Many of the theaters in the region, which have expressed their support for diversity, equity and inclusion, first followed the unrest over racial injustice last summer, and then again in response to hate crimes this spring.
“It was an inexcusable, horrific, unfortunate act, but it was also indicative of a major failure of the LA Stage Alliance over the past few years,” said Danny Feldman, the executive artistic director of Pasadena Playhouse. The organization’s inadequacy was becoming clearer during the pandemic. “They lost the trust of the community, and that was the turning point.”
The LA Stage Alliance was a non-profit organization, dating back to 1975 and trying to support theater in Los Angeles. In addition to overseeing the Ovation Awards, it has maintained onStage: LA, a website featuring deals and ticket discounts, and published a digital arts magazine called @This Stage.
Last summer, the organization fired its staff; emails to executive director Marco Gomez were answered by a publicist, Ken Werther, who said the leadership did not want to comment further.
Lee said in an interview Monday that she is uncomfortably seen as the face of the controversy, but also upset about the events that have taken place.
An increase in anti-Asian attacks
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- A stream of hatred and violence against people of Asian descent in the US began last spring in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Community leaders say the big talk is fueled by the rhetoric of former President Trump, who called the coronavirus a “China virus.”
- In New York, a spate of xenophobia and violence is exacerbated by the economic downturn of the pandemic, which has hit the Asian-American communities in New York a severe blow. Many community leaders say the authorities overlook racist assaults.
- In January, an 84-year-old man from Thailand was forcibly knocked to the ground in San Francisco, resulting in his death two days later in a hospital. The attack, which was captured on video, turned into a rally.
- Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, died on March 16 in the massage parlor in Atlanta. The motives of the suspect are being investigated, but Asian communities across the United States are on standby due to an increase in attacks on Asian Americans due to the past year.
- A man has been arrested and charged with a hate crime in connection with a violent attack on a Filipino woman near Times Square on March 30. The attack sparked further outrage after security footage revealed that bystanders could not immediately come to the woman’s aid.
“I tried to be brave and not try to make it a big problem,” she said. ‘But when I read all the reports – all the anger and pain that was expressed – I had to admit that it was angry and hurtful. So many efforts have been made to make the LA Stage Alliance more inclusive, and they are largely ignored. ”
Deaf West Theater, the country’s leading sign language theater, tried in vain to have the Ovation ceremony interpreted for the deaf. “All these oppressions go hand in hand,” said DJ Kurs, the theater’s artistic director. “We all fight the same battle, and we fight it together.”