Why I founded The Asian American Theatre Artists Collective:
As of this writing (February 2025) only 3 Asian women writers have ever been produced on Broadway. Preliminary data from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition’s latest “Visibility report” reveals that in the 2021-22 Broadway season, 3.7% of roles were played by AAPI actors, 12% of designers, 0% of the directors and 0% of the writers were of AAPI descent. Though the numbers are slightly better in NYC’s non-profit Off-Broadway theatres and our presence in regional theatres across the country has grown over the past 20 years, we are still routinely not included in the diversity dialogue and remain underrepresented on and off stage.
With the support of a Catalyst for Change Fellowship through the Dramatists Guild Foundation, The Asian American Theatre Artists Collective was founded with the goal of finding new strategies to build opportunities for AAPI professional theatre artists so that we can become a substantive presence in the American landscape of storytelling and story building. By creating our Community Resource Directory and initiatives that foster intentional inclusion, we want to help remove the obstacle to those claiming they can’t work with us because they don’t know us by expanding collective circles of familiarity and hire-ability.
Within one month of putting out the initial call to my peers about this project, over 400 AAPI theatre makers from across the U.S. were put into the mix for our Community Resource Directory; actors, stage managers, directors, choreographers, designers, casting directors, musicians, dramaturgs, artistic directors, and independent producers with decades of experience. It is my hope that by highlighting and uplifting this phenomenal community of artists, others who might not have known us before will get to know us now.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
Christine Toy Johnson
Founder
CHRISTINE TOY JOHNSON is a multiple award-winning writer, Broadway/film/television actor, and Tony and Obie honored advocate for inclusion. Treasurer of the Dramatists Guild, founder of the Asian American Theatre Artists Collective, co-founder of AAPAC. Alum of BMI, The Writers Lab, Sarah Lawrence College. Details can be found on her Profile Page in the Directory and at www.christinetoyjohnson.com.
About the Dramatists Guild Foundation and the Catalyst for Change Fellowship:
The Dramatists Guild Foundation (sponsor) is a non-profit organization supporting writers at all stages of their career by offering financial support, educational resources, writing space, and more. We strive to be a resource to writers nationwide and nurture the future of American theater. DGF fosters playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists at all stages of their careers. DGF sponsors educational programs; provides awards, grants, and stipends; offers free space to create new works; and gives emergency aid to writers in need of immediate support. By supporting and nurturing the creators of today, we protect the stories of tomorrow.
The Dramatists Guild Foundation (DGF) Catalyst for Change Fellowship aims to invest in Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latine theatre innovators as they work to imagine equity, social justice, and change in the industry through new developmental programs. The Catalyst Fellowship is made possible with support from C. Graham Berwind, III.
More about the Dramatists Guild Foundation can be found at www.dgf.org
This website and directory was developed by Tony Aidan Vo:
Tony Aidan Vo is a Drama Desk-nominated musician, actor, singer-songwriter, and software engineer based in Denver, CO. He has performed nationwide on stage and television, with select theater credits including Atlantic Theater Company, The Alley Theatre, Two River Theater, and Baltimore Center Stage. His TV credits include QUEEN SUGAR (OWN), INSTINCT (CBS), and TEENAGE BOUNTY HUNTERS (Netflix). Tony was a founding member of the folk band/theater collective The Lobbyists, nominated for a 2016 Drama Desk Award for SeaWife. He studied theater at Ithaca College and the National Theater Institute at The Eugene O’Neill Center.
Tony is passionate about the intersection of the arts and technology and he is hopeful this Community Resource Directory will help uplift all of the wonderful Asian American Theatre Artists out there! As a tech enthusiast, Tony has built websites for 50+ clients, including artists, businesses, and non-profit organizations. A Hack Reactor Software Engineering graduate, he co-founded Audition Cat, an upcoming audition tracking app for performers. www.tonyaidanvo.com