This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Tasi Alabastro uncovered the definition of “flâneur,” a French word that describes a man of urban affluence who can wander and observe urban life, while working on a play called “Three Days of Rain.” In his own life, Tasi views being a flâneur as walking around his hometown of San Jose, being present, looking at murals, and occasionally running into people he knows. He uses walking as a way to process creative problems or gather thoughts. That ability to be an observer is reflected in his work as an actor, visual artist, writer, and director.
Tasi’s observant nature extends to his art as he drifts between roles as an actor, director, and photographer. However, his journey into the performing arts was anything but conventional. Originally a microbiology major at San Francisco State, Tasi left for Hawaii after a breakup to help with his brother’s business. By chance, he discovered acting when he walked into the dark black box theater, and something about the environment – the smell, the nervous energy of other students – intrigued him. He became drawn to the competitive aspect of the class, where everyone had a chance to perform. His curiosity and desire to “make something out of nothing” attracted him to acting. The class sparked his interest in performing arts and became a turning point in his creative journey.
Creating an atmosphere of connection and inclusion through performance has also become core to his work. Tasi traces his care for the audience back to growing up in American Samoa, where the island community must rely heavily on one another. He also notes that humor and performance can be ways of coping with challenging circumstances like natural disasters in Samoan culture. In contrast to feeling like an outsider during his school years, the culture of inclusion encourages Tasi to create experiences through his work where everyone feels welcome and can participate.
Tasi’s multifaceted career spans acting, directing, stage design, and photography. He was featured in “Yes, We’re Open,” a film on Prime Video where he worked with Perry Shen, an actor he had admired since his early blogging days. Another pivotal role was in a City Lights Theater Company production of “Three Days of Rain,” where he tackled the challenge of portraying two contrasting characters—a neurotic son and his reserved father. These roles were pivotal in helping Tasi grow as a performer and expand his understanding of his craft. Currently, Tasi is working toward creating a graphic novel that combines his interests in theater, illustration, and storytelling.
In this conversation, Tasi shares his unlikely transition from science to the stage, how his upbringing in American Samoa influenced his perspective on community, and his thoughts on fostering inclusion within the arts while embracing his identity as an occasional outsider.
Follow Tasi on his website, tasialabastro.com, and Instagram at tasialabastro
Join Tasi Alabastro on July 26, 2025, at San Jose Stage for The Contemporary Asian Theater Scene’s (CATS) second annual Playwright Festival. This year’s festival proudly features five newly commissioned 10-minute plays by a dynamic mix of emerging and established AAPI playwrights. Under the direction of Artistic Producer Jeffrey Lo, these staged readings are brought to life by AAPI actors and directors, including Tasi, committed to bold, authentic storytelling. Get Tickets.
Since 1991, the SVLaureate program has awarded more than 150 of the finest artists the South Bay has to offer with honors, recognition, and a cash prize to assist them in pursuing their craft. This year, awards were given in several different categories: Off Stage (an artist working offstage, backstage, or pre-performance), On Stage (a performing artist), On the Wall (a visual artist working in traditional or mixed media), Off the Wall (a visual artist working in sculpture), and Emerging Artist (a young artist in any medium who shows promise for continued growth and excellence). This year the program added a new award, the SVNexus Award, honoring an artist who uses technology to fuel their creative work.
These artists are chosen based on the work they have created and their commitment to their communities. Through their work as teachers, artists, and performers, each of the SVLaureates has shown a devotion to their craft that includes mentorship, service, and forging new cultural understanding.
Tasi Alabastro: Emerging Artist Recipient
“I burned a banana tree when I was a kid,” says Tasi Alabastro by way of an introduction. The winner of the Emerging Artist award grew up on the island of American Samoa, dropped out of college at San Francisco State, and wound up in Hawai’i, where he enrolled in an acting class at Leeward Community College. This class launched his career in the arts, and since his return to the Bay Area, he has found continued success, landing roles in a wide range of theatrical productions, short films, and feature films, including the indie hit Yes, We’re Open. He describes many Bay Area artists as “accidentally multi-disciplinary,” and he embodies this description, working as a photographer, visual artist, graphic designer, and content creator on the live-streaming video platform Twitch.
“I’ve always been inspired by creative problem-solving. When working in theater and film, you come across a lot of interesting problems. I think the sense of empowerment doubles when one applies their personal creative wealth toward solving problems. Growing up and not seeing myself represented in what I was watching, reading, and experiencing contributed to so many challenges in my career, and being the recipient of the Emerging Artist award means I am paying tribute to my past and my roots as an artist. It is the manifestation of all the support I’ve received from those I’ve surrounded myself with and a personal milestone in an arts track that doesn’t have easily identifiable milestones. Even with this distinct honor, I’m still finding new ways to emerge and grow. My craft becomes more defined and specific with each audition, workshop, cast, rejection, article, and role played.”
Instagram: tasialabastro