Now in its sixth year, hereandnow is a group of young actors thatbring stories of Asian America to life. The unique mix of satire andintrospective drama includes many different forms of theatre including dance,comedy and music. All of the material is original, and is written, directedand acted by Asian American artists. Shows are composed of different vignettesdealing with various aspects of growing up Asian American . Cast members rangein age from 18 to 32 and come from all walks of life.
Frustrated with the lack of opportunities for Asian Americans to perform onstage, the group was created in 1989 by director John Miyasaki and six friends.They then volunteered the show to universities in order to have an opportunityto perform. From the original seven, the ensemble has grown to a 15-membercast and has performed from coast to coast. From three university performancesin their first year, they gave 30 performances in 1995 and expect to do 50 thisyear. Venues have ranged from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia,to the University of Illinois at Champaign, to USC.
With their main focus on entertaining the public, the show has gained wideranging appeal. According to Miyasaki, "the common denominator is basicallygood theater. " He said Caucasian audiences have been surprised to findthings they could relate to. "They thought it just might be very ethnic. Theywere pleasantly surprised to find that it was very innovative and spoke to alot of different people." Following each performance, the cast holds an openquestion and answer session with the audience.
