Each week, Cheeyang sits down with an Asian or Asian-American artist working in the New York Theatre scene and excavates their life story — how they grew up, how they got their start in theatre, as well as projects they've worked on and upcoming work that we should anticipate.
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Each week, Cheeyang sits down with an Asian or Asian-American artist working in the New York Theatre scene and excavates their life story — how they grew up, how they got their start in theatre, as well as projects they've worked on and upcoming work that we should anticipate.
Subverting Eurocentric Theatre
"Am I entering a field that doesn't have me in its legacy?" - Desdemona Chiang
Being an only-child shaped the lives of both Cheeyang and Desdemona. They connected over their shared over-achieving nature, big identity questions as theater artists, and their different views on mortality.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
How Desdemona grew up as an immigrant from Taiwan (2:17)
Why Desdemona became a Biology major (7:44)
What happened when Desdemona dissected cadavers (14:52)
How Desdemona tackled post-graduation depression (18:16)
When Desdemona came out as a Theatre Artist (21:17)
If being Chinese shaped Desdemona's life (26:30)
How Desdemona feels about doing art (35:01)
Why Desdemona is afraid of dying (42:00)
And so much more…
Some Questions We Discuss:
Did being an only child contribute to overachieving? (05:11)
Was Biology undoing what theatre was doing and vice versa? (16:17)
What do you do when your template for life is ripped away? (18:45)
What are the qualities of a good director? (28:47)
Why do people tell stories? (35:50)
Links and Resources:
Follow Desdemona on Instagram
UC Berkeley - Biology
University of Washington - MFA Directing
Follow East Side Story on Instagram
Follow Cheeyang on Instagram
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East Side Story
Each week, Cheeyang sits down with an Asian or Asian-American artist working in the New York Theatre scene and excavates their life story — how they grew up, how they got their start in theatre, as well as projects they've worked on and upcoming work that we should anticipate.
