Free performances from East West

In celebration of May's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, East West Players, the nation's premier Asian Pacific American theatre, will present two free performances of its Theater for Youth program Manzanar: The Story of an American Family at the Japanese American National Museum in Downtown Los Angeles on May 20, 2004 at 7:30 pm and the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center on May 21, 2004 at 8 pm. Based on the full-length epic musical written by Rus McCoy and Dan Taguchi, and previously presented as staged readings by East West Players, this new Theatre for Youth program is a 40-minute touring production designed for middle and high school youth.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, ordering more than 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans to be incarcerated without due process and relocated to internment camps in desolate areas around the United States.

"According to a survey commissioned by the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation in 2000, 32 percent of all adults polled are unsure or deny that Japanese Americans were interned during World War II. Many people are ignorant to the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II despite it being a defining moment in American history. Our touring production of Manzanar: The Story of an American Family will not only entertain but also educate the public and ensure that youth learn that interning an entire community is not the answer in a time of war," said East West Players Artistic Director Tim Dang.

Manzanar: The Story of an American Family personalizes the experiences of upheaval and discrimination that the Japanese American community had to endure in the United States during wartime hysteria. Parents Toyo and Masao Shimada struggle to hold their family together as their hopes and dreams are shattered by their relocation from their San Pedro home to the Manzanar internment camp near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Owens Valley, CA. The young daughter, Margaret, dreams of becoming a singer and the older son, Yoshi, deals with his conflicted feelings about interment by eventually enlisting for service in the U.S. Army, changing the family forever.

"A project such as Manzanar that can educate as well as elicit emotion and compassion is a powerful and important piece to add to the body of work that tells the story of the camp experience. Music is a great way to express emotions that are too limited by words," Dang added. "And I think that the Internment is a perfect example of an event in which mere words cannot fully convey the depth of the human experience."

The two public performances are part of more than 30 shows being presented at venues throughout Los Angeles County including schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District and Torrance Unified School District, UCLA and the Burbank Public Library. The tour is supported in part by Mervyn's/Target Stores and the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program.

To make reservations for the Thursday, May 20 at 7:30 pm performance at the Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. First St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 call (213) 625-0414. To make reservations for the Friday, May 21 at 8 pm performance at San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center, 12953 Branford St., Pacoima, CA 91331 call Nancy Gohata (818) 899-4237 or Hal Suetsugu (818) 363-2683.

For more information on East West Players Theatre for Youth programs contact Marilyn Tokuda at mtokuda@eastwestplayers.org or (213) 625-7000 x15

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	EAST WEST PLAYERS PRESENTS FREE PERFORMANCES OF THEATRE FOR YOUTH MANZANAR: THE STORY OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY In celebration of May's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, East West Players, the nation's premier Asian Pacific American theatre, will present two free performances of its Theater for Youth program Manzanar: The Story of an American Family at the Japanese American National Museum in Downtown Los Angeles on May 20, 2004 at 7:30 pm and the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center on May 21, 2004 at 8 pm. Based on the full-length epic musical written by Rus McCoy and Dan Taguchi, and previously presented as staged readings by East West Players, this new Theatre for Youth program is a 40-minute touring production designed for middle and high school youth. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, ordering more than 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans to be incarcerated without due process and relocated to internment camps in desolate areas around the United States. "According to a survey commissioned by the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation in 2000, 32 percent of all adults polled are unsure or deny that Japanese Americans were interned during World War II. Many people are ignorant to the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II despite it being a defining moment in American history. Our touring production of Manzanar: The Story of an American Family will not only entertain but also educate the public and ensure that youth learn that interning an entire community is not the answer in a time of war," said East West Players Artistic Director Tim Dang. Manzanar: The Story of an American Family personalizes the experiences of upheaval and discrimination that the Japanese American community had to endure in the United States during wartime hysteria. Parents Toyo and Masao Shimada struggle to hold their family together as their hopes and dreams are shattered by their relocation from their San Pedro home to the Manzanar internment camp near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Owens Valley, CA. The young daughter, Margaret, dreams of becoming a singer and the older son, Yoshi, deals with his conflicted feelings about interment by eventually enlisting for service in the U.S. Army, changing the family forever. "A project such as Manzanar that can educate as well as elicit emotion and compassion is a powerful and important piece to add to the body of work that tells the story of the camp experience. Music is a great way to express emotions that are too limited by words," Dang added. "And I think that the Internment is a perfect example of an event in which mere words cannot fully convey the depth of the human experience." The two public performances are part of more than 30 shows being presented at venues throughout Los Angeles County including schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District and Torrance Unified School District, UCLA and the Burbank Public Library. The tour is supported in part by Mervyn's/Target Stores and the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program. To make reservations for the Thursday, May 20 at 7:30 pm performance at the Japanese American National Museum, 369 E. First St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 call (213) 625-0414. To make reservations for the Friday, May 21 at 8 pm performance at San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center, 12953 Branford St., Pacoima, CA 91331 call Nancy Gohata (818) 899-4237 or Hal Suetsugu (818) 363-2683. For more information on East West Players Theatre for Youth programs contact Marilyn Tokuda at mtokuda@eastwestplayers.org or (213) 625-7000 x15 Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Library \| Plays Copyright 2004, Roger W. Tang Questions? Email

EAST WEST PLAYERS PRESENTS FREE PERFORMANCES OF THEATRE FOR YOUTH MANZANAR: THE STORY OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY