For this winter's Asian Culture Night taking place on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Collis Common Ground the Dartmouth Asian Organization will present a spoof on "The Wizard of Oz" that explores the effect of Asian stereotypes on Dartmouth students. According to DAO organizers, the play titled "The Kim of Oz," in reference to College President Jim Yong Kim uses light-hearted fun to provide a powerful message about identity.
The play, billed as "an original musical with no original music" by the event organizers, brings the story of "The Wizard of the Oz" to the Dartmouth campus. Borrowing songs and other elements from the musicals "Wicked" and "The Wiz," the play written by Culture Night co-chair Danny Freeman '13 chronicles the experiences of Dorothy, a high school student from Asia whose dream is to attend Dartmouth.
After Dorothy is waitlisted by the College, a pile of books falls on her head and she is magically transported to the United States. Thus begins her long and wondrous journey down the Yellow Silk Road, where she encounters a violinist who has lost his bow, a mathematician who has lost her calculator and a cricket who has lost his luck. Somewhere along the way, Dorothy also meets Jackie Chan.
An often absurd play, "The Kim of Oz" is a break from DAO's past Culture Night performances, which took a serious approach to issues of Asian-American identity. DAO president David Jiang '12 said he expects this year's musical to be "a lot more entertaining" than "A Major Dilemma," the play he penned for last year's festivities.
However, Jiang emphasized that the play's liveliness does not interfere with its ability to convey serious messages about stereotypes and identity.
"The Kim of Oz" openly and comically addresses stereotypes about Asian identity and culture, according to Culture Night co-chair Damaris Altomerianos '13.
"It's not that [the play] has jokes about stereotypes," Altomerianos said. "But it takes certain ones and treats them lightly, with the ultimate message being that these stereotypes don't really make a difference. You do not need to fit them in order to reach your goals."
In "The Kim of Oz," Dorothy achieves her dreams by rejecting stereotypes and embracing her individual identity, Altomerianos said.
While the play addresses issues facing Asian students, its message are relevant to other students as well, according to Freeman.
"This play has Asian themes and Asian cultural references interwoven throughout, but really this could be the story of every Dartmouth student," Freeman said.
The play has attracted a diverse crowd, including students of both Asian and non-Asian descent, from a variety of class years and performing arts backgrounds. DAO chairs hope to draw a crowd as diverse as the cast and crew of "The Kim of Oz." Because past DAO events have drawn upwards of 300 people over two nights, DAO members expect this year's one-night performance to fill Collis Common Ground to capacity.
