acting asian

how often are we found in the means to rediscover our own culture, the ones our parents and grandparents have grown up immersed in? katja (queer filipino filmmaker & standup comedian) and i discuss the power of language and storytelling, what is considered "niche," and the passage of time to recollect and tell stories, through our own pair of eyes to see. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

very often when we think of a production, we do not often take the time to understand the people who work behind the scenes to support creatives in bring their whole heart with every ounce of their being. who are those people who support and are the ones who allow a production to come to it's feet? with mina, we explore the nuances of stage management, and how important stage management should reflect the cast of the show. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

cw: crying, anger, trauma, topic revolves around asian violence, and death. this is hard. i hope you, my fellow asian, are taking good care of yourself. i love you and you are seen. i see you and i grace you this space to feel safe to feel whatever you are feeling. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

back to the beginning, featuring myself for this week's episode. i really want to spend this time to overlay all the thoughts which have been on my mind, from living solo, managing my creative endeavors (youtube, podcast, screenwriting), and the revelations i have had during this time. we also take the time to answer some questions i do not often ponder about, as well as discoveries and interests i had in the past few months! grab a seat, fold some laundry, and come explore. ;^) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

where can we find space and comfort when representation and education is targeted towards a particular demographic? where can we find comfort in who we are and our identity upon works which are unapologetic of their asian identity and culture? with yna, we talk about her musical theater experience in school, see our truths, and her state of mind navigating straight acting or musical theater, the continual journey of accepting her whole being, and misplaced representation on the stages and on the screens. check out see our truths here! instagram.com/seeourtruths --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

what stories do we want to tell, especially when we think about the generations before us: our parent's, our grandparents? with michelle chan, a fellow creative (director, writer, & performer) and dear friend, we dabble into snippets of her life and on being a first-generation Asian American, and how does our family's history inform us to write and tell our own stories, which are interesting and deserve to be told? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

inviting the two of my closest friends into the show, ezra, finley, and i talk about our experiences in international school, the influences which have come to affect our lives, as well as our everyday situations living in geographically different locations now (ezra in pennsylvania, finley in shanghai, & isabel in nyc!) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

there are many layers when it comes to a single situation, many sides of the coin, and many crevices which are hidden, or invisible. i sit with zubeda to explore some forms of visibility when we are talking about identity and representation, along with the flip side of invisibility. from queer studies to south asian representation, from kamala harris to caste-ism, sit down with us as we shed light onto what is shown and what is hidden :^) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

i sit down with my older brother to chat about his classical music endeavors in piano, violin, and composition, his thoughts on balancing work and music, as well as our sibling dynamics :^) grab a cup of tea and relax while you listen to this endearing conversation with my brobro x^) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

from seeing her in the performing arts building to being able to talk to her virtually about her life: i introduce y'all to the musical theater actor, artist, and activist cindy tsai! we talk about her cultural identity, transferring schools, see our truths, co-creating her own production company zapi artists, as well as responsibilities the API community has and should be aware of. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

i sit down with kennie zhou to talk about queer, non-binary representation, their upbringing in Beijing, China, being an artist and their inspirations to create as well as their love for movement and performance. grab a cup of tea and listen away x --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

isabel chen (your lovely neighborhood's asian host!) sits down for the first time to talk a little bit more about her personal background as well as her inspirations for starting acting asian, along with acting, quarantine, and thoughts on carving space for ourselves! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support

here we try to connect each and every one of us labelled as asians, and discuss into what make us "act" asian, be it through entertainment and identity as well. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/isabel724chen/support