A Conversation with Kieu Chinh
Thursday 2:30 PM

Screen star and humanitarian activist Kieu Chinh's keynote A Journey Home: Asian American Awareness and Identity will highlight Thursday's convention events.  Kieu Chinh's story has never been more timely or inspiring. A native of war-torn Vietnam, she overcame the loss of most of her family to become the biggest female star in Indochina only to lose everything again with the fall of Saigon. Never beaten, however, she came to America to once again rebuild her life, and has since gone from refugee to film star, taking part in over 50 films and TV shows including M*A*S*H, Lou Grant , China Beach, Hamburger Hill, and The Joy Luck Club.

Bringing her story to SETC, Chinh offers an unforgettable tale of survival, women's empowerment and Asian-American awareness. We invite everyone to come hear how this actress has used her heart-wrenching past to empower the roles she created on the silver screen and transformed her struggles into art that has uplifted, educated, and rebuilt.

Reflecting US/U.S with Daniel Banks
Friday 2:30 PM

SETC's Friday keynote address will take on a new format this year with a facilitated discussion led by SETC friend and supporter Dr. Daniel Banks of the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. This forum will be a reflection on the issues of belonging, ownership, history and language in theatre and how these impact casting, theatre making, and teaching practices, while addressing the meaning and origins of such terms as 'non-traditional', 'color-blind', 'diverse', and 'inclusive.' 
Share your thoughts, questions, challenges and successes to this exciting participatory event for all convention attendees. 

Rosemary Newcott
Saturday 2:30 PM

The Saturday keynote address and the Distinguished Career Award will take a new direction at this year's SETC Convention. For the first time in SETC's history, the recipient of this award will be an organization - the Alliance Theatre of Atlanta. Accepting the award and speaking at the Saturday keynote address will be Rosemary Newcott, the Sally G. Tomlinson Artistic Director of Theatre for Youth at the Alliance.

In keeping with this year's convention theme, "Celebrating Diversity," the Alliance is known nationally for its commitment to cultivating diverse voices and creating significant new theatrical works. The groundbreaking theatre won a Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2007. Newcott has worked in Atlanta for 20 years and has won numerous awards, including a 2005 Distinguished Career Award from the Georgia Theatre Conference.
- Glen Gourley, SETC President-Elect