WAR ATROCITY TAKES CENTERSTAGE AT EAST WEST PLAYERS WITH HANAKO

East West Players, the nation' s first and foremost Asian American theatre, sets the cast and designers for the third production of its 33rd Anniversary Season, the world premiere of HANAKO, written by Chungmi Kim. The East West Players David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts is located at 120 North Judge John Aiso Street (formerly San Pedro Street) in Little Tokyo downtown Los Angeles. HANAKO will open on April 7 and close on April 25, 1999. Low priced previews begin on Thursday, April 1.

During World War II, the Japanese Imperial Forces drafted more than two hundred thousand women from Asian countries, the majority from Korea, and forced them to serve as sex slaves known as "comfort women" for Japanese soldiers. Directed by Tzi Ma, HANAKO is an emotional story of the Korean "comfort women" who suffered in silence, isolation and shame, as their stories remained buried for decades.

The cast for HANAKO includes (in alphabetical order) June Angela, Dian Kobayashi, Christina Ma, and Haunani Minn. Choreography for HANAKO is by Don Kim, set design by Yuki Nakamura, costume design by Joyce Kim Lee, lighting design by G. Shizuko Herrera, and sound and slide design by Miles Ono. Victoria A. Gathe is the production stage manager.

Chungmi Kim, a Korean American poet and playwright, has works included in numerous anthologies, magazines and newspapers. Her play The Comfort Women was the winner of the Grand Prize at the 14th Annual USC One-Act Play Festival and a finalist for the National Playwrights Conference at Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, New York. Most recently, she was selected as one of Los Angeles Times "Faces to Watch 99."

Performances are Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8pm (except Thursday, April 15, showtime is 7pm), and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. There is no Saturday matinee performance on Saturday, April 10. Low priced previews are April 1, 2 and 3 at 8pm and April 4 at 2pm. General ticket prices range from $25-$27 for orchestra and $20-$22 for balcony. Patrons can purchase tickets beginning March 8 by calling Telecharge at 800-233-3123, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Senior and student rates are available through theatre box office only. For groups and subscriptions, call 213-625-7000, Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm.