Julie Cortez: Freda, how does combining CAATA's ConFest and OSF’s CultureFest fit within the scope and mission of your work to develop new audiences here at the Festival?

Freda Casillas: It’s an embodiment of how OSF wants to reflect inclusion. We’ve had CultureFest [a celebration of multiethnic heritage held every other year] here four times, and internally at OSF the response the first time was, “Oh, that will be exciting and fun, but why are we doing it? What is it going to build?” We saw that it builds audiences and a real sense of what a festival is. It really does build community, because there were so many people who might never have come to OSF but would attend a big spectacle. I think internally what it built was excitement about what Audience Development really does, excitement for what inclusion means, excitement about getting to talk to someone from a different ethnic background you’ve never talked to before, and seeing that all communities have an appreciation for art, all communities can participate, all communities want to participate.

Leslie Ishii: I thought it was really exciting when we figured out that the dates for ConFest would fall during CultureFest. That was just perfect synergy. I can’t tell you what a gift it is.

FC: I started having a dialogue with the leaders of OSF a couple of years ago, because I wanted to discontinue CultureFest. CultureFest should really happen every day, every week, every month. It shouldn’t be an every-other-year-spectacle for us. We have committed to inclusion in our workplace and our audience, we have committed to inclusion in storytelling, so why aren’t we doing that? And at that same time, Sharifa [Johka, OSF’s manager of FAIR—Fellowships, Assistantships, Internships, Residencies] and Leslie [who launched API 2x2, the Asian Pacific Islander New Works Lab at OSF following her two years as a FAIR assistant director] came to me with the idea of partnering with CAATA. I thought, “Yes, absolutely, let’s do this.” I was open to a new model, and from now on, when we do CultureFest, it really needs to include a national partner that is involving us in innovative actions in inclusion in theatre and the arts.

LI: Our relationship as it grows has been groundbreaking. This is historical. That the Fifth National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival will be hosted by OSF came about because of the support of Tim Dang, who is on CAATA’s Board of Directors; Freda; Sharifa and the FAIR program; and eventually, Lue Douthit in the Literary Department. This is the first time we’re at a non-Asian, non-board–member community and organization, and certainly this is the first time we’re at a much larger-resourced theatre.

That was met with a little skepticism. We know historically theatres of color have been under-resourced. We also have a history of theatres of color co-producing with historically white-run organizations and often coming out on the short end of the deal. You would think it would help us grow and be more robust, but it actually has left us more depleted. We have been an alibi for organizations to be called "diverse."

But during our first site visit to OSF, I heard the words “social justice” used for the first time in a large company meeting at a regional theatre, and I thought, okay, they’re starting to move toward [not making] us an alibi. They’re getting committed to us really being here and saying, “This is for the long haul. The American fabric is changing, the population is changing, and we need to go with that. It’s taking some time to get there, but we’re committed to seeing that through.”

What have been some of the challenges of bringing ConFest here?

LI: In the process of getting to know OSF and OSF getting to know us, we’ve started to build some trust that we can remain empowered and communicative about what we really need. For example, because OSF has a particular time frame and so many shows to produce, deadlines are set [for finalizing conference plans]. Being under-resourced, we just can’t meet those deadlines. So we know it’s probably stressful for OSF, but hopefully it means OSF is also finding the humanity and bandwidth to go, “Oh, this is what it means to support a community of color.” It’s been really inspiring to see that the rhythms in which we need to work as a Pan-Asian cultural organization and OSF’s rhythms are coming together, and we’re working it out. To me that’s a piece of systemic change.

FC: At OSF, we are a big machine, and we’ve had to pause that big machine as we honor and host the volunteer board of CAATA, who represent an ethnic-specific community with an intention to create seismic shifts. It’s building a change in the American theatre, right?

LI: Yes, thank you, that’s our theme: Leading Seismic Shifts, Leading Change in the American Theater.

FC: It’s a very interesting project that really will also lead to a change at OSF, because we will have standing in the relationships that we’re building. That allows us to then have a conversation with new audiences, invite them here, and create an authentic relationship. They will know that they mean something to us, in terms of social justice as well as art and wanting them to be part of our core audience.

What should attendees expect from the weeklong celebration?

LI: I’m really looking forward to some inspiring Asian-heritage keynote speakers, breakout sessions, workshops and new play readings we want to share. And of course, that’s the conference part. For the festival, we’ve selected six theatrical pieces to showcase Pan Asian/Pacific Islander talent that will run in repertory alongside the OSF season. We have three evenings where Pan Asian/Pacific Islander talent will also be featured in the Green Show, and you don’t want to miss the parties. We’ll have receptions, and of course happy hours, time to just hang out and get to know people and expand your own network, your own circle of relationships. [Full schedule is to be announced. Sign up for updates here.]

FC: And on Oct. 9, with Oregon Humanities [an independent nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities], we’ll host author Héctor Tobar—who is an ongoing OSF patron—along with Playwright-in-Residence Luis Alfaro and a guest from CAATA. They'll speak in Carpenter Hall about Héctor’s new book and about the 2017 production of Luis’ play Mojada.

What does this partnership mean to you both personally, as artists and as activists? 

LI: It’s everything to me because of the activism marrying with the art and bringing the artists into these spaces and communities. It’s further establishing Pan Asian/Pacific Islanders in the American theatre fabric. I get up every morning for that. The fact that we can tell and share more stories—like Vietgone and The Winter’s Tale—humanizes us. Just to recognize yourself onstage is huge. It affirms you have a place in the world.

FC: I honor my parents and grandparents, who taught me that theatre is social justice. I also honor Leslie and Sharifa, who are social activists and artists. And I’m really happy that this is happening here at OSF and that it involves so much of Sharifa’s program with FAIR, so much of my program with Cultural Connections, and building a team with CAATA and with multicultural audiences.

LI: Oppressive patterns would keep us apart, isolate us from each other. But we really have built a coalition, and that leadership is rippling out. But it’s a real feat to keep our alliances growing, building deeper and deeper, so that we can do bigger and bigger things, make bigger and bigger change. And that’s a model of what we’re hoping will happen throughout the CAATA ConFest, but certainly I think the FAIR program embodies that, everything Freda is doing in Audience Development embodies that. There’s a history of African-American, Asian-American and Latino/a communities being pitted against each other, and we absolutely work against that.

FC: And that definitely goes for everything that Leslie is trying to do right now in inviting different ethnic-specific communities to the conference. It is an Asian conference that welcomes all other ethnicities to participate. We also welcome anyone who has never been to OSF or has never been to theatre. We’re hosting specials for groups as well, and really encouraging multicultural groups to join us. The way we’re planning and anticipating registrants, attendees and audience members, it might be one of the largest national theatre convenings curated by people of color.

What is your message to patrons who do not identify as people of color but who are interested in taking part in ConFest/CultureFest?

LI: Oh, you must come! This is for everyone. As we create seismic shifts, we’ll all be moving together, celebrating the art. Where we create together, we celebrate our humanity—and everyone’s invited. And that really means everyone. It’s a tremendous place to become an ally.