Remembering Kathy Chang(e) at National Asian American Theater Conference here

ON OCT. 22, 1996, Kathy Chang doused herself in gasoline and set herself on fire in front of the peace-sign sculpture on the University of Pennsylvania college green.

The 46-year-old social activist protested in that same spot on campus for 15 years, waving flags and wearing brightly colored, diaphanous costumes, to call for change - something she wanted so deeply, she added an "e" to her surname and often called herself "Kathy Change."

Soomi Kim is exploring the life of Chang in her upcoming show, "Chang(e)." The show will be featured at the National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival today through Sunday, hosted by the Asian Arts Initiative. "Chang(e)" is the third installment in Kim's trilogy of biographical shows about Asian-Americans who died too young - martial artist/actor Bruce Lee, novelist Teresa Kyung Cha and now Chang.

Kim, an actor living in New York City, was introduced to Chang's story when a friend saw an open rehearsal of her show about Kyung Cha, "Dictee: Bells Fall a Peal to Sky." Her friend said the show's theme of female martyrs reminded him of Chang. She's been working on "Chang(e)" since 2012.

"There wasn't much else to go by in terms of her real story," Kim said. "So, what I did was cultivate a list of people's names I found in articles and I tried to reach out to them."

Kim connected with Brendan McGeever, a Penn grad who interviewed Chang on his radio show. McGeever was one of eight students Chang delivered packets of protest literature to before she killed herself.

McGeever found the original cassette of their interview, recorded when he was a sophomore, in 1995. That became Kim's starting place, giving her insight into Chang's ideas, vocal quality and more biographical information.

Kim studied videos of Chang's public protests to get a feel for her performance style. She also incorporated into the show a letter Chang wrote to journalist Amy Goodman, of the radio show "Democracy Now."

Kim is working with director Suzi Takahashi to tell Chang's story in a multimedia format. She said the show falls in the genre of "hybrid theater . . . part reenactment, part fantasy, part documentary."

Gayle Isa, founder and executive director of the Asian Arts Initiative, said she's excited to have a show about Chang on the lineup.

"You recollect her sort of being an icon, really, in Philadelphia," Isa said. "I think she was also really a beacon for change in a lot of different ways. Being able to look at her life as one example of how arts and activism and social justice intersect, I think, is a really important exploration and conversation for artists in the Asian-American community. "

This year will mark the first time that the NAATCF is held in Philadelphia. Isa said the festival and conference are an opportunity for industry professionals and organizations to perform their works and discuss trends in the Asian-American theater community. She said those outside the Asian-American community are welcome to participate.

"It's not an insular conversation," Isa said. "It's intended to be an expansive conversation."

When asked how she'll approach portraying Chang's death, Kim said she's taking the sensitive nature of suicide into consideration. "It won't be a literal representation," Kim said. "It will be something that is kind of poetic."

Even though Chang is mostly known for her death, Kim wants that to be far from the show's only focus. "My mission," Kim said, "was to create a fuller picture of this human being - that has a history, that has friends, that has a community, that has people who were ostracizing her."

"Chang(e)," 8 p.m. tonight and Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, Interact Theatre, 2030 Sansom St., $25, $15 artists/students; change.brownpapertickets.com.

ALSO AT THE FESTIVAL

* "Tree City Legends," by Dennis Kim, uses hip-hop to tell the story of four young men dealing with their brother's death. The Painted Bride, 230 Vine St., 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday.

* CAATA Performance Showcase presents five pieces by new artists. FringeArts, 140 N. Columbus Blvd., 8 p.m. Thursday.

* "What? No Ping-Pong Balls?" Dan Kwong explores single motherhood in the Asian-American community. Interact Theatre 2 p.m. Friday and Sunday, 8 p.m. Saturday.