Desi Drama | Welcome Letter | Conference Agenda | Conference Attendees | Desi Drama Report
Desi Drama:
The First National South Asian American Theatre Conference
Chicago, Illinois
July 19 – 22, 2007
On July 19 – 22, 2007, Chicago’s Silk Road Theatre Project hosted over 25 theater artists of South Asian heritage for Desi Drama: The First National South Asian American Theatre Conference. The conference was funded primarily by The Ford Foundation with additional support from the American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS). Silk Road Theatre Project co-founders Malik Gillani and Jamil Khoury organized Desi Drama and invited theatre arts professionals from California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Washington, D.C. and German to participate. Conference proceedings were held primarily in Silk Road’s intimate theatre in Pierce Hall at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, with conversations focused on challenges faced by theatre professionals of South Asian heritage, and mapping strategies for building a South Asian American theatre arts movement.
At the conclusion of Desi Drama, the following initiatives were developed:
· The Theatre Arts Network is establishing an alliance of existing production companies to commission and co-produce original work.
· The Archive Project is working to find a permanent institutional home to preserve the rich body of South Asian theater arts that have been and will be produced, as well as searching for new venues to disseminate these works.
· The Online Community is nurturing a visible theater arts network via online resources and information sharing.
· The Artistic Development Initiative is creating master classes and mentorship opportunities for performers, choreographers, writers, directors, arts administrators, and others.
· The Steering Committee is coordinating the other initiatives and is working to establish a South Asian American Theatre Arts Festival and Conference.