East West Players
Encyclopedia
East West Players is an Asian American
theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre
organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American
experience.
, Rae Creevey, Beulah Quo, Soon Tek Oh, James Hong
, Pat Li, June Kim, Guy Lee and Yet Lock as a place where Asian American actors could perform roles beyond the stereotypical parts they were being limited to in Hollywood, early STATEMENT OF PURPOSE read:
MISSION STATEMENT:
As the nation’s largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work and the longest-running professional theatre of color in the country, East West Players produces outstanding works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American experience.
VISION STATEMENT:
National recognition of the organization's productions and programs.
Increased opportunities for Asian Pacific Islander artists on stage and in other media.
Introducing audiences to the diverse Asian Pacific American experience.
Educational programs in the literary, technical and performing arts.
Financial and organizational sustainability and growth
East West Players has been called “the nation’s pre-eminent Asian American theater troupe” for their award-winning productions blending Eastern
and Western
movement, costumes, language, and music. EWP has premiered over 100 plays and musicals about the Asian Pacific American experience and has held over 1,000 readings and workshops. Its emphasis is on building bridges between East and West; attendance estimates are 56% Asians and 44% non-Asians.
In 1998, EWP Producing Artistic Director Tim Dang led the company’s move from a 99-seat Equity
Waiver "black box
” into a new 240-seat venue at an Actors Equity Association contract level. EWP’s mainstage is the David Henry Hwang
Theater, housed within the historic Union Center for the Arts in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district, where it serves over 10,000 people each year, including low income audiences provided free and discounted admissions and deaf audiences attending a series of ASL
-interpreted shows.
, Nobu McCarthy
, Pat Morita
, James Hong
, Yuki Shimoda
, John Lone
, Rodney Kageyama
, B.D. Wong
, James Saito
, Freda Foh Shen, Lauren Tom
, Amy Hill
, Alec Mapa
, Alan Muraoka
, Emily Kuroda
, Sala Iwamatsu, Chris Tashima
, Anthony Begonia, John Cho
and Daniel Dae Kim, and dramatists Wakako Yamauchi
, Hiroshi Kashiwagi
, David Henry Hwang
, Philip Kan Gotanda
, Roberta Uno, R.A. Shiomi
, Judith Nihei and Soji Kashiwagi
. East West Players has also had the opportunity to work with many respected artists and faculty such as actors Dennis Dun
, Danny Glover
, Bill Macy
, Takayo Fischer
, George Takei
, Tsai Chin
, and Nancy Kwan
, directors, Lisa Peterson and Oskar Eustis
, musician Dan Kuramoto and instructors Calvin Remsberg and Fran Bennett
.
Over seventy-five percent of all Asian Pacific
performers in the acting unions living in Los Angeles have worked at EWP. East West Players has provided training and opportunities to many emerging and professional artists who have gone on win Tony Awards, Obie Award
s, Emmy Awards, LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards
, and Academy Awards
.
East West Players has collaborated with many organizations though its history, including Center Theatre Group
, Robey Theatre Company
, Cornerstone Theater Company
, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, and Cedar Grove OnStage
.
2008/09 43rd Anniversary Season
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre
Asian American theatre
Asian American theater is theater written, directed or acted by Asian Americans.- Background :Asian American theater emerged in the 1960s and the 1970s with the foundation of four theatre companies: East West Players in Los Angeles, Asian American Theatre Workshop in San Francisco, Theatrical...
organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American
Asian Pacific American
Asian-Pacific American or Asian-Pacific Islander is a term sometimes used in the United States to include both Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans....
experience.
Overview
Established in 1965 by MakoMako (actor)
, born , was an Oscar- and Tony-nominated Japanese actor. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako, omitting his surname. -Early life:...
, Rae Creevey, Beulah Quo, Soon Tek Oh, James Hong
James Hong
James Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
, Pat Li, June Kim, Guy Lee and Yet Lock as a place where Asian American actors could perform roles beyond the stereotypical parts they were being limited to in Hollywood, early STATEMENT OF PURPOSE read:
"To further cultural understanding between the East and West by employing the dual Oriental and American heritages of the East-West Players."
MISSION STATEMENT:
As the nation’s largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work and the longest-running professional theatre of color in the country, East West Players produces outstanding works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American experience.
VISION STATEMENT:
National recognition of the organization's productions and programs.
Increased opportunities for Asian Pacific Islander artists on stage and in other media.
Introducing audiences to the diverse Asian Pacific American experience.
Educational programs in the literary, technical and performing arts.
Financial and organizational sustainability and growth
East West Players has been called “the nation’s pre-eminent Asian American theater troupe” for their award-winning productions blending Eastern
Eastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
and Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
movement, costumes, language, and music. EWP has premiered over 100 plays and musicals about the Asian Pacific American experience and has held over 1,000 readings and workshops. Its emphasis is on building bridges between East and West; attendance estimates are 56% Asians and 44% non-Asians.
In 1998, EWP Producing Artistic Director Tim Dang led the company’s move from a 99-seat Equity
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
Waiver "black box
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
” into a new 240-seat venue at an Actors Equity Association contract level. EWP’s mainstage is the David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...
Theater, housed within the historic Union Center for the Arts in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district, where it serves over 10,000 people each year, including low income audiences provided free and discounted admissions and deaf audiences attending a series of ASL
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
-interpreted shows.
Educational Programs
EWP offers a growing array of educational programs training over 200 multicultural artists each year – the Actors Conservatory (performance workshops and an intensive Summer Conservatory); David Henry Hwang Writers Institute; the career program, Alliance of Creative Talent Services (ACTS); and the touring Theatre for Youth (reaching an estimated 50,000 K-8th graders and their families via in-school performances and festivals).Alumni
Notable EWP alumni include actors MakoMako (actor)
, born , was an Oscar- and Tony-nominated Japanese actor. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako, omitting his surname. -Early life:...
, Nobu McCarthy
Nobu McCarthy
Nobu McCarthy was a Japanese Canadian actress, stage director, and fashion model.-Early life:McCarthy was born Nobu Atsumi in Ottawa, Ontario, the daughter of Yuki and Masaji Atsumi, a Japanese fashion designer and diplomatic attache stationed in Canada at the time. She was raised in Japan, where...
, Pat Morita
Pat Morita
Noriyuki "Pat" Morita was an American actor of Japanese descent who was well-known for playing the roles of Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days and Mr. Miyagi in the The Karate Kid movie series, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1984.-Early life:Pat...
, James Hong
James Hong
James Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
, Yuki Shimoda
Yuki Shimoda
Yuki Shimoda was an American actor best known for his starring role as Ko Wakatsuki in the NBC movie of the week, Farewell to Manzanar in 1976. He also co-starred in a 1960s television series, Johnny Midnight , with Edmond O'Brien. He was a star of the silver screen, early television and the stage...
, John Lone
John Lone
John "Johnny" Lone is a Hong Kong born American actor of Chinese and English descent. Lone has played roles as diverse as a caveman in Iceman , the last Emperor of China in The Last Emperor , and an apparently female opera performer in M. Butterfly .-Personal life:Lone was born as Ng Kwok-leung...
, Rodney Kageyama
Rodney Kageyama
Rodney Kageyama is an American stage, film and TV actor. He is a Nisei Japanese American .In 2007, Kageyama was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He underwent chemotherapy and as of spring 2008 was declared cancer-free.-Theatre:...
, B.D. Wong
B.D. Wong
Bradley Darryl "BD" Wong is an American actor, best-known for his roles as Dr. George Huang on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as Father Ray Mukada on HBO's Oz, Henry Wu in the movie Jurassic Park, and for his starring role as Song Liling in the Broadway production of M...
, James Saito
James Saito
James Tomio Saito is an American actor of stage, motion pictures, and television. He is best known for his physical portrayal of Shredder in the 1990 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the character was voiced by David McCharen. Saito also appeared in films like The Devil's Advocate, Home Alone 3,...
, Freda Foh Shen, Lauren Tom
Lauren Tom
Lauren Tom is an American actress and voice actress perhaps best known for her roles as Lena St Clair in The Joy Luck Club, Julie in the TV series Friends, and for providing the voices for both mother and daughter characters on two animated TV comedy series: on Futurama she voices Amy Wong and her...
, Amy Hill
Amy Hill
Amy Marie Hill is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Mrs. DePaulo in That's So Raven, Mrs. Kwan in The Cat in the Hat, the Kylie Minogue-inspired singer, Penny Candy from The Puzzle Place, and the voice of Jasmine Lee Amy Marie Hill (born May 9, 1953) is an American...
, Alec Mapa
Alec Mapa
-Personal life:Mapa, a Filipino American, was born in San Francisco and attended George Washington High School . Mapa is openly gay and lends his support to various projects supporting the gay, lesbian, and Asian American communities...
, Alan Muraoka
Alan Muraoka
Alan Muraoka is an actor and theatre director who plays Alan, the current owner of Hooper's Store on the television show Sesame Street.-Early career:...
, Emily Kuroda
Emily Kuroda
Emily Kuroda is best known for her role as Mrs. Kim on TV's Gilmore Girls, but she has had a long career on stage and screen and is a veteran of East West Players, Los Angeles' premier Asian American theater group.-Life and career:...
, Sala Iwamatsu, Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima
Chris Tashima is a Japanese American actor and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company Cedar Grove Productions and Artistic Director of its Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He is the son of U.S. Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima...
, Anthony Begonia, John Cho
John Cho
John Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie films and the Harold & Kumar films . He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow...
and Daniel Dae Kim, and dramatists Wakako Yamauchi
Wakako yamauchi
Wakako Yamauchi is a Nisei Asian American female writer. Her plays are considered pioneering works in Asian American theatre.- Biography :...
, Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Hiroshi Kashiwagi is a Nisei poet, playwright and actor. For his writing and performance work on stage he is considered an early pioneer of Asian American theatre.-Biography:...
, David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...
, Philip Kan Gotanda
Philip Kan Gotanda
Philip Kan Gotanda is an American playwright and filmmaker. Much of his work deals with Asian American issues and experiences.- Biography :...
, Roberta Uno, R.A. Shiomi
Rick Shiomi
Rick Shiomi is a Japanese Canadian playwright, stage director and taiko artist. He is a founder and currently the Artistic Director of the Minneapolis, Minnesota based Asian American theater company, Mu Performing Arts.-Early life:...
, Judith Nihei and Soji Kashiwagi
Soji Kashiwagi
Soji Kashiwagi is a Sansei journalist, playwright and producer. He is the Executive Producer for the Grateful Crane Ensemble theatre company in Los Angeles...
. East West Players has also had the opportunity to work with many respected artists and faculty such as actors Dennis Dun
Dennis Dun
Dennis Dun is a Chinese American actor from Stockton, California, currently residing in Los Angeles.-Film and TV:Dun has had prominent roles in several films, notably Year of the Dragon , Big Trouble in Little China , The Last Emperor , Prince of Darkness , and A Thousand Pieces of Gold , Warriors...
, Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
, Bill Macy
Bill Macy
Bill Macy is an American television and stage actor.Macy was born in Revere, Massachusetts, to Mollie and Michael Garber, a manufacturer...
, Takayo Fischer
Takayo Fischer
Takayo Fischer is an American stage, film and TV actress, as well as voice-over actress and singer.-Personal life:Fischer was born in Hardwick, California, the daughter of Issei Chukuro and Kinko Tsubouchi...
, George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
, Tsai Chin
Tsai Chin (actress)
Tsai Chin , also known as Irene Chow, is a Chinese-born actress living in England.-Early life, family & education:Chin was born to Peking Opera actor Zhou Xinfang in 1936. She spent her early life in Shanghai. She had two short marriages which both ended in divorce. Her brother is Michael...
, and Nancy Kwan
Nancy Kwan
Nancy "Ka Shen" Kwan is a Eurasian-American actress, who played a pivotal role in the acceptance of actors of Asian descent in major Hollywood film roles...
, directors, Lisa Peterson and Oskar Eustis
Oskar Eustis
Oskar Eustis is the artistic director at the Public Theater and has worked as a director, dramaturg, and artistic director for theaters around the country.-Career:...
, musician Dan Kuramoto and instructors Calvin Remsberg and Fran Bennett
Fran Bennett
Fran Bennett is an American actress born in Malvern, Arkansas. From 1996 to 2003, she was head of the performance program in the School of Theater at the California Institute of the Arts...
.
Over seventy-five percent of all Asian Pacific
Asian Pacific American
Asian-Pacific American or Asian-Pacific Islander is a term sometimes used in the United States to include both Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans....
performers in the acting unions living in Los Angeles have worked at EWP. East West Players has provided training and opportunities to many emerging and professional artists who have gone on win Tony Awards, Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
s, Emmy Awards, LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards
Ovation Awards
The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the Los Angeles Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. They have been called the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..." by the Los...
, and Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
.
East West Players has collaborated with many organizations though its history, including Center Theatre Group
Center Theatre Group
Center Theatre Group is a non-profit arts organization located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the largest theatre companies in the nation, programming subscription seasons year-round at the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre and the Kirk Douglas Theatre...
, Robey Theatre Company
Robey Theatre Company
Robey Theatre Company is a Los Angeles-based non-profit theatre company.- History :Robey Theatre Company was founded in 1994 by Danny Glover and Ben Guillory. It takes its name from the pioneering Black actor and activist, Paul Robeson...
, Cornerstone Theater Company
Cornerstone Theater Company
Cornerstone Theater Company is a theater company based in the United States that specializes in community-based collaboration. According to the mission statement published on the company's website, "Cornerstone Theater Company is a multi-ethnic, ensemble-based theater company...
, Ma-Yi Theatre Company, and Cedar Grove OnStage
Cedar Grove OnStage
Cedar Grove OnStage is an Asian Pacific American theatre arts organization established in 2006, based in Los Angeles, co-founded by playwright Tim Toyama and actor/director Chris Tashima who serves as Artistic Director...
.
Current season
2010/11 45th Anniversary Season- Mysterious SkinMysterious SkinMysterious Skin is a 2004 drama film directed by American filmmaker Gregg Araki, who also wrote the screenplay based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Scott Heim...
, by Prince GomolvilasPrince GomolvilasPrince Gomolvilas is a Thai American playwright. He has written many plays which have been produced in the United States and won several distinctive awards....
, directed by Tim Dang - Crimes of the HeartCrimes of the HeartCrimes of the Heart is a play by Beth Henley.-Synopsis:At the core of the tragic comedy are the three Magrath sisters, Meg, Babe, and Lenny, who reunite at Old Granddaddy's home in Hazlehurst, Mississippi after Babe shoots her abusive husband. The trio was raised in a dysfunctional family with a...
, written by Beth HenleyBeth HenleyElizabeth Becker "Beth" Henley is an American dramatist and actress. She writes primarily about women's issues and family in the Southern United States. She is also a screenwriter who has written many film adaptations of her plays...
, directed by Leslie Ishii - Wrinkles by Paul Kikuchi, directed by Jeff Liu
- Krunk Fu Battle Battle, Book by Qui NguyenQui NguyenQui Nguyen is a Vietnamese American playwright and fight director. He is an artistic director of the Obie Award and Caffe Cino Award winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company, whose productions, penned and choreographed by Nguyen, have performed to sold-out audiences at the New York International...
, Lyrics by Beau SiaBeau Sia-Biography:Sia was born in Ohio. He is of Chinese-Filipino descent. Raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sia discovered spoken word poetry on MTV as a teenager...
, Vocal Music by Marc Macalintal, Directed by Tim Dang
Previous seasons
2009/10 44th Anniversary Season- ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, written by asmina Reza], directed by Alberto IsaacAlberto IsaacAlberto Isaac was a Mexican film director and screenwriter. In 1980, he was a member of the jury at the 30th Berlin International Film Festival.-External links:... - Po Boy Tango, written by Kenneth LinKenneth LinKenneth Lin is an American playwright. He was born in the Bronx, NY and grew up in Long Island, New York.Lin attended Cornell University and the Yale School of Drama. He is an alumnus of the U.S. J...
, directed by Oanh Nguyen - Cave Quest by Les Thomas, directed by Diane RodriguezDiane RodriguezDiane Rodriguez is a prominent American theatre artist who directs, writes and performs. Schooled in activist art, she received her BA in Theatre Arts from the University of California at Santa Barbara. An OBIE Award winning actor, she is known for using comedy to confront various forms of...
- Road to Saigon, developed and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, music direction & arrangement by Nathan WangNathan WangNathan Wang is a music composer and director. He graduated from Pomona College and received a Fulbright Fellowship to study at Oxford University. He is the winner of the Cable Ace award for the soundtrack to the documentary The Lost Children of Berlin...
2008/09 43rd Anniversary Season
- Be Like WaterBe Like WaterBe Like Water is a play written by Dan Kwong, originally produced at East West Players, in association with Cedar Grove OnStage. The play received its world premiere in Los Angeles on September 17, 2008, directed by Chris Tashima, at East West Players' David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union...
, written by Dan KwongDan KwongDan Kwong is an American performance artist, writer, teacher and visual artist. He has been presenting his solo performances since 1989, often drawing upon his own life experiences to explore personal, historical and social issues. He is of mixed Asian American heritage...
, directed by Chris TashimaChris TashimaChris Tashima is a Japanese American actor and director. He is co-founder of the entertainment company Cedar Grove Productions and Artistic Director of its Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He is the son of U.S. Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima... - The Joy Luck ClubThe Joy Luck ClubThe Joy Luck Club is a best-selling novel written by Amy Tan. It focuses on four Chinese American immigrant families in San Francisco, California who start a club known as "the Joy Luck Club," playing the Chinese game of mahjong for money while feasting on a variety of foods...
, written by Susan Kim, directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera - Ixnay by Paul Kikuchi, directed by Jeff Liu
- Marry Me a LittleMarry Me A Little (musical)Marry Me A Little is a musical with lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim, conceived by Craig Lucas and Norman René. The revue sets songs cut from Sondheim's better-known musicals to a dialogue-free plot about the relationship between two lonely New York single people, who are in emotional conflict...
, music & lyrics by Stephen SondheimStephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
, directed by Jules Aaron and The Last Five YearsThe Last Five YearsThe Last Five Years is a one-act musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered in Chicago in 2001 and was then produced off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and internationally....
, music & lyrics by Jason Robert BrownJason Robert BrownJason Robert Brown is an American musical theater composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics...
External links
- East West Players site
- East West Players on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....