EAST WEST PLAYERS 36TH ANNIVERSARY VISIONARY AWARDS 800 GUESTS EXPERIENCE A MULTITUDE OF SHOWSTOPPING MOMENTS

On April 22, 2002, East West Players celebrated its 36th Anniversary with a black tie gala at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel with over 800 corporate executives, community leaders, celebrities and supporters. It was an evening of camaraderie, class and comedy honoring international martial artist and film star Jet Li, international recording star and Tony Award winning actress, Lea Salonga, the philanthropic organization The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and volunteer extraordinaire Irma Escamilla. The honorees are recognized for helping to raise the visibility of the Asian Pacific Islander community through their craft in the arts and media.

East West Players, the premiere Asian Pacific American theatre in the country displayed its caliber of powerhouse talent with the comic charm of Amy Hill and Alec Mapa , mistress and master of ceremonies, moving the evening along at a quick pace. A thirteen piece orchestra conducted by musical director Nathan Wang impressed the audience with classic melodies from Broadway. The evening opened with a warm welcome by the Honorary Co-Chairs Gareth C.C. Chang (Corporate Co-Chair), Councilwoman Jan Perry (Community Co-Chair) and Scott Sassa (Entertainment/Media Co-Chair). In addition, an extended ovation was given to honoree Lea Salonga who sang WHAT I DID FOR LOVE from America's most celebrated musical, A CHOUS LINE. Gedde Watanabe, dressed in drag in full kimono, Japanese wig and a trio of back-up geisha singers delighted the audience with his own rendition of a song mentioning all the achievements of the honorees. The evening came to a thunderous end as Broadway veteran, Michael K. Lee belted out the song LET THEM HEAR YOU from RAGTIME, the theme of the celebratory evening. The presenters John Woo, Terence Chang, John Cho, Michael Paul Chan, Chris Tashima, Fritz Friedman, EWP Board Co-Presidents Daniel M. Mayeda and Wendy Anderson, recognized the honorees with charm, grace and delightful anecdotes.

Other special moments included a salute to Asian Pacific Tales, EWP's theater for Youth, demonstrated a medley of kabuki, chinese dance and hula by artists Kurt Kuniyoshi, Alice Lo and Casey Kono. Special guest George Takei encouraged the audience to sponsor a performance of Asian Pacific Tales for neighborhood schools.

All the honorees stressed the importance of a place like East West Players uniting the community in its mission of giving voice to the Asian Pacific community through engaging and empowering theatre.

Jet Li was greeted by a barrage of camera flashes and a thunderous ovation as he took to the stage. His popularity was evident at the event that Li had to exit out a back door for a quick getaway.

Parsons' Foundation President Joseph Hurley, brought his daughter onstage to accept the award with him as he remarked how children and cultural appreciation was so important for him and for her.

The party like atmosphere was everywhere to be found from the VIP Reception to the incredible Silent Auction and the dessert buffet in the lobby.

The event raised over $190,000 to benefit East West Players programs and is the most successful fundraising event in EWP history. Producing Artistic Director  said "We are delighted that there is strong support for East West Players and the Arts in the community. We have created a powerful voice that will help promote change in our ever growing society. The event get larger and larger each year with expectations being higher and higher. When we meet again next year, let's hope we can celebrate the great impact we've made in sharing our voice with the community at large. There is so much to celebrate and so much work to be done."

Questions? Email gwangung@u.washington.edu