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Founded in 1997 by actor/singer Welly Yang and other Asian American Broadway performers, Second Generation is a non-profit theater company dedicated to bringing world-class Asian American stories to the world's stage. The company is committed to promoting excellence in the arts as a vehicle for celebrating our human commonality and bridging cultural understanding. At the core of the company's work is a belief that the arts have a profound ability to touch people, and that we have the responsibility to use that power to affect social and artistic progress. By infusing America's cultural life with the vitality of Asian American artists, Second Generation continues to enrich and diversify the cultural landscape of America. We are committed to:
- Creating contemporary, world-class Asian American theatre that reaches across cultural, generational, and racial boundaries
- Sharing our stories with the widest possible audience through popular theatre forms, such as the American musical, and performances on New York, national, and international stages
- Motivating audiences through the use of positive role models and inspirational images
- Cultivating a vibrant community of writers, actors, musicians, directors, and producers of the highest professional standards
Second Generation's performances have been hailed by the national and international media alike. NBC's Today in New York hailed the company as "making American history," Far Eastern Economic Review affirmed its work as "a powerful addition to mainstream America's vision of itself," and The New York Times has called the company "hopeful," "energetic," and promising."
Second Generation and Founder/Artistic Director Welly Yang have been recognized by several artistic and community organizations for their contributions to America's cultural life. These include a commendation from the National Arts Club (1997), A. Magazine's "Hottest Entrepreneurs Under 30" (1998), the Organization of Chinese Americans' Cultural Award (2001), and CBS Television's "Fulfilling the Dream" Award (2000), in recognition of those who have furthered the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
PRODUCTIONS
The company first burst onto the nation's stage with its acclaimed Off-Broadway musical Making Tracks in 1999. The show has continued to grow and develop over the past few years with productions throughout the U.S. and Taiwan. Most recently, Making Tracks completed a record-breaking two-month run in Seattle from March-May of 2002 at the Village Theatre. In the winter of 2002-2003, Second Generation will unveil its exclusive musical adaptation of Ang Lee's award-winning film The Wedding Banquet in Taipei, Singapore, and Hawaii, with plans to bring it back to the U.S. soon afterwards.
Second Generation's other large-scale production is the Concert of Excellence presented by Remy Martin. The concert features Second Generation's acclaimed Broadway performers and honors Asian artists who have crossed cultural, generational, and racial boundaries through their artistic excellence. The 3rd Annual Concert of Excellence is scheduled to be at the New York State Theater on November 3rd.
The company offers free, public performances of original works as part of an ongoing In the Works reading series often at the Joseph Papp Public Theater and New York Theater Workshop. Second Generation also produces cabaret performances in venues throughout New York City, including the recent I Enjoy Being A Girl. Second Generation's concert's and cabarets have been seen at numerous campuses across the country, including Columbia University, Harvard University, Dartmouth University, University of Delaware, Pace University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, among others. Second Generation continues to reach out to the nation's youth through its continued college tours.