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Workshop Home > Mission > President's Notes |
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Mission and History Mission | Notes from the President |
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Stephen Bai, WorkSHOP founder and president, discusses the nature of the organization
Oddly, what one does very infrequently as a filmmaker and director is actually direct, so what appealed to all of us when forming this group was the idea that we could ongoingly and on a weekly basis hone our crafts -- the craft of directing -- and in the process, get related to and work with actors from the Asian American acting community here in New York. We also saw the opportunity to receive feedback and criticism from one another, from a group of peers -- to be in discussion, inquiry, and collaboration with other directors -- and to do so in a rigorous yet supportive environment that WE could create and have evolve to suit our needs. Despite the fact that we may have previously viewed each other as competitors fighting over the same small piece of the pie (the same 4 percent of the American public), and despite unique sensibilities, varied approaches and methods, and different personalities, we shared a commitment to doing outstanding work. We all came in with the belief that if we in fact create great work -- work marked by excellence in writing, acting, and directing, work that challenges, entertains, and moves, the audience for films with Asian American characters and dealing with Asian American themes will be strengthened and that the desire that exists to see more truthful stories by and about Asian Americans will increase. The reason the Workshop has been successful up to this point has been due to the fact that it was formed in the spirit of collaboration, every member has contributed significantly and in almost equal measure to the Workshop, not only with their energy, creativity, and dedication, but with their unique sensibilities and strengths so that the sum of it makes up something slightly greater than each of the individual parts. |