Naatco.org
Title
The National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) - New York, NY
Description
NAATCO's Mission Statement
The National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO), a tax-exempt (501(c)3) organization, was founded in 1989 by Richard Eng and Mia Katigbak to: promote and support Asian American actors, directors, designers, and technicians through the performance of European and American classical and contemporary works; actively develop an Asian American audience and encourage Asian Americans to become a significant part of a more diverse audience in American theatre; cultivate in non-Asian Americans an appreciation of Asian American contributions to the development of theatre arts in America today.
NAATCO performs this chosen repertory as written, with no forced Asian cultural associations. The repertory's importance comes not only through the valuable training it provides for theatrical craft, but also from its ability to reach across ethnic boundaries to illuminate abiding characteristics of human nature.
The superimposition of our Asian faces on a non-Asian repertory, interpreted by artists using diverse and truly universal references to serve the text very faithfully, reflects and emphasizes the kinship among disparate cultures. We do not say we are all the same, we say that we have quite large areas of understanding. We also say that affirmations of timeless values and new insights about old works can come from unexpected faces.
