The tense time of class registration, midterms, and papers is usually spent holed up in Swem or a remote classroom. But for about 30 students, they are lounging in chairs, lying on the stage, studying backstage, or else running around the UC Commonwealth. Why? They are rehearsing for Asian Student Council’s (ASC) annual show formerly known as Taste of Asia and now, Horizons, which debuts this Saturday, April 5th at 5:30pm.
Eddy Hong (’09) is leading voice-projection exercises on stage with the main characters, Vicky Yue (’08) is adjusting lighting, and Carling Sitterling (’08) is running back and forth from the sound booth checking on music. Actors from all different organizations, years and theatrical backgrounds are sitting with laptops, highlighted scripts, and books, studying, learning lines, or laughing. “It’s been really cool to meet all these new people and just chill out with them. And then, putting on a show that will appeal to so many people is awesome,” said Nakul Kadaba (’11), an actor in the show.
Throughout the year, the multicultural community puts on events to entertain, educate, and unite - not only with those in their own group, but with the College community as well. But few events are put on that reach beyond typical divisions. The Asian Student Council hopes to change this with events that strive to reach past the usual geographical or cultural boundaries to tackle an entire continent.
ASC is made up of 6 member organizations: Korean Students Association (KASA), Vietnamese Students Association (VSA), Chinese Student Organization (CSO), Filipino-American Student Association (FASA), South Asian Students Association (SASA), and Japanese Cultural Association (JCA). According to its mission statement, the ASC strives “to promote education and awareness of the Asian culture at the College and in the community.”
The organization is just over a decade old, having made its debut in 1996. Each year since then, ASC has tried to increase its presence on campus through date auctions, formals, speakers, and helping its member organizations achieve their individual and collective missions. However, their biggest event by far is Taste of Asia, held each year in late March or early April.
This year, Taste of Asia is called ASC Horizons. The name change was sparked by debate centering around making the show more inclusive, more wide-reaching, and to “better reflect the progress and development of Asian and Asian American culture at William & Mary,” said Amanda Andrei (’10). Many say that the name change is indicative of the changing nature of our campus. “The name change illustrates the depth of self-examination that we all face and how the organizations themselves are changing. This used to be more of a fashion show; now it’s a play,” said Cherrie Soloria (’10), actress. The show, one of the first of its kind, features no dancing; instead, it is a play, part of which each organization wrote. “We’re going in a new direction,” Hong, KASA script-writer and actor, said.
The theme of this year’s show is Hyphenated Identities, focusing on the idea of immigration. They are hoping to reach out to members of the campus that do not usually attend such events. “The topic of immigration is palatable for everyone, whether or not they are immigrants,” Yue, the main script-writer, notes. “We’re reaching beyond our typical demographic. We’re engaging in a valuable dialogue, one that is beneficial to all students.” said Steven Enriquez (’09), actor, and incoming FASA president.
The show is broken up into scenes, each one performed by a different group in ASC. Each part was written by an appointed representative from the group and is acted by volunteers. The scenes all show different aspects of immigration, including unexpected immigration, family members left behind, and assimilation. Dinner will be served after the performance, featuring food from all six regions of the continent.
The actors, script-writers and logistical crews have been working on this show since before Spring Break, but the ideas and brainstorming for the show have been going on for far longer than that. ASC Horizons is just one part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which is officially designated as May but typically celebrated in April. With this show and other events like it, ASC hopes to have their voice heard on campus. “ASC needs more exposure to the mainstream campus, because there is still a divide,” Hong said. “We need to bridge the gaps, not just in the organizations in ASC, but also in the larger community,” Enriquez said.
Doors open at 5:00pm and the show starts at 5:30pm in the UC Commonwealth. The show runs about 2 hours and the ticket includes dinner in the UC Tidewaters afterwards.