Episode 57
What does it mean to be a woman born to two Taiwanese parents, growing up in Auckland and working as a musical director in London? Listen to Amy share her stories of her different identities intertwining with her passion for musical theater and interest in societal phenomena.
Transcripts of episode:
ENG / FR / DE / IT
Recommended sources:
On racism in the performing arts (centered around “Madame Butterfly” and “Miss Saigon”)
Al Jazeera English, “What’s being done to fix opera’s problem with anti-Asian racism?”, 2022. [a video interviewing three professionals in the US-American opera scene on the topic of racism towards Asian performing artists]
Time, “How an Asian American opera singer found her voice amid a reckoning with race,” 2022. [a video following the life of Nina Yoshida, a Japanese-American opera singer who has repeatedly been cast in “Madame Butterfly” and overlooked for other non-Asian specific roles]
Time Out, “Miss Saigon review,” 2023. [a review of Miss Saigon which contextualises the show with the modern eyes of “White privilege” and “male gaze”, as well as the responsibility of the ways in which the arts influence our zeitgeist and collective culture]
Oliver Mears, “Beyond black and yellow face: How opera can address prejudice,” The Guardian, June 14, 2022. [an article briefly outlining prevailing issues with Madama Butterfly and ways in which the community is seeking to address them]
Ralph Locke, Musical exoticism: Images and reflections, 2009. [a book providing various examples of musical exoticism in the context of Madame Butterfly]
Others
The Take, “The Lotus Blossom stereotype - Dangers of the Asian fetish,” 2021. [a video on the real-life implications of the “lotus blossom” stereotype, also known as “china doll” or “Geisha Girl”, in pop culture]
Amy Hsu [personal website]
