BEIJING SPRING, A MUSICAL COMMEMORATION OF THE TIAN-AN-MEN SQUARE DEMONSTRATION OF 1989 CLOSES EAST WEST PLAYERS 33RD ANNIVERSARY SEASON

East West Players, the nation' s first and foremost Asian American theatre, sets the cast and designers for the final production of its 33rd Anniversary Season, the world premiere of BEIJING SPRING, a musical odyssey with music by Joel Iwataki and lyrics by Tim Dang. 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. Directed by Deborah Nishimura and Tim Dang, with musical direction by Scott Nagatani, BEIJING SPRING opens on Wednesday, May 12 and closes on June 6, 1999. Low priced previews begin on Thursday, May 6. BEIJING SPRING is the final production of East West Players 33rd Anniversary Season, "The Sound of a Voice."

Beijing, 1989. The Pro-Democracy movement escalates into a demonstration beyond anyone's imagination, particularly for those who were right in the heart of it. The world watched and listened as the human spirit rose to fight for something all of us take for granted: "freedom." This production is performed in commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Demonstration and Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

The cast for BEIJING SPRING includes (in alphabetical order) Brian Geli, Kimiko Gelman, Ai Goeku, Randy Guiaya, Alvin Ing, Brian Kawasaki, Michael K. Lee, Paul Wong. The musicians include (in alphabetical order) Tim Chen, David Cheung, David Iwataki, and Scott Nagatani. Set design for BEIJING SPRING is by Lisa Hashimoto, costume design by Dori Quan, lighting design by Guido Girardi, and props by Ken Takemoto. The production stage manager is Ricardo Figueroa.

Performances are Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8pm (except Thursday, May 20, showtime is 7pm), and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. There is no Saturday matinee performance on Saturday, May 15. Low priced previews are May 6, 7 and 8 at 8pm and May 9 at 2pm. General ticket prices range from $30-$33 for orchestra and $25-$28 for balcony. Patrons can purchase tickets beginning April 12 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.

Suzanne Hee
Publicity/Marketing Director
East West Players
244 S. San Pedro Street, Suite 301
Telephone: 213.625.7000
FAX: 213.625.7111
email: shee@eastwestplayers.com