[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 100 (Thursday, July 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S8947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN THEATER FESTIVAL AND THE TOWN HALL MEETING ON THE 
                        PERFORMING ARTS AND RACE

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, in June 1997, President 
Clinton announced his Initiative on Race, One America in the 21st 
Century. His Initiative was created to encourage all Americans to work 
together in understanding and dealing with our racial differences. In 
the course of the past year, President Clinton has traveled around the 
country hosting several events to pursue these goals and foster a 
national dialogue on the subject. I am proud to tell you that West 
Virginia not only listened to President Clinton's announcement but 
answered his call to join him in taking action on this important 
effort.
  The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF), located in 
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, commissioned a play on Asian racism 
entitled Carry the Tiger to the Mountain, and Governor Cecil Underwood 
formed his own Initiative on Race, One West Virginia. Together, they 
planned a Town Hall Meeting on the Performing Arts and Race which was 
held this past weekend in Shepherdstown and will be broadcast by West 
Virginia Public Television this coming Thursday and Sunday.
  Over 300 people attended the afternoon performance of Tiger and the 
Town Hall Meeting which followed and was narrated by Kwame Holman, of 
The Newshour with Jim Lehrer. The panelists for the event included 
choreographer Garth Fagan, who recently won a Tony Award for The Lion 
King; Angelo Oh, a member of the President's Advisory Board on Race; 
Molly Smith, the Artistic Director of Arena Stage; George Takei, a 
theater and television actor from Star Trek; Helen Zia, contributing 
editor to Ms. Magazine; Christian McBride, a jazz artist and composer; 
Abel Lopez, president of Non-Traditional Casting Project; Dr. Simon 
Perry, a faculty member from Marshall University; and Liz Lerman, 
artistic director of Dance Exchange. The audience included local 
community members of various backgrounds, West Virginia NAACP 
activists, and over 100 members of the Organization of Chinese 
Americans. This impressive list of panelists and audience gathered in 
this small town and produced a level of dialogue on the arts and race 
to further enhance President Clinton's vision for One America.
  The afternoon discussion brought forth many ideas and questions in 
regard to the arts and race. The panelists discussed the role of the 
performing arts in society, how the depiction of minorities as 
stereotypes can further intensify racial misunderstandings, and how if 
we as a society would think of culture more than race, then perhaps we 
could succeed more. As George Takei mentioned, the performing arts are 
``a forum for understanding and communication.'' Yet so much depends on 
who does the articulating and who has access to the art being 
presented. In its most truthful essence, the arts can allow ``cultures 
to touch each other,'' as Molly Smith of Arena Stage pointed out. And 
if we can ``touch each other'' or understand each other, then we can 
begin easing the tensions that separate us.
  These are but a few of the ideas discussed in Shepherdstown at the 
Town Hall Meeting, but you can see the wealth of communication that 
transpired on the subject in just a few short hours. Imagine if a 
community in every state hosted a similar event to foster and promote 
honesty and understanding of our racial differences.
  I am very proud of my fellow West Virginians' efforts and success in 
answering President Clinton's challenge to work towards living as One 
America in the 21st Century. And I congratulate Ed Herendeen, the 
producing director of CATF, and Cherylene Lee, the playwright of this 
commissioned work, for bringing Carry the Tiger to the Mountain to West 
Virginia for its world premier season. CATF is dedicated to promoting 
live, provocative theater that challenges us to think about issues in 
our society, and once again it has achieved that goal.

                          ____________________