Alison Qu

Background

About Alison Qu

Alison Yueming Qu (she/they) is a Chinese American Theatre Creative Producer, Dramaturg, Director, and Community Organizer. Originally from Jilin City, China, Alison immigrated to Tennessee at 14 and aspired to be a country music singer-songwriter. She later pivoted to theatre, where her passion for storytelling and activism merged to create spaces for marginalized voices and make change through the arts. Today, Alison curates joyful, transformative, and radical spaces for Asian American artists, using arts and culture to drive community activism and translingual expression. Recognized as a 2023 ARTery Maker by WBUR (Boston’s NPR station), Alison is celebrated as one of the emerging artists of color shaping Greater Boston’s cultural landscape. Alison is the Executive Director of CHUANG Stage, Boston’s Asian American theatre company, where she leads with a unique combination of artistic vision and strategic insight. She is recognized for her ability to foster cross-sector artistic partnerships—including Boston Chinatown Musical: Stories on Our Streets (Mellon Foundation Un-monument | Re-monument | De-monument: Transforming Boston grantee) and the Found in Translation series (NEFA Public Art for Spatial Justice grantee)—which have transformed Boston’s Chinatown into a hub of multilingual and intercultural storytelling. Her advocacy for radical access to the arts through initiatives like CHUANG Stage’s Pay-As-You-Are ticketing model has made theatre more accessible for working-class immigrant communities, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent the Asian American diaspora’s participation in the arts. Her directing and dramaturgy credits include I Love at Emerson Stage (by Meng Jinghui, translated by Claire Conceison), The Fortune Teller (in collaboration with TC Squared Theatre Company), and The Chinese Lady (Central Square Theater). As a speaker and facilitator, she has worked with the Pao Arts Center, Huntington Theatre Company, ArtsEmerson, UConn’s AsACC, Guerilla Opera, Asian American Women’s Political Initiative, Asian American Playwrights Collective, and more. Alison serves on the board of the Boston Cultural Council (Mayor Michelle Wu’s Office of Arts and Culture) and the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA).