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Pun Bandhu, Angel Desai, and A. Rey Pamatmat.

Offscript: Who’s in the Room?

This week representatives from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition school American Theatre editors on better ways to talk about cultural appropriation and yellowface, and offer tips both for interpreting problematic works from the past and for creating new, more diverse work.

Every other week, the editors of American Theatre curate a free-ranging discussion about the lively arts in our Offscript podcast.

But this week, in a very special edition, performers Pun Bandhu and Angel Desai from the Asian American Performers Action Coalition and playwright A. Rey Pamatmat join associate editor Diep Tran and editor-in-chief Rob Weinert-Kendt to clear the air about the recent Mikado-in-yellowface controversy, particularly as represented in controversial columns by Tran and Weinert-Kendt (the latter of which prompted an apology). In a respectful and free-ranging exchange, everyone gets a chance to explain themselves and reach a clearer understanding going forward—at least, that’s the idea.

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