About Us

Our Mission

The Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) envisions a strong and sustainable Asian American Theater community that is an integral presence in national culture—evocative of our past, declarative of our present, and innovative towards our future. Our mission is to advance the field of Asian American Theater through a national network of organizations and artists. We collaborate to inspire leaning and sharing of knowledge, and resources to promote a healthy, sustainable artistic ecology.

About the Conference & Festival

In September 2003, six Asian American theater companies attended a convening sponsored by Theater Communications Group. The companies—Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, East West Players, Ma-Yi Theater, the National Asian American Theatre Compamy (NAATCO), Second Generation, and Mu Performing Arts—began discussions to hold the first National Asian American Theater Conference. Spearheaded by Tim Dang of East West Players, “Next Big Bang: The First Asian American Theater Conference” took place in Los Angeles from June 18-20, 2006. The first National Asian American Theater Festival took place June 2007 in New York City, featuring over 25 performing artists and companies. The third festival, which will take place June 16-26, 2011 in Los Angeles, combines the conference and festival for the first time.

Conference & Festival History

  • 1st Conference: Los Angeles, CA, June 18-20, 2006
  • 1st Festival: New York, NY, June 2007
  • 2nd Conference: Minneapolis, MN, June 2008
  • 2nd Festival: New York, NY, October 13-18, 2009

Founding Members

  • Andrea Assaf – Artistic Director, Art2Action Inc. (New York, NY)
  • Leilani Chan – Artistic Director, TeAda Productions (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Tisa Chang – Artistic Producing Director, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (New York, NY)
  • Carla Ching – Artistic Director, Second Generation (New York, NY)
  • Tim Dang – Artistic Director, East West Players (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Gayle Isa – Executive Director, Asian Arts Initiative (Philadelphia, PA)
  • Mia Katigbak – Artistic Producing Director, NAATCO (New York, NY)
  • Dipankar Mukherjee – Artistic Director, Pangea World Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Meena Natarajan – Executive/Literary Director, Pangea World Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Duy Nguyen – Artistic Director, Asian American Theater Company (San Francisco, CA)
  • Jorge Ortoll – Executive Director, Ma-Yi Theater (New York, NY)
  • Rick Shiomi – Artistic Director, Mu Performing Arts (Minneapolis, MN)