Speaking into microphones in front of a poster for the upcoming show, the would-be panelists said Overture programming of “King and I” and “Miss Saigon” back to back this season felt like “a one-two punch” to Asian Americans in town.

Their proposed questions for Gajic included, “Why do you think that plays like this are still so popular with audiences, when they represent racial views that are so out of touch?” “Are these works problematic to you?” and “Do you feel a responsibility to bring more diverse stories to the stage?”

Bow, a professor of English and Asian American studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, had signed on to moderate the panel. She prepared for it during spring break like she would have for a class. Gajic’s last minute change of direction seemed to truly confuse Bow.

“When they sent me that email saying, ‘You’re off,” I sent back a text saying, ‘Huh?’” Bow said. If Overture didn’t want her to lead an honest conversation, “why didn’t they just have an employee read the questions they wanted in the format they wanted? ... The questions were not inflammatory. The answers might be, but this is the work we do, we’re educators. We pose the questions.”