Stories are central to Philip Kan Gotanda. For decades, the playwright has served as a pioneer in bringing the stories of Asian-Americans to life on the nation's stages. And now, Gotanda, who has Hawaii ties, will appear Friday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in conjunction with the Kahului Hongwanji's Centennial Celebration.
The playwright will speak about his projects, Maui actors will perform live readings from his work and excerpts of his films will be screened during the McCoy Studio Theater event at 6:30 p.m.
Gotanda and his actress-producer wife, Diane Takei, reside in Berkeley, Calif.; his father, Itsuo Gotanda, was born and raised on Kauai. From large mainstream venues to experimental black boxes to Asian-American-African- American ethnically specific theaters, Gotanda has consciously worked to bring his works' themes to the widest range of audiences. He is also a respected independent filmmaker, and Gotanda's pieces have been seen in film festivals around the world. His three films, "The Kiss," "Drinking Tea" alnd "Life Tastes Good," were screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
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PHILIP KAN GOTANDA
Playwright, filmmaker
For details on Gotanda, visit www.philipkangotanda.com/.
* Tickets to Philip Kan Gotanda's McCoy Studio Theater event are $22 for adults and $11 for children 12 years and younger. Kahului Hongwanji will be catering pre-show dinner in the McCoy Courtyard from 5 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit the MACC box office in Kahului, call 242-7469 or order online at MauiArts.org.
