“FROM
INNER WORLDS TO OUTER SPACE:
The Multimedia Performances of Dan Kwong”
Published by
University of Michigan Press
A
collection of performance scripts by solo artist Dan Kwong, including six
major multimedia creations, three short pieces, plus insightful commentary
by editor Prof. Robert Vorlicky, NYU. These works address themes ranging from
masculinity & male conditioning to domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, homophobia,
and the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
With
eloquence, passion, and a generous sense of humor, Kwong’s stories are
combined with striking visuals and dynamic physicality. This
significant body of work represents a unique voice of clarity, insight and
hopefulness as he dives into the murky waters of identities: gender, culture,
sexuality, and race. Using himself and his life as a “laboratory specimen”,
Kwong’s narratives reveal the links between the personal and the political,
exposing the invisible and the unspeakable within, and provide a model for
moving through internalized oppression — with a good laugh and a good
cry along the way.
The Drama Review (Vol 50 No. 4) says:
"From Inner Worlds to Outer Space reveals the ways in which Asian American aesthetic practices demand an integrated study of race and performance."
"...often-elaborate stage directions convey the spectacular elements of Kwong's pieces."
"Dan Kwong in some ways continues the tradition of the Asian American vaudevillian..."
"Certainly Kwong's book will help students and fans - some of whom may not have the opportunity to see a particular show - visualize the performance event."
AMPLIFIED
DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS
FULL-LENGTH
SHOWS
“Secrets of The Samurai Centerfielder” (1989) was Kwong’s
debut performance, a sprawling epic about his lifelong passion for baseball,
his Japanese grandfather’s life from Japan to L.A. to WWII internment,
the Beijing student demonstrations in Tienanmen Square in 1989, and Kwong’s
own journey to self-acceptance as an Asian American.
“Tales From
The Fractured Tao with Master Nice Guy” (1991) recounts the joys
and pains of Kwong’s childhood family life, with the dubious assistance
of “Master Nice Guy” — a cross between the Wizard of Oz and
a burnt-out social worker. From Kwong’s näive attempts to prevent
his parents’ divorce to his outrageous clandestine forays into the elementary
school auditorium, his adventures lead to a deep understanding and love for
family.
“Monkhood in
3 Easy Lessons” (1993) revolves around issues of masculinity from
an Asian American perspective. The most physically dynamic of Kwong’s
works, it includes sword-swinging, baseball batting, treadmill running and
athletic dance. Kwong tells sharply contrasting stories of his two grandfathers,
illuminating the history of Chinese and Japanese American men, along with
his own struggles with the dehumanizing social conditioning males receive.
“Correspondence
of A Dangerous Enemy Alien” (1995) was commissioned for the 50th
anniversary of the closing of WWII Japanese American internment camps. A documentary
piece, it was based on the contents of an old family suitcase containing letters
of Kwong’s Japanese grandfather from the outbreak of war to the reunion
of the family. It featured an elaborate site-specific staging and marked the
first time Kwong incorporated sections from previous works, passages from
“Samurai Centerfielder” and “Monkhood in 3 Easy Lessons”.
“The Dodo Vaccine”
(1996) was originally commissioned by Panchayat in London, part of an exhibition
by four American Asians addressing HIV/AIDS and its impact on their community.
It covered challenging topics such as homophobia and cultural taboos about
sex, death and the body, as well as compulsive sexual behavior. Kwong’s
most ambitious stage design, it incorporated 100 balloons, 1,000 ping pong
balls, 200 pounds of rock salt, a giant amoeba cell, an onstage shower, giant
condom package, and several quarts of purple slime.
“The Night
The Moon Landed on 39th Street” (1999) represents a marked departure
for Kwong, his first work which is not identity-based. Kwong reveals a lifelong
fascination with that final frontier, space —and his obsession with getting
there. His most complex multimedia creation, Kwong employs extensive video,
audio and slide projection along with some wild props and costumes. A heartfelt
journey of wonder and a re-discovery of human connection are the essence of
this piece.
SHORT
WORKS
"The Sword and The Chrysanthemum" —
(1997)
A floral beheading
takes place onstage in this poetic depiction of the systematic de-sensitization
of males.
"Al The Barber" — (1997) Desperate
loneliness, insidious homophobia, and a hungry heart in search of closeness.
"Station Wagons of Life" — (2001) Funny, poignant anecdotes of growing up in a working-class Asian American family in Tinseltown. See the USA in your Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, Datsun, Subaru, and god forbid, Volvo...
TO ORDER
www.press.umich.edu
www.barnesandnoble.com
(800) 621-2736
Paperback: $22.95
Clothbound: $55.00
Not scheduled for inclusion in the book but cogent:"BEYOND VICTIMIZATION" — A discussion of internalized oppression. Read it HERE.