Ep 14 - Broadway's Desperate Need for Color

Shoes Off Inside with MKT (fka The May Lee Show)

New York's Broadway has been referred to as the Great White Way since the early 1900s because of the spectacle of bright lights and dazzling theatre marquees. But that term could also describe, quite literally, the dominance of shows that have been written and led by white playwrights, directors, composers and performers. Broadway is one of the final frontiers when it comes to more diverse representation, but change has been coming slowly but surely. Korean American composer, Helen Park, has helped shake things up in a very big and very flamboyant wave with her musical, KPOP, which had a run both off and on Broadway. The flashy musical was recently nominated for several Tony awards including best original score, one of the most competitive and coveted categories. Helen became the first Asian American female composer to ever be nominated for a Tony. Not bad for a girl who grew up in Korea thinking there was no entry into musical theatre because she didn't "fit" the standard...white, male, American. But she had a dream and some serious drive, which isn't letting up one bit with more projects in the pipeline. Oh, and she's still just 37 years old, married, and a mom of 2 young kids. How she does it, we have no idea!
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