Advancing Asian Representation in Theatre

By Taneya Rogers, photo by Felicia Chang.

Philanthropy is an ongoing exercise in identifying ways to better our world and committing resources to make those changes. It is also an exercise in building trust, and for Donna Yamamoto these lessons in trust have come full circle.

The accomplished actress launched the Donna Yamamoto Artist Fund in 2020 at Vancouver Foundation. Yamamoto has dedicated the fund to building Asian representation in theatre. When she returned to theatre in 2011 after almost 15 years of film and TV, the actress found herself disappointed that the landscape still lacked representation of Asian Canadians. Yamamoto reflected on her television role as Hanna Green in The 100: “The cast was so diverse and I just loved it. I wanted it to continue — I wanted theatre to rise to that.” In those moments, she knew she had to be the catalyst for change.

The Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct) has been the beneficiary of the Donna Yamamoto Artist Fund and has been given full autonomy in deciding how these resources are used. “I trust who is in charge and that makes the difference. As an artistic director I understand the value of keeping it as general as possible to allow for flexibility,” says Yamamoto. This faith in the vAct’s leadership, however, did not come out of nowhere. Yamamoto shares that she has been on the receiving end of such trust, having been the Producing Artistic Director of vAct since 2013 and entrusted with the allocation of donations.

Her tenure with vAct also initiated her relationship with Vancouver Foundation as a grant recipient. “They [Vancouver Foundation] were always open and so interested in supporting the BIPOC community with their grants,” says Yamamoto. Returning to Vancouver Foundation to start her own fund was an organic choice as a means to give back to vAct and to create a legacy for herself. “I want people to know that as an artist or whoever you are, it is so accessible at Vancouver Foundation and you don’t need a lot of money to do it.” Yamamoto’s hope is that this fund will shine a light on the arts and artists, empower voices and create platforms for stories to be told.