he/him/his
j ching
What is your hope for The Blueprint?
I hope that through providing experiences, resources, and access that we are able to model our mission and guiding principles in practice to show other BIPOC Artists—emerging, established, and beyond—that there is a way to do this work without sacrificing or compromising the immense beauty of who we are as BIPOC Artists.
Who do you do this for?
I do this for all the BIPOC (and LGBTQ+) humans who don't fit into a box or have been put into a box or have to make their own box or don't want a damn box in the first place.
What is one hope you have for the future of our industry?
I hope that we will be able to prioritize and value the process just as much (if not more!) than the product.
Who are 3 BIPOC artists that inspire you and your work?
Amrita Ramanan. Mary Kathryn Nagle. Nemuna Ceesay.
What advice do you have for emerging BIPOC artists?
Self-care is a daily practice, so start practicing as soon as possible.
J. Ching (he/him/his) was born and raised in Kailua, Hawai’i.
J. is currently the Assistant Company Manager at The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Previously, he was the Production Script Coordinator at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), helping to bridge the gap between literary development and stage management with a deep commitment to ED&I and Access Services. During five seasons at OSF, he worked on several world premiere productions including Roe, UNISON, Manahatta, Between Two Knees, and The Copper Children.
J. was a member of the Brown Boi Project’s March 2013 cohort, artEquity’s National Facilitator Training 2017 cohort, and was a fellow for the Intercultural Leadership Institute’s (ILI) 2018-2019 cohort. He recently served as a Co-Facilitator for the ILI Year 3 cohort in 2021 and will continue to work with the ILI Year 4 cohort in 2022-2023. He was also the Festival Coordinator for the 5th National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival (NAATCF) in October 2016.