Fever
An interactive community space focused on Asian Pacific Islander diaspora healing to address the year of escalated anti-Asian sentiment leading to the Atlanta massacre and other violent attacks
Set on May 21 at 7pm PDT, the digital gathering will include a showing of Fever, a self-guided walk through of resources to support the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community, and affinity spaces for API individuals facilitated by Bay Area psychologist and writer Dr. Vickie Ya Rong Chang.
Created by Ryan Takemiya and Sharon Shao, Fever showcases two friends facing the anxiety of the pandemic and public spaces amidst the accelerated rise of anti-Asian sentiment starting 2020.
Artists & Facilitators
Ryan Takemiya (he/him) is a native Bay Area actor, writer, public speaker, and community organizer. A former member of the Ragged Wing Ensemble of Oakland, he has also appeared in numerous productions around the Bay Area, including the world premier of Valley of the Heart by Luis Valdez at the San Jose Stage. As a member of The Forum Collective, he seeks to use theater to center POC and other historically marginalized narratives. For more background on him, visit www.ryantakemiya.com.
Sharon Shao (she/her) is a Bay Area native actor, teaching artist, and musician. She holds a double B.A. in Theatre Arts and Psychology from UC Santa Cruz. Her favorite local credits include Good Person of Szechwan (CalShakes), Hamlet (Ubuntu Theater Project), Iron Shoes (Shotgun Players), and UTOPIA (CuttingBall Theater), her first virtual theater premiere during Covid-19. Aside from acting, Sharon is passionate about her SoulTalk Collective, an interdisciplinary troupe that gathers artists to meet and inspire personal and collective transformation. She delights in creating original work with The Forum Collective in Oakland, devising, performing, and directing work that integrates theater and journalism. For more background on her, visit sharonshao.biz
The second daughter of Chinese immigrants, Dr. Vickie Ya Rong Chang (she/her) was born and raised in the SF Bay Area on unceded Ohlone land. In her work as a psychologist, writer, and group facilitator, she is committed to personal = collective liberation. She is strengthened by her connection to Chinese ancestral practices and her relationship with the land, culture, and people of the holy hill Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, India; the Divine Buddha Temple in Taiwan; and the Sangre de Cristo mountains, first settled by the Pueblo peoples, the Ute, the Jicarilla Apache, and known by the Navajo/Diné. For more background on her, see www.vickiechangphd.com.
Videos, Articles & Previous Work
The Forum Collective has focused on discussing anti-Asian sentiment & the API identity for over the past year. For the November 2020 premiere of Fever, Artistic & Editorial Director facilitated a post-show panel with devisers Sharon Shao and Ryan Takemiya as well as activist & poet Lauren Ito and psychologist & writer Dr. Vickie Chang.
Part of the research behind the piece, Rea interviewed four API activists & psychologists including Dr. Connie Wun, Dr. Jean-Arellia Tolentino, Ito, and Dr. Chang The Forum Collective recently held a digital gathering part of its Winter Fundraising drive. During the meet-up, Rea (African-American & Filipino) and Takemiya (Chinese & Japanese) discussed AAPI & Black Solidarity, Fever, and producing work as opposed to producing solidarity statements.
The Forum Collective recently held a digital gathering part of its Winter Fundraising drive. During the meet-up, Rea (African-American & Filipino) and Takemiya (Chinese & Japanese) discussed API & Black Solidarity, Fever, and producing work as opposed to producing solidarity statements.