When Vincent Bantasan grew up in Los Angeles, it took his family a while to understand his interest in the arts. His parents refused to buy him a drum set or turntable, nudging him toward pursuing a career in healthcare, he said. Bantasan turned to online forums and began beatboxing in 2001, opening himself up to music genres such as hip-hop, disco and funk.
Bantasan — who now lives in Seattle and goes by Beatbox Panda onstage — is performing at the first Summer Asian ArtsFest, a celebration of local Asian American performing artists running June 16-20 at Theatre Off Jackson in the Chinatown International District. The lineup features more than 30 artists in disciplines from music, drama and stand-up comedy to dance, improv and musical theater.
The festival emerged from previous community night events hosted by Pork Filled Productions, an Asian American theater company that also organized ArtsFest. At those community night events, audience members pay what they can to watch an evening of performances, said senior producer Kendall Uyeji. ArtsFest will be Pork Filled Productions’ first showcase lasting several days and also follows the “pay what you can” model, which was made possible due to 4Culture — King County’s cultural funding agency — and a grant from CID Visioning Group.
ArtsFest exists to further uplift Asian American artists “who want to be seen and heard,” said Matt Dela Cruz, a senior producer with Pork Filled Productions. Asian Americans make up nearly 25% of King County’s population, according to U.S. census data, yet they rarely appear in mainstream theater productions, said Dela Cruz, who started in the industry more than 15 years ago.
“It gives a sense of community, and it gives a sense of pride for artists who want to show off their craft, especially who they are as people,” Dela Cruz said.
Each night will have a specific focus, with performances lasting from 7:30 p.m. to about 10 p.m., said Dela Cruz, who is organizing the music night on June 19. June 16 will include a screening of Nabra Nelson’s new play “What to Expect,” directed by Alanah Pascual. June 17 will be open mic night — online sign-ups begin Wednesday — and stand-up comedians and improv troupe Joy Market will perform at comedy night on June 18. The festival closes June 20 with a musical theater cabaret, putting artists who don’t often get main roles in the spotlight, Uyeji said.
Cindy Su, a mental health therapist by day and comedian by night, will be sharing a short set on June 18 based on the culture clashes she experienced while living in the U.S. as an immigrant from Taiwan.
“Comedy is the one thing that brings people together,” Su said. “It doesn’t matter your background or where you come from or your life experiences. Comedy and laughter is that one common thread that we all share.”
Bantasan said his set on June 19 will center on contemporary electronic music, where he’ll mix in drum solos and beatbox without a backing track. When the crowd at Theatre Off Jackson watches him onstage, Bantasan hopes he can encourage them to also break away from any expectations placed on them.
“Having control of the microphone, having control of the crowd, doesn’t translate just to beatboxing,” Bantasan said. “Whether you’re a public speaker, it might instill some courage to get up and try something new and show that, ‘Oh, my fellow Filipino American is up there doing this. I’ll probably give it a shot, too. He’s not scared.’”
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