The Democracy Center presents two solo shows that explore what happens when two Asian American performers fall deeply in love with Western mediums—movies and opera—they discover that they both may be in too deep.
Bee Vang’s Your Movie Guide to Life delves into an actor’s existential journey through cinema, Hmong history, his antiwar activism, and his role in Clint Eastwood’s film, Gran Torino. Kurt Kanazawa’s L’Opera! explores what happens when a fun-loving Japanese and Filipino American opera singer is accepted into The Juilliard School loses his voice.
Doors open at 7 p.m.
Bios
Kurt Kanazawa
Kurt Kanazawa is an award-winning actor, opera singer, and playwright who has appeared on major Asian American stages like East West Players and Off-Broadway at Pan Asian Repertory. His television and film credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Bosch: Legacy, The Lincoln Lawyer, A Life in Pieces: The Diary and Letters of Stanley Hayami, and No No Girl. He earned his BA from Columbia University and is currently pursuing his MFA in Acting at UC Irvine.
Bee Vang
Bee Vang landed the leading Hmong American role of Thao Vang Lor in Clint Eastwood’s film, Gran Torino. He went on to perform in independent films and on stage at Brown University, where he earned a liberal arts degree in international politics, philosophy, and cultural theory in 2016. Over several years of working in broadcast and print journalism, nonfiction writing, and policy research, he has continued to pursue acting, filmmaking, and other creative work in Los Angeles and Minnesota. He is currently the inaugural artistic director of the Minnesota Asian American Film Festival.