As Boston’s 2023-24 theater season unfolds, the representation of Asian-American voices on major stages remains notably limited. Across a broad range of prominent venues in Boston and the surrounding region, productions specifically centered on Asian-American life or history are absent from the schedules.
Among key theaters such as American Repertory Theater, Huntington Theatre Company, Emerson Colonial Theatre, Boch Center’s Wang and Shubert Theatres, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Lyric Stage Boston, Charles Playhouse, and artsEmerson’s multiple venues, no works focusing explicitly on Asian-American experiences are programmed this season. Smaller theaters in the Greater Boston area, including Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Greater Boston Stage Company, umbrella Stage Company, Apollinaire Theatre Company, and Actors’ Shakespeare Project, also lack such programming. Summer venues like North Shore Music Theatre and Gloucester Stage Company followed suit. In the Berkshires, theaters including Berkshire Theatre Group, Barrington Stage Company, and Shakespeare & Company similarly show no Asian-American focused productions, while the Williamstown Theatre Festival canceled its 2026 season as it undergoes restructuring.
One of the few high-profile offerings with Asian thematic elements is “Maybe Happy Ending,” a Tony-winning musical slated for presentation by Broadway in Boston at Citizens Opera House. Lyric Stage includes “King James” by Rajiv Joseph, a playwright of Indian descent; however, this play centers on the friendship between a young Black man and a white man united by their admiration for basketball star LeBron James, rather than on Asian-American themes. The Wang Theatre will host Shen Yun’s classical Chinese dance production, which primarily reflects traditional Chinese culture rather than Asian-American narratives.
Smaller Boston theaters provide some counterbalance. ChuanG Stage, an Asian-American organization dedicated to uplifting Asian-American stories, is staging Alex Lin’s “Laowang,” which explores the transformation of American Chinatowns through the struggles of a family resisting gentrification. The company is also running “The Sitayana,” a female-centered retelling of the epic “Ramayana.” Company One Theatre, which has previously collaborated with ChuanG Stage on productions highlighting Filipino-American experiences, has yet to finalize its upcoming season’s lineup. Boston Playwrights’ Theatre will present Yide Cai’s “White Phoenix” in November, examining the reunion of siblings separated between China and the United States. Additionally, the Front Porch Arts Collective and Central Square Theater will feature Asian-American immigrant worker stories in their spring production of “Working.”
Looking ahead, the Multicultural Arts Center plans a January staging of “Barbed Wire,” a play by Japanese-American Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro and Black playwright Mary E. McCullough about a friendship forged in a World War II internment camp. February’s Wheelock Family Theatre production of “When You Trap a Tiger” will present a Korean-American family’s story blending myth and memory.
Despite these efforts, audiences at these smaller venues are generally considerably smaller than those of the city’s major theaters. Theater advocates in Boston highlight a significant need for greater inclusion of Asian-American narratives, recommending strategies such as dedicated festivals showcasing Asian-American playwrights; concentrated seasons anchored in works by prominent Asian-American writers like Lauren Yee, David Henry Hwang, and Young Jean Lee; and increased commissioning of new plays reflecting Asian-American histories and experiences.
Collaboration opportunities with companies like ChuanG Stage are also emphasized, as is a need for more Asian-American artistic directors in leadership roles capable of shaping inclusive programming. Representatives at the Huntington Theatre noted ongoing development of new works by Korean-American Lloyd Suh and Indian-American Mahira Kakkar, though these productions are not expected before mid-2026.
The prevailing consensus among advocates is that Boston-area theaters must more intentionally address this underrepresented community to foster diversity and broaden the cultural narratives presented on their stages.