A new children’s production produced by the Ma-Yi Theater has all the aspects of a classic superhero coming-of-age story: marginalized youths discover extraordinary superpowers; a galactic menace emerges and they save the world.
But, here’s the thing about The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra GO! that elevates it from the typical superhero story: the superhero kids who save the world are two adolescent Asian American siblings.
According to director, Ralph B. Peña, the play is already having a positive impact on Asian American youths.
“In Minneapolis, four Asian kids came. They sat together. There wasn’t anyone else there like them. And then there was a moment in the show when the four of them stood up and started dancing. They had never seen faces like theirs as the heroes!”
The casting of the show is a concerted attempt to raise awareness of the the lack of diversity in theater. Recent stats from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition show that only 3 percent of the actors employed in productions on and off Broadway are American Americans.
The Ma-Yi Theater Company is committed to “rainbow casting”, the practice of casting a show without regard to race or ethnicity. See the video below to learn about rainbow casting. To read more about the production of The Wong Kids, read the article at TDF Stages.
