Philip Kan
Gotanda
Granada Artist-in-Residence
Over the last three decades, playwright Philip Kan Gotanda has been a major influence in the broadening of our definition of theatre in America. Through his plays and advocacy, he has been instrumental in bringing stories of Asians in the United States to mainstream American theatre as well as to Europe and Asia. The author of one of the largest bodies of Asian American-themed work, his plays are studied and performed at universities and schools across the country.
Beyond his thematic work, Mr. Gotanda is known for experimenting with a range of aesthetic styles and a willingness to collaborate with a variety of forms ranging from dance to symphonic, jazz to spoken word, new theatre to film. Mr. Gotanda created the text and directed the production of Maestro Kent Nagano’s Manzanar: An American Story, an original symphonic work with narration. He wrote and developed, in association with SF-based Campo Santo, A Fist Of Roses, a performance exploration through text and movement, of male violence. He also wrote and performed, in the dominion of night, a full-length spoken word play with the retro jazz ensemble, The New Orientals.
His recent work, After The War, recently premiered at the American Conservatory Theatre. ATW chronicles San Francisco’s Japantown in the late 40’s when Japanese Americans returning from the Internment Camps encountered a flourishing African American jazz scene. A Japanese translation of his play, Sisters Matsumoto, opened in Tokyo with the Mingei Geikidan Company. His play, Ballad Of Yachiyo, was presented at the Gate Theater in London in co-production with the National Theater.
Mr. Gotanda is a respected independent filmmaker; his works are seen in film festivals around the world. His most recent film, Life Tastes Good, was presented at the Sundance Film Festival and can be seen on the Independent Film Channel. It is available on DVD through Epoch Films.
As Granada Artist-in-Residence at UC Davis this fall, Mr. Gotanda will direct the first staging of his latest play #5 The Angry Red Drum, a work-in-progress. This new piece pushes the bounds of aesthetics and storytelling in a multi-layered theatre experience. #5 The Angry Red Drum plays November 20-23 and December 4-6 in Main Theatre.
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