
2004-2005 Season: Making Tracks
A young Asian American rock musician uncovers the stories behind his family’s six-generation struggle to find a voice in America. Written by Welly Yang, Brian Yorkey, and composer Woody Pak, Making Tracks is a modern tale of tragedy and triumph.
A rock musical about a journey across our nation and its Asian American history, Making Tracks is guided by ghosts and storytellers and invokes all the richness of our community’s collective memory. The production – which incorporates dance, original songs and music – unfolds in 12 scenes that span the building of the railroads, the grueling experience of Angel Island, the heart-rending stories of the “picture brides,” the famed Forbidden City nightclub in San Francisco, the tragedy of the World War II internment camps, and the critical role of Asian American engineers in building the high-tech backbone of this country.
Weaving these tales together is a narrative about a young man’s discovery of the treasures of family, history, and culture that are at the foundation of the second-generation Asian American experience. Making Tracks has been lauded as a stylistic cross between such pioneering contemporary musicals as Rent and Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk—with a uniquely Asian American verve and sensibility.
