Casting kerfuffle forum

Sun Mee Chomet in Katie Ka Vang's "WTF."

Katie Ka Vang's "WTF" has opened and closed, but the bruised feelings around the show linger. The play, about a Hmong-American couple finding love after many difficulties, was the subject of controversy when a few Hmong activists called for a boycott.

Their reason: the female lead was played by highly esteemed Twin Cities actor Sun Mee Chomet, who is of Korean ancestry.

Both the playwright, Katie Ka Vang, and her chief antagonist, playwright Ka Vang, are slated to participate in a panel discussion on race and casting. The talk will be moderated by Ilean Her, executive director of the Council of Asian Pacific Minnesotans and will feature leaders of the show's producers: Kathy Mouacheupao, head of the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent, and Rick Shiomi of Mu Performing Arts.