East West Players Anniversary Gala to Highlight Asian-American talent. Prominent Asian-American Actress Tamlyn Tomita, and CBS Survivor winner, Yul Kwon to co-host

East West Players (EWP) 41st Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner and Silent Auction continues its tradition of celebrating Asian-American talent by bringing glamour and prestige to this black tie optional event. Recipient of last year’s Visionary Award & veteran mistress of ceremonies, Tamlyn Tomita, will co-host along side CBS’ reality show SURVIVOR winner Yul Kwon. They will guide the event’s 800 anticipated guests through a memorable evening with humor & flair.

Tamlyn Tomita has starred in a number of films and television shows including: Joy Luck Club, The Karate Kid II, The Day After Tomorrow, JAG, and 24. Stage credits include: “Question 27, Question 28,” “Day Standing on its Head” and “Winter Crane.” New York native Yul Kwon is the recent winner of CBS reality show SURVIVOR and comes from a strong educational background with a degree from Stanford, and a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School.
The evening’s orchestra will be led by Musical Director, Nathan Wang, score composer for films including: Highlander, Forbidden City, and She the Man. Along side a professional band, he will be conducting the students of the Olympia Youth Orchestra. A special solo will be performed by thirteen year old violin prodigy Ben-Han Sung.   

Performers scheduled to appear will be vocalist Jenni Selma who has thrilled audiences in the past with her incredible range. Additional vocal performances will be by Liza Del Mundo, Ramona DuBarry, and Kathy Villanueva, all veteran singers at EWP. The trio will make its debut performance singing a medley of hit songs.

            Every year each presenter is individually selected for each honoree. Presenting the Visionary Award to Daniel Dae Kim will be Superman Returns Executive Producer Chris Lee of Chris Lee Productions. Presenting the Rae Creevy Award to Mark Jue will be past Rae Creevey recipient and actor Rodney Kageyama of Gung Ho, and past Visionary Award honoree Amy Hill of 50 First Dates & Cheaper by the Dozen. And presenting our new award for Breakout Performance to Masi Oka for HEROES will be STAR TREK veteran George Takei. Takei also plays Oka’s father on HEROES. Presenter of the Visionary Award to the S. Mark Taper Foundation has yet to be announced.

            The evening’s fundraising moment will be lead by Tony Award winning playwright David Henry Hwang, writer of “M. Butterfly,” “Golden Child,” and “Flower Drums Song.” Also appearing will be ENTOURAGE regular Rex Lee and actors Ravi Patel and Angeli Manhas performing a scene from the CBS Sketch Comedy Diversity Showcase.