Olivia Oguma is a multidisciplinary artist (and diehard Cirque du Soleil fan!) based in New York City. The daughter of a sushi chef and a ballerina, Oguma got her start at 6 years old on Sesame Street. Since then, she’s graced Broadway stages (Mamma Mia), originated the role of Kelsi Neilson in the first national tour of High School Musical, and worked on new works such as Snow Falling On Cedars,a stage version of the novel – and can now be seen in HAIR at Two River Theater as Jeanie and at Joe’s Pub hosting her Asian variety show, DiOrientalism, with Kate Rigg. When Oguma is not onstage, she sponsors a child through the Lelt Foundation, an organization that aids Ethiopian orphans founded by a Broadway pit musician (Anja Wood) that adopted an Ethiopian child. Her advice to young artists? “You need to decide what your definition of success is for yourself… sit down and say ‘I wanna be in the arts because I wanna tell stories.’” Read on to learn more about Olivia Oguma and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Tara Kostmayer is an actress (andSettlers of Catanmaster!) based in NYC. Initially a pre-med student interested in neuroscience at the University of California San Diego, it wasn’t until she joined a theatre club that landed Kostmayer in her first musical during her sophomore year. After booking the Disney Cruise Line as a MainStage performer, she decided to dedicate herself to a career in performance. Since then, her resume boasts credits such asA Chorus Lineat (NYCC Encores, theAladdinNational Tour,Chicagoat the MUNY, and currently Nessarose in Broadway’sWicked! Kostmayer’s advice to young artists? “... Take the opportunity to find what truly calls to you! You’ll have the most success doing what you love most and better to discover that as early as you can!” Read on to learn more about Tara Kostmayer and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Claire Chan is a violinist based in NYC. She also learned to play the viola at a summer music camp run by Joseph Fuchs. During audition preparation for her Master’s, she unknowingly was considered for a regional orchestra and received her first paid gig in New York! After attending The Juilliard School for her Master’s and Doctorate with her teacher, Joseph Fuchs, she went on to collaborate with the Harlem Chamber Players Quartet and play with Broadway’s revival ofSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Chan attended Brown, where she studied pre-med and majored in Neuroscience as an undergraduate, and has experience as a phlebotomist! Her advice to young artists? “Play for as many people as you can; go to them if they can’t come to you.” Read on to learn more about Claire Chan and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Erin Quill is a multidisciplinary artist with a love for shark documentaries. In another life, she might have been a marine biologist, but her path led her towards singing in middle school and pushed her to attend Carnegie Mellon for her BFA. Now, her resume boasts credits such asAvenue Q(original Broadway cast),Flower Drum Song(50th anniversary),Dave(an original musical), Netflix’sSack Lunch Bunchwith John Mulaney, and an episode ofLaw and Order SVU. She’s also contributed to the booksRISE(“a pop-culture history of Asian America from the 90s to now”), andTheatre Blogging: The Emergence of a Critical Culture, written the script for a comic book about the first Puerto Rican, superhero, La Boriqueña (RICANSTRUCTION), andis currently turning her short film,Queen Bessie’s Gal, into a possible feature or series. When she’s not immersed in creation, Quill can be found working with Pan Asian Rep Theater Company in NYC or supporting Broadway Cares/Equity FIghts AIDS and Desert AIDS Project. Her advice to young artists? “If you’re going into the arts, you have to be brave… don’t do it unless you cannot think of how else you are going to maneuver through life.”Read on to learn more about Erin Quill and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Jennifer Paz is a writer, mother, actress, and lyricist based in Los Angeles. She got her start starring as Kim in the first national tour ofMiss Saigon, and has since then lent her voice to Steven Universe, Steven Universe Future, and Steven Universe Movie Musical as Lapis Lazuli, joined Broadway’s company of Les Miserables,and performed in Cinderella, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Last Five Years, and Flower Drum Song – and became the executive producer of a single (and later music video) entitled “The Power of a Girl”! Now, Paz is working on the book and lyrics of Proud Marys, an original musical co-created with her husband, Anthony Fedorov and produced by Grammy Award winner Jeeve. When she’s not immersed in her art, she’s involved in the Mona Foundation (which “The Power of a Girl” was produced for!), an organization that educates girls and women in less fortunate communities worldwide. Her advice to young artists? “Trust your authentic voice and life experience… [and] have a sense of humor.” Read on to learn more about Jennifer Paz and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Sita Chay is a violinist, composer, and producer based in NYC. A chain reaction of events pushed her towards the Arts – watching a friend perform on Broadway led to her eventual Broadway orchestra career, which inspired her to take on other artistic projects outside the theatre, such asSaaWee, a “Korean Shaman Ritual for the modern global citizen,”Ritual of Le Sac, a “music-based storytelling [film] of baby’s mysterious life inside the womb,”Tokala, a celebration of tradition that “[brings] together Japanese and Korean folk, pop music, Eastern European and Middle Eastern music,” and Multidimensionally Human, “an initiative exploring psychotherapy’s “Internal Family Systems” through theater, music, dance, and art installation.” Chay is continually inspired by live art’s ability to evolve and breathe through mishaps and mistakes, and loves discovering friendships as she continues on her path. She advises young artists looking to discover their role in the arts to “carve out a practice that feels good” and let the rest follow. Read on to learn more about Sita Chay and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Sophie Lin is a multidisciplinary technician and artist based in New York City, with skills ranging from fabric painting to jewelry design and wig maintenance. She was called to art at the age of 9 after a spilled ice cream cone led to a sketching session that changed her perspective on life. When she saw her first theatrical production in 2016 at Taipei National University of Arts, she knew where her talents needed to be put to use and ended up studying at Purchase College for Costume Design/Technology. Post-graduation, she’s worked alongside Hochi Asiatico on Sweeney Todd and Hadestown for the distressing, and on Santa Fe Opera’s 2022 season (including Carmen, The Barber of Seville, Falstaff, Tristan und Isolde, and M. Butterfly) for an apprenticeship, and many more operative productions in between. Now, she’s touring with Into The Woods as the associate Wig Supervisor! Her advice to young artists? “ You need to be confident, stay calm, and bring joyful energy to the room! And never stop learning!” Read on to learn more about Sophie Lin and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Heather Makalani is an actress (and avid fisherwoman) based in NYC. Taking a Hula class at three years old led to a lifelong love for performance and storytelling (fueled also by watching Lizzie McGuire and Hannah Montana!), which brought her to study at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. One Bachelors of Arts in Musical Theatre and 21 countries later, she’s workshopped Betty Boop with Jerry Mitchell, performed in Rent, Emojiland (Kissy Face), and is currently working for the Mouse as Princess Jasmine in Broadway’s Aladdin! Offstage, she’s a huge advocate for Guam Animals in Need (GAIN), the shelter back home that gave her pup Lupa a forever home with her! Her advice to young artists? Keep other interests alive outside performance that ground you. “There will be a lot of highs and lows, so don’t let the anticipation of the lows steal the joy of the highs. Have other passions/hobbies that make you happy.”Read on to learn more aboutHeather Makalaniand what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Rumi Oyama is a multidisciplinary artist based (and ex-fortune teller!) in NYC. She got her start dancing at 15 years old in high school, taking up part-time jobs to support her dancing and singing lessons. After getting her B.A. in law, she went on to make her Broadway debut in Allegiance, starred in Running for Grace streaming on Amazon Prime, and is currently working on a new film, Spirit Box! In addition to performing, Oyama founded her own film company, Kuma Dakko Productions, to “unite people despite race, gender, class and sexual orientation.” Her advice to young artists? “Don't be afraid to be “you”. You don’t have to shape yourself to please other people.” Read on to learn more about Rumi Oyama and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Jessica Wang is a freelance musician based in NYC. She got her start from her mother at 4 years old with the piano, and picked up the cello at 6. However, music wasn’t always the path she envisioned – Wang also held an interest in psychology and therapy, and recieved her B.A. in Psychology from Harvard before realizing music was her true passion and obtaining her Masters in Music from Julliard. Her work includes playing on “the first North American tour of An American in Paris…Saturday Night Livewith musical guest Shawn Mendes, …Radio City Christmas SpectacularOrchestra… [and the] NYC premiere of the off-Broadway show "Between the Lines.” She also collaborates with her husband for Chips n Cellos (a chiptune music project)! Wang’s advice to young artists? “Work hard, show up prepared and be nice to everyone.” Read on to learn more about Jessica Wang and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Jeena Yi is an “actor, crafter, baker, and eater” based in NYC. She got her start interning at a theatre in L.A., where she came to realize how much she loved storytelling through her work. After moving to New York and getting her MFA at Columbia University, Yi saw a production at the Belasco Theatre that inspired her. Four years later, Yi made her Broadway debut in that very theatre inNetwork. You can also find her in popular TV series such asOnly Murders in the Building,Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,Succession, and soon to be in the filmNYADon Netflix andGood Enemyat the Minetta Lane Theatre! Offstage, she enjoys crafting and sewing, finding that creative outlets without the pressures of expectation or perfection help enrich and destress her. Yi’s advice to young artists? “No job is too small. Use every gig as an opportunity to work on your craft and watch your peers work. You can learn so much from each other and help one another.” Read on to learn more about Jeena Yi and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Sushma Saha is a singer, dancer, and performer based in New York City (with the same size hands as Michael Jackson and the ability to sing the alphabet backwards). Encouraged by her sister and mother to pursue musical theatre, Saha attended Ithaca College and got their start through the department’s email, which led to a casting call for the new musical Interstate by Melissa Li & Kit Yan at New York Musical Festival. Finding representation in that work, ze submitted and booked the show. Now, Saha’s credits include Girlfriend (the Matthew Sweet jukebox musical), The Wolves, and most recently Broadway’s revival of 1776! Offstage, she’s working on an EP (“This Isn’t About You”) to be released this summer and makes it her mission to “represent the underrepresented and to be a voice for the voiceless.” Her advice for young artists? “Making art for a living is a doozy because art is usually a source of joy and part of our identities . . . but you also gotta pay the bills, ya know? Just know there are going to be jobs you take to serve the former, jobs you take to serve the latter, and the lucky jobs you get that serve both purposes.” Read on to learn more about Sushma Saha and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Shannon Tyo is a performer based in New York City. Initially on-track to become a professional soccer player, a series of sports injuries became the deciding factor to pursue theatre at Syracuse University instead. Now, Tyo is a Lucille Lortel nominee in the category of “Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play” in the revival of The Chinese Lady at the Public Theatre! In her career, she’s found that collaboration and behind-the-table involvement have benefitted her most – collaboration allowing for expression of ideas in a room full of creatives, and acting as a reader opposite others in audition settings to help better her own audition technique. Offstage, Tyo serves as a member of Also-Known-As, an organization for adult international adoptees. As an adult transracial/transnational adoptee herself, the connections provided through them have both given her strength and put her in a position to build community with others. Her advice for young artists? “Other people’s successes are not your failures. You can root for other people while also rooting for yourself. Community makes this career path warmer. Read on to learn more about Shanon Tyo and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Grace Yoo is an actress (and Aries!) based in New York City. She went from putting on productions in her living room as a child to gracing the stages of the Hollywood Bowl (Into the Woods) and Broadway’s Walter Kerr theatre (Hadestown)! Her favorite credits also includeA Christmas Carolat the Ahmanson (which unfortunately didn’t reach Christmastime due to Covid), Sophie Sheridan inMamma Miaat East West Players, and Kei Kimura inAllegianceat SpeakEasy Stage. Offstage, she’s a certified barista and has completed a Master Chef course. She advises young artists to do their research on the business aspect of performing, and to get a head start on creating their Roth IRAs! After all, “starting up any business will always cost a lot of money, and a career in the arts is certainly not exempt from that!” Read on to learn more about Grace Yoo and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Yuka Tadano is a jazz artist based in NYC! Growing up in a musical family, she picked up the violin at the age of 6 and played duets with her twin sister. After rediscovering her love for music through the electric bass in high school, she went on to pursue music professionally and studied at the University of North Texas. Now, her resume boasts credits such asSmokey Joe's CafeRevival at Stage 42,The Lightning Thiefon Broadway, andTony and The Kiki, and has played Shanghai Concert Hall with her band (YT little d). She’s now involved withSuffs, a new show to be produced at The Public theatre! Her biggest takeaway as an artist? Knowing one’s limits to avoid burnout, and to “work hard, [and] treat yourself lovely.” Tadano advises young artists to research and network with the people they admire by “[seeing] their shows… [introducing] themselves… [asking] them to meet for coffee… [and asking] specific questions.” Read on to learn more about what makes Yuka Tadano an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
