grow to have 2.3 children, live behind a white picket fence and drive two domestic cars that get bad gas mileage and you will be happy," Asian Man said. Twinkie Boy, with his bowl-like haircut, nodded in agreement.

The scripts are written and improvised by the cast members. "The show is a venue to tell our stories," said John Miyasaki, the founder of Here and Now.

The shows are performed by a diverse group of people from Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, Okinawan and Amerasian backgrounds. Members are nonprofessionals, ranging in ages from 19-30.

Many group members are college students in Southern California and are not theatre or performing arts majors.

They manage their schedules to accommodate trips to various universities and colleges, such as the University of Indiana and Northwestern University.

The show rejects the notion that Asian-Americans are one- dimensional. But rather, they are a conglomerate

caught dead in the middle of history and the fast-paced procession of today.

A member of the troupe, Earle Zulueta, who also attends CSULB as an Asian-American studies major said, "The show makes people feel proud about themselves that stems from being Asian-Americans."