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19-478: The Asian American Theater Company was established in 1973 by playwrights Frank Chin and Melvyn Escueta , among others, to develop and present original works of theatre about Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent . AATC is credited as a progenitor of the Asian-American theater movement alongside East West Players and Pan Asian Repertory Theatre . In addition to being a producing company, AATC

38-643: A documentary short in 1972, The Last Temple about the Taoist temple in Hanford, California , which dates back to 1893, and the effort to preserve and restore it. Theatre Communications Group produced the Legacy Leaders of Color Video Project , a series highlighting influential figures in the American minority theaters. Set to be released in 2017, one of the episodes focuses on Frank Chin, his time with

57-613: A reporter for KING-TV in Seattle. Chin is considered to be one of the pioneers of Asian-American theatre . He co-founded the Asian American Theater Company with Filipino-American playwright Melvyn Escueta in 1973. His play The Chickencoop Chinaman was the first by an Asian-American to be produced on a major New York stage. As an author, Chin has won three American Book Awards : the first in 1982 for his plays The Chickencoop Chinaman and The Year of

76-427: A very busy man,' and I said, 'You're a working stiff like me - you have a decision Friday and I don't care what it is. Either I've graduated or I haven't graduated because I have to get back to work.' Friday, I walked by the office and the secretary jumps up and says: 'You've graduated!' I said, 'That's all I want to know'." Early in his career, Chin worked as a story editor and scriptwriter on Sesame Street and as

95-540: A year of courses in acting, scene study, voice and movement and playwright's workshops, conducted by professional artists is also offered. The group also hosts staged readings, where scripts under development are directed, rehearsed and presented, followed by discussion and critique. Many well known Asian American actors and playwrights have been associated with AATC productions in the past. Notable alumni include: Frank Chin Frank Chin (born February 25, 1940)

114-512: Is a sequel to The Chickencoop Chinaman and follows the further adventures of Tam Lum, the original work's protagonist. Stereotypes of Asian Americans and traditional Chinese folklore are common themes in much of his work. Many of his works revolve around criticism of the racism in the United States. Frank Chin has accused other Asian American writers, particularly Maxine Hong Kingston , of furthering such stereotypes and misrepresenting

133-796: Is a workshop where Asian Pacific Islander writers, actors and directors can explore ideas and create works that carry with them the AATC's purpose, which is to explore who Asian Pacific Islander Americans are as a people and as a community. For many years, the Asian American Theater Company was housed in The Asian American Theater Center located near the corner of Arguello and Clement Streets in San Francisco's ethnically diverse Richmond district. The Theater Center suffered much damage from

152-816: Is an American author and playwright. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Asian-American theatre . Frank Chin was born in Berkeley, California on February 25, 1940. His grandfather worked on the Western Pacific Railroad . He remained under the care of a retired vaudeville couple in Placerville, California until he was 6. At that time, his mother brought him back to the San Francisco Bay Area and thereafter Chin grew up in Oakland Chinatown . He attended

171-820: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , but was able to re-open its doors a year later. However, the costly repairs created a heavy economic burden and in 1996 the Asian American Theater Company moved its administrative offices to Japantown , and produced its plays in various theater venues throughout the city such as the Off-Market Theater and the Thick House. Today the administrative offices reside in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood at 1695 18th Street. Under its Emerging Artists Project, young actors, many of whom are making their acting debut, perform plays by new playwrights or revivals of classics by established artists. A training program consisting of two semesters

190-687: The University of California, Berkeley , where he contributed to the California Pelican . He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1965. According to Chin, who had returned from a sabbatical working as the first Chinese brakeman for the Southern Pacific railroad, he intimidated a dean into graduating him with a bachelor's degree in English: "[I said] 'I want a decision by Friday' and he said, 'Well, I'm

209-481: The flamenco guitar . After a stroke in 1990, he lost his ability to play the guitar and, temporarily, to laugh. Chin was married for five years to Kathy Chang in the 1970s. Kathleen Chang (October 10, 1950 – October 22, 1996), was better known by her performance name Kathy Change . She was a Sino-American political activist, writer, and performance artist. The Year of the Dragon was an adaptation of Chin's play of

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228-490: The 1970s; Chin contributed an afterword which can be found in every reprinting of the novel. Chin has appeared in Jeff Adachi 's The Slanted Screen , a 2006 documentary film about stereotypical depictions of Asian males in American cinema. Chin was also an instrumental organizer for the first Day of Remembrance . Chin is also a musician. In the mid-1960s, he taught Robbie Krieger , a member of The Doors , how to play

247-614: The Asian American Theater Company, and Chin's influence. In 2019, It Takes a Lunatic a Netflix distributed documentary about Wynn Handman was released. Handman had produced Chin's two plays at the American Place Theatre, and Chin was one of the interview subjects. Be Water , a 2020 episode of the ESPN documentary series 30 for 30 about Bruce Lee , featured archival footage of Chin. The Chickencoop Chinaman Too Many Requests If you report this error to

266-573: The Dragon , the second in 1989 for a collection of short stories entitled The Chinaman Pacific and Frisco R.R. Co. , and the third in 2000 for lifetime achievement. His full length novel, Confessions of a Number One Son: The Great Chinese American Novel , was written in the early 1970s, but was not published until nearly four decades later (2015) by Calvin McMcmillin, a literary scholar specializing in Asian American literature. The work

285-500: The activist blog "Big WOWO." In addition to his work as an author and playwright, Frank Chin has also worked extensively with Japanese American resisters of the draft in WWII. His novel, Born in the U.S.A. , is dedicated to this subject. Chin was one of several writers ( Jeffery Paul Chan , Lawson Fusao Inada , and Shawn Wong of CARP, Combined Asian American Resources Project) who worked to republish John Okada 's novel No-No Boy in

304-511: The riot scene. Chin would go on to criticize the movie in the May 1976 issue of Mother Jones . What's Wrong with Frank Chin is a 2005 biographical documentary, directed by Curtis Choy, about Chin's life. Frank Chin was interviewed in the documentary The Slanted Screen (2006), directed by Jeff Adachi , about the representation of Asian and Asian American men in Hollywood. Chin wrote

323-513: The same name. Starring George Takei , the film was televised in 1975 as part of the PBS Great Performances series. As an actor, Chin, appeared as an extra in the riot scene of the made-for-TV movie adaptation of Farewell to Manzanar . Chin was one of several Asian American writers who appeared in the movie; Shawn Wong and Lawson Fusao Inada , who, like Chin were co-editors of the anthology Aiiieeeee! , also acted in

342-578: The script for the 1967 documentary And Still Champion! The Story of Archie Moore . Chin's script was narrated by actor Jack Palance . Some of Chin's experiences would be worked into his first play, in which the protagonist is making a documentary about a boxer. Chin researched and hosted Chinaman's Chance (1972) an Ene Riisna directed documentary focusing on the conditions of Chinatown communities in America. Interview subjects included Roland Winters , Betty Lee Sung , and Ben Fee . Chin also directed

361-408: The traditional stories. Chin also has been highly critical of American writer Amy Tan for her telling of Chinese-American stories, indicating that her body of work has furthered and reinforced stereotypical views of this group. On a radio program, Chin has also debated the scholar Yunte Huang regarding the latter's evaluation of Charlie Chan in his writing. This discussion was later evaluated on

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