Online April 18 1 – 3 PM EDT
Join 7 Stages for a special virtual conversation with Skye Passmore, Michelle Pokopac, Amee Vyas, Jack Ha and Associate Artistic Director Marium Khalid about the resilience and multifacetedness of the local AAPI artistic community, the reverberations of recent events, combatting Anti-Asian/American and xenophobic sentiment, and the Atlanta art scene’s relationship to social justice and politics.
Amee Vyas has been a fixture of Atlanta theater for 18 years, and a mainstay of Atlanta’s only year-round Shakespeare repertory ensemble, the Atlanta Shakespeare Company (ASC), for 16 years. While at ASC, she earned her Actors Equity card playing Viola in Twelfth Night; becoming the area’s first, and for a time only, Asian-Indian actress to join the professional union. Recently, Ms. Vyas was the Seattle-based Fern Shakespeare Company’s first resident guest director, where she directed Othello. Continuing a list of firsts, she co-founded East by Southeast, the only arts festival in the southeast to feature work by and of American artists of Asian-descent. The festival, like Ms. Vyas’ work on-stage, exemplifies her personal mission to defy traditional casting and produce stories that transcend color and gender.
Skye Passmore is an Atlanta-based actor, playwright and activist of Filipino descent. As a theatre actor he has been seen on the stages of Actor’s Express, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, Shakespeare On Draught, Serenbe Playhouse, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, and Warehouse Theatre. On camera he has had roles on “Star” (FOX) and several web series including the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons comedy “The Campaign.” As a playwright his work has been presented at Actor’s Express, Horizon Theatre Company, East by Southeast, and the upcoming Alliance Theatre’s Reiser Artist Lab.
Michelle Pokopac (she/her/hers) is an actor in both theatre and film based in Atlanta. In 2017, Michelle and her partners founded East by Southeast, an organization dedicated to supporting and developing local Asian artists. She is also a member of the group IDEA ATL (Inclusion, diversity, and equity in the arts of Atlanta), in response to the social and racial injustices brought forth from the theatre community of Atlanta.
Jack Ha is a native to Atlanta and is a graduate from Georgia State University. He is one of the co-founding partners with East by Southeast working on graphic designs and community artist outreach. He freelance on film productions through various departments from production assistant, production coordinating, casting, and grip. When he is not working behind the scenes, he is also an on-camera actor and stage performer and is represented by Houghton Talent.
Marium Khalid is a Pakistani-Kashmiri American writer, director and creator leading her companies SAiAH Arts and Sky Creature Productions to receive over 25 major awards. She recently joined 7 Stages as an Associate Artistic Director. Her previous work includes TERMINUS, an award winning immersive multi-layered story, and an experiential retelling of Moby Dick, winning her Best Director and Best Show. She received the CREATIVITY AND ARTS IMPACT AWARD from Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts. Most recently her short film MAZLOOM, was awarded Best Director, Best Film, and Best Actress from major film festivals as well as receiving official selections from others including the Atlanta Women’s Film Festival and the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival.
