The Lewis Center for the Arts and Princeton East West Theater presents Type A, a work-in-progress written and performed by Nathan Phan ’19.
“What type of Asian am I? You choose.” The Model Minority, the Reject, the Angry Asian, the Oriental Fantasy, and More.
The performance is free and open to the public; no tickets required.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Explicit language, sexual situations, mental health, suicidality, body shame, racism, homophobia and heterosexism, racial stereotypes, self-harm.
Nathan Phan will present Type A. Photo by Cam Ha Nguyen.
Nathan Sam Nghĩa Phan’s Type A is a show about his discovery of his Asian American identity through the exploration of stereotypes that exist within the Asian American community. “Although I was born and have lived my entire life in California,” he says, “I still get asked questions like ‘Where are you really from?’ and ‘How did you learn to speak English so good?,’ making me think about the ways my Asian American identity is one that is perceived as one-dimensional and ‘Other’.” He notes that his experiences with the first-generation and low-income communities, issues of gender, sexuality, and mental health, and artistic interests have become silenced by questions that essentially typify him. “So, I created this show,” he explains, “as a way to unpack and rebuild the complexities of my Asian American identity and the ways it intersects with other parts of my life. In these one-dimensional stereotypes of Asian Americans, I believe there exists truths in my identity, and I hope to understand the ways to not only grapple with the pains and struggles of identity but to become empowered by it.”
Phan is a senior majoring in comparative literature, focusing on Japanese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese languages and popular culture, and pursuing a certificate in theater. Growing up in the Los Angeles suburb of Rosemead, California, and coming from a Vietnamese immigrant family, he notes he had no experience with theater until coming to Princeton. He began his journey with theater at the end of his first year, when he, Kathy Zhao, Class of 2017, and Tri Le, Class of 2019, founded Princeton East West Theater, an Asian American, all-inclusive theater company that strives to make theater at Princeton accessible and inclusive for students regardless of race or experience. Through Princeton East West Theater, Phan has helped organize a no-auditions scene showcase, a symposium bringing together Asian American theater-makers, and directed his first show She Kills Monsters as a joint-production with the student group Theater Intime. He has been involved in Lewis Center productions of Charles Francis Chan Jr.’s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery and Gurls, and other Theater Intime productions. Outside of the theater community, Phan also works with members of the first-generation, low-income community through the Scholar Institute Fellows Program and mentors other students through the LGBTQIA+ Peer Educator Program and the Lewis Center’s Student Peer Arts Advisors. He notes that a course in Asian American history with Professor Beth Lew-Williams ignited his passion for Asian American studies, and the performance course “Body and Object: Making Art that is both Sculpture and Dance,” co-taught by Martha Friedman and Susan Marshall, inspired him to imagine performance in his own terms.
The Donald G. Drapkin Theater Studio is located on the second floor of the Wallace Dance Building at the Lewis Arts complex. The CoLab is located in the Forum (street level), adjacent to the Lee Music Room at the Lewis Arts complex, 122 Alexander Street, Princeton. View map of Lewis Arts complex
View directions and campus maps, information on parking and public transit, and other venue information on our Venues & Directions page »
Learn about access information on our Accessibility page »
