OPINION Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER September 18, 2017 Volume 27 Number 18 September 18, 2017 ISSN: 1094-9453 The Asian Reporter is published on the first and third Monday each month. Please send all correspondence to: The Asian Reporter 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D, Portland, OR 97217 Phone: (503) 283-4440, Fax: (503) 283-4445 News Department e-mail: news@asianreporter.com Advertising Department e-mail: ads@asianreporter.com General e-mail: info@asianreporter.com Website: www.asianreporter.com Please send reader feedback, Asian-related press releases, and community interest ideas/stories to the addresses listed above. Please include a contact phone number. Advertising information available upon request. Publisher Jaime Lim Contributing Editors Ronault L.S. Catalani (Polo), Jeff Wenger Correspondents Ian Blazina, Josephine Bridges, Pamela Ellgen, Maileen Hamto, Edward J. Han, A.P. Kryza, Marie Lo, Simeon Mamaril, Julie Stegeman, Toni Tabora-Roberts, Allison Voigts Illustrator Jonathan Hill News Service Associated Press/Newsfinder Copyright 2017. Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication. Member Associated Press/Newsfinder Asian American Journalists Association Better Business Bureau Pacific Northwest Minority Publishers (PNMP) Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon MY TURN n Dmae Roberts Caught in Caught Correspondence: The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. 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Back issues of The Asian Reporter may be ordered by mail at the following rates: First copy: $1.50 Additional copies ordered at the same time: $1.00 each Send orders to: Asian Reporter Back Issues, 922 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97217-2220 The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. If you have a comment on a story we have printed, or have an Asian-related personal or community focus idea, please contact us. Please include a contact name, address, and phone number on all correspondence. Thank you. ’ve spent most of the summer preparing for a through lines of dialogue. Still, getting back into life-changing adventure, one that returns me to acting is like re-learning how to ride a bicycle, as I my first love and the main reason I moved to engage my mind to remember someone else’s Portland. In June I was cast in a production at complex words. We started rehearsals this month. A stellar cast Artists Repertory Theatre. I’ve been learning lines and getting into mental shape ever since. As of this of veteran Portland actors (including Sara writing, I’ve also lost more than 20 pounds to Hennessy and Chris Harder), director Shawn Lee, prepare myself physically for the hard work of being and an entire creative team are taking care of every aspect of the production, even a full-time actor for two months. details such as putting my name This is a milestone for me. It’s on a coffee mug. This level of been more than a dozen years professionalism is the height of since I last acted in a full theatre luxury. production. Though I continued I’m also honored to be working to produce stage productions, I with Los Angeles actor Greg quit performing in the early Watanabe, who was involved in 2000s when my mom became ill the Broadway production of and I decided to care for her. Allegiance with George Takei. After being a caregiver, I Besides impressive theatre and concentrated on my radio career. film/television credits, Greg It wasn’t until 2014, when I performed the solo play Hold co-founded Theatre Diaspora — These Truths by Jeanne Sakata, a theatre group featuring which tells the story of Seattle’s Asian-American actors — that I Caught, an installation of visual art and Gordon Hirabayashi, who was found myself edging closer to live theatre presented by Artists Repertory Theatre, runs October 1 through 29 on imprisoned for defying the U.S. wanting to be onstage again. the theatre’s Morrison Stage in downtown government’s internment of Theatre was my first love. Portland. (Photo courtesy of Artists Reper- Japanese-Americans during Ever since I was a child, I wanted tory Theatre) World War II. Portlanders to be an actor. I studied it in school and joined the theatre community. When I might have seen him in the starring role of The moved to Portland in 1989, I worked in three or four Language Archive last spring at Portland productions per year until I stopped pursuing acting Playhouse. It’s been a thrill to be in the same jobs. I became a playwright as well as an actor while rehearsal room with him as we work on the play and focusing on radio documentary work. Lately, discuss themes of racism and cultural however, I started to offer myself as an actor when appropriation. Many years ago, I was usually the only casting directors asked me for referrals for Asian performers. And after such a long hiatus, Artists Asian-American actor in the room. The rare Repertory Theatre, a professional theatre, offered exceptions were when theatres produced plays I’d me a role in Caught, a production with text by written. It’s a gratifying experience to be not only acting again, but also to be involved in a theatrical playwright Christopher Chen. I’m not able to tell you too much about the play production that speaks so deeply to me as an because Artists Rep initially wants to keep Caught Asian-American theatre artist and journalist. The somewhat of a secret. I can tell you it features Asian cherry on this dream sundae is also to be working artists and it is an unusual comedic, genre-bending with a company that respects an Asian-American production of live theatre as well as an elaborate art playwright’s text and the large questions it asks installation. In this age of people trying to define while mind-bending the audience in its fusion of art “fake news,” Caught brings to light themes of truth and theatre. I hope you can join me in the culmination of my and deception in the worlds of art and journalism. The production also asks the question: “When does dream of being a professional actor again. Previews for Caught begin October 1 and the show runs cultural appropriation begin?” I’ve spent the summer learning about 30 pages of through October 29. For information, performance lines for the production. I found it amazing that times, or to buy tickets, call (503) 241-1278 or visit there are now tools like apps to help run one . I Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication.