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Tim Dang is the producing artistic director of East West Players, an Asian American theater organization based in Los Angeles, CA. He also guest starred in Season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, playing Yon Rha, the Fire Nation soldier who killed Katara and Sokka’s mother, in the episode The Southern Raiders.

Racebending.com had the opportunity to interview Dang about his work with East West Players, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the 1990 Miss Saigon protests, and Asian American acting now and in the future.

The nation’s premier Asian American theater organization, East West Players was co-founded in 1965 by seven Asian American actors, including two actors who would eventually work on Avatar: The Last Airbender— late actor Mako Iwamatsu (Uncle Iroh) and James Hong (Mayor Tong). Several EWP alumni like Dante Basco (Prince Zuko), George Takei, and Daniel Dae Kim also voiced characters in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A writer, actor, and director, Tim Dang has been with East West Players since 1980 and has served as the Players’ artistic director since 1993.

NOTE: The opinions espoused by the interviewees represent their viewpoints alone, and do not necessarily represent the views held by the staff of racebending.com

RACEBENDING.COM Please tell us about East West Players and the work that they do.

TIM DANG: East West Players has been giving opportunities to Asian American artists both on-stage and behind the scenes since our founding in 1965. We provide access to an entertainment medium that has not fairly and accurately represented the Asian American experience on stage, on film and TV. With the world becoming more and more global, our work raising the visibility of the Asian Pacific artists and the Asian Pacific experience has seen a growth on the American landscape. But there is still a lot of work to be done.

RACEBENDING.COM: How has your work with East West Players affected your perception of Asian American strides in performing, creating, and promoting television, film, and other visual arts?

TIM DANG: We are proud to say that over 3,000 Asian American artists have come through our doors since our founding in 1965. Chances are, if you see an Asian American on film or TV and definitely on the stage, that performer has had some relationship with East West Players.

I would estimate about 75% of [Asian American] actors have come through our doors. But with more Asian Pacifics going into the industry through many streams of training, we welcome the expanding group of Asian Pacific artists coming to Hollywood, New York and other culturally rich environments.

RACEBENDING.COM: What are your hopes for the future of Asian Americans in Hollywood and the entertainment industry at large? What should artists do?

TIM DANG: It is great to see much more opportunity for Asian Pacific artists in Hollywood. It is better to see more Asian Pacific writers, directors, producers being more creatively involved. They have the ability to hire more Asian Americans. Especially when there are Asian American producers, they can create more works about the Asian Pacific experience or a more diverse experience.

Like all artists, the Asian American artist has to be prepared when their time comes and when opportunity knocks. They need to train extensively in their craft – continuously, they need to know the business of acting and they need to be involved/knowledgeable in everything. They need to do their homework.

This could mean learning an authentic accent–even British or Australian since there are many Asians who live there–physical skills–horseback riding, riding a bicycle, playing football and even martial arts–as well as cultural, behavioral skills. It’s important to be exposed to all of these things.

RACEBENDING.COM What should advocacy groups do? What can consumers do to help achieve this ideal vision?

TIM DANG: This is an unofficial way of thinking, but I believe that through social media, we can organize quicker and we can advocate as a group with a click of an email. We can let studios or producers know how we feel about something.

But we should also be smart with what platform you will focus on and what you are willing to let go of. The world is full of compromises and there is a balance that is maintained.

Only time will help aid the evolution of the process. Things don’t happen fast enough but they will happen. It is the groundwork that is laid down now that will have its effect years from now.

Imagine if the work that EWP has been doing the past 44 years had never been done? The path would be a lot more challenging. And because of the advocacy done on The Last Airbender, more people are aware of the issue and the next time this issue happens, the activism will be much stronger.

A 1989 news interview with Jonathan Pryce and Lea Salonga on Miss Saigon, where Pryce pulls back his eyes when asked about playing an Asian character.

RACEBENDING.cOM:The protest against “racebending” in the musical Miss Saigon took place twenty years ago–before many The Last Airbender protestors were even born. What inspired you to join the Miss Saigon protest?

TIM DANG: As a performer, I had always wondered why the King in the musical The King and I was always played by a Caucasian actor.

Yul Brynner in The King and I (1965) released the same year East West Players was formed.

TIM DANG: When Miss Saigon came along, if we permitted one more Asian role to be lost to someone non-Asian, there would be another generation of “yellowface” happening to another hit musical and less opportunities to be played by an Asian American lead. It was time to stop this process.

Miss Saigon was that moment in time a large group advocated for change in casting practices that were discriminatory to Asian Americans. Imagine what could have been done if we had email way back then!

Protesters at the Miss Saigon Broadway premiere in 1991.

RACEBENDING.COM What lessons learned from the Miss Saigon protest might apply to protests against discrimination in casting today?

TIM DANG: The lessons learned was that we empowered ourselves and that our voice could be heard. We paved the way so that Miss Saigon’s role of the Engineer, as far as I know, has always been played by a person with Asian ethnicity since Jonathan Pryce played him in London and Broadway. And Miss Saigon gives opportunities to many Asian American performers.

Since 1994, Filipino actor Leo Valdez has played the role of the Engineer over 1000 times, including on tour in Manila, Hong Kong, Sydney, London, and Singapore.

TIM DANG: Now, the content of Miss Saigon can also be another topic of debate but again we pick and choose our battles one subject at a time.

RACEBENDING.COM: Many of our readers are huge fans of Mako Iwamatsu, who played the voice of Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Mako also advocated for roles for Asian American actors and played a significant role in the creation and legacy of East West Players.

Mako Iwamatsu (Iroh)

RACEBENDING.COM: What was it like to work with Mako as one of your mentors? Did he share any views with you about Asian American representation in the arts and film industry?

TIM DANG: I remember the first conversation I had with Mako when I came to East West Players at the age of 21. He asked if I really wanted to be an actor and whether I had the passion and commitment to be in this business.

He said if there is anything else that I could do to make a living at, that I should do it. He told me it was going to be tough, opportunities were going to be few and that only a few will survive.

Well, I’m glad I’m still in the biz after 30 years.

RACEBENDING.COM: Common excuses that we’ve heard for not casting Asian American talent include that few Asian Americans are interested in being actors. Based on your own experiences, have you found this to be true?

TIM DANG: All I can say from the number of Asian American artists who come to East West Players to audition, to take classes and to find out how to get into the business, is that the Asian American artist community grows every year. More of them are in college/university theater/film programs, many are involved with the approximately 55 Asian American theaters around the nation as well as non-Asian specific theaters around the country.

RACEBENDING.COM: What about the excuse that Asians Americans who are actors lack talent and professional experience?

TIM DANG: Everyone needs training. There are just as many if not more non-Asian actors that lack talent and professional training.

If you–the casting director, or producer, or studio–do your homework and actually search for the right actor, you will find them. There is no excuse for inaccurately depicting a culture or a community.

If you–the casting director, or producer, or studio–do your homework and actually search for the right actor, you will find them. There is no excuse for inaccurately depicting a culture or a community.

RACEBENDING.COM Inquiring fans want to know: What was your experience like when you guest starred on Avatar: The Last Airbender? You played the character of Yon Rha, a retired Fire Nation soldier who years ago murdered the mother of the heroine, Katara.

TIM DANG: One of the more interesting parts of doing voiceover work is that you may be the only actor in the room and you are performing the scene with the director who is also describing to you what is happening in the script. They are also telling you the kind of emotion that you may be feeling. My job as an actor is to do it at least three different ways since we’ll do each scene at least three times and sometimes 10 times.

Tim Dang’s character, Yon Rha, a retired Fire Nation soldier–former leader of the Southern Raiders.

TIM DANG: At the end of the day, the director and writer have all these choices of how to play the scene with the different reactions I have given. So it’s always surprising to see which line reading is eventually chosen for the episode.

RACEBENDING.COM: Was it challenging to play such a controversial character?

TIM DANG: I remember my character being remorseful, and crying a lot so that my character did not lose face and still had a degree of integrity.

Yon Rha: I did a bad thing. I know I did and you deserve revenge.
So why don’t you take my Mother? That would be fair! Please spare me!

TIM DANG: It wasn’t so much challenging playing a controversial character as it was trying to bring up all the emotions without anyone to act with, while the director is describing the scene.

Racebending.com would like to thank Mr. Tim Dang for this interview!

For more information about East West Players, visit their website at www.eastwestplayers.org and read our spotlight article!
To learn more about Mako, click here to read Racebending.com’s feature article.
Which other East West Players alumni have starred on Avatar: The Last Airbender? Check out our list!

Categories: Interviews
Tags: asian americana, east west players