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| Formation | 1965 [1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Theatre group |
| Purpose | Asian American theatre |
| Location |
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| Website | eastwestplayers |
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. [1] As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American experience today.
Established in 1965 by Mako, 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 caricatures they were being limited to in Hollywood. [2] An 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." [3]
Current mission statement: As the nation's premier Asian American theatre organization, East West Players produces artistic works and educational programs that foster dialogue exploring Asian Pacific experiences. [4]
Current vision statement: [4]
East West Players has been called “the nation’s pre-eminent Asian American theater troupe” [5] 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 facilitated 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. The theater serves over 15,000 people each year, including low income audiences of whom are provided free and discounted admissions as well as deaf audiences via ASL-interpreted productions.
EWP hosts an annual awards dinner to celebrate the achievements of individuals who have "raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft." [6]
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). Scholarships have been offered for these programs in the past to maintain accessibility for students. [7]
Notable EWP alumni include actors Mako, Nobu McCarthy, Pat Morita, James Hong, Yuki Shimoda, John Lone, Rodney Kageyama, [8] BD Wong, James Saito, Freda Foh Shen, Lauren Tom, Amy Hill, Alec Mapa, Alan Muraoka, Emily Kuroda, Sala Iwamatsu, Chris Tashima, Anthony Begonia, John Cho, Kal Penn, Daniel Dae Kim, Matthew Yang King, Parvesh Cheena, James Kyson-Lee, Masi Oka, Francois Chau, Jeanne Sakata, Rachna Khatau, Greg Watanabe, Dante Basco, and dramatists Wakako Yamauchi, Hiroshi Kashiwagi, David Henry Hwang, Philip Kan Gotanda, Roberta Uno, R.A. Shiomi, Judith Nihei and Soji Kashiwagi, and Clyde Kusatsu. East West Players has also had the opportunity to work with many respected artists and faculty such as actors Dennis Dun, Danny Glover, [9] 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 to win Tony Awards, Obie Awards, 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, [10] Cornerstone Theater Company, [11] Ma-Yi Theatre Company, and Cedar Grove OnStage.
EWP hosts an annual gala fundraiser in order to honor "individuals [as well as corporations and foundations] who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft." There are five awards: the Visionary Award, Corporate/Foundation Visionary Award, Made in American Award, Breakout Performance Award, and the Founders Award. Past honorees include Tia Carrere, John Cho, Tim Dang, Prince Gomolvilas, Amy Hill, Mako, Mike Shinoda, BD Wong, [12] and Michelle Yeoh. [13]
The event itself comprises a formal dinner followed by a silent auction. Proceeds from the event go directly toward funding the theatre's many educational and artistic programs. [14]
| Production Title | Written by | Directed by | In Association with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Ho | Andy Lowe | ||
| Today is My Birthday | Susan Soon He Stanton | Lily Tung Crystal | |
| Kaidan Project: Alone | Lisa Sanaye Dring and Chelsea Sutton | Rogue Artists Ensemble | |
| From Number to Name | Kristina Wong | API Rise | |
| 1 Hour Photo | Tetsuro Shigematsu | Richard Wolfe | Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre |
| Running | Danny Pudi | Arpita Mukherjee | Hypokrit Theatre Company and EnActe Arts |
| Season | Production Title | Directed by | Written by | Music by | Choreography by | In Association with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-1966 1st Season | Rashomon | Fay and Michael Kanin Based on short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa | ||||
| Twilight Crane | Junji Kinoshita | |||||
| Lady Aoi | Yukio Mishima | |||||
| 1967 2nd Season | Martyrs Can't Go Home | Soon-Teck Oh | ||||
| Camels Were Two-Legged in Peking | Soon-Teck Oh Adapted from a novel by Lao She | |||||
| 1968 3rd Season | The Medium | Gian-Carlo Menotti | ||||
| The Substitute, a Kyogen | ||||||
| The Servant of Two Masters | Carlo Goldoni | |||||
| The House of Bernarda Alba | Federigo Garcia Lorca | |||||
| 1969 4th Season | The Year of the Cock (revue) | |||||
| Now You See, Now You Don't | Henry Woon | |||||
| Three Kyogens | ||||||
| The Inspector General | Nikolai Gogol | |||||
| 1970 5th Season | Rashomon (revival) | Fay and Michael Kanin Based on short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa | ||||
| Tondemonai-Never Happen! | Soon-Teck Oh | |||||
| 1972 7th Season | Monkey | Ernest Harada (from a Chinese folktale) | ||||
| Three Kyogens | Leigh Kim, Betty Muramoto, Irvine Paik | |||||
| No Place For a Tired Ghost | Mako | |||||
| S.P.O.O.S. | Bill Shinkai | |||||
| Tales of Juan and Taro | Glenn Johnson and Alberto Isaac | |||||
| 1973 - 1974 8th Season | Enchanted Pumpkins | E.M. Rafn and Sheri Emond | ||||
| Transfers and the Rooming House | Conrad Bromberg | |||||
| Two Shades of Yellow: Coda | Alberto Isaac | |||||
| Two Shades of Yellow: Yellow Is My Favorite Color | Edward Sakamoto | |||||
| Pineapple White | Jon Shirota | |||||
| The Emperor's Nightingale | Sam Rosen | |||||
| 1974 - 1975 9th Season | Harry Kelly | Harold Heifetz | ||||
| In the Jungle of Cities | Bertolt Brecht | |||||
| The Year of the Dragon | Frank Chin | |||||
| When We Were Young | Momoko Iko | |||||
| 1975 - 1976 10th Season | A Doll's House | Henrik Ibsen | ||||
| Revelations as a Tight-Eyed Devil | Bill Shinkai | |||||
| S.P.O.O.S. (revival) | Bill Shinkai | |||||
| The Chickencoop Chinaman | Frank Chin | |||||
| Nobody On My Side of the Family Looks Like That! | Dom Magwili | |||||
| Three Sisters | Anton Chekhov | |||||
| The Asian American hearings: A Multi-Media Extravaganza | ||||||
| 1976 - 1977 11th Season | That's the Way the Fortune Cookie Crumbles | Edward Sakamoto | ||||
| And the Soul Shall Dance | Wakako Yamauchi | |||||
| Gee Pop | Frank Chin | |||||
| Psychechain | Irvin Paik Adapted from a short story by William Wu | |||||
| Twelfth Night | William Shakespeare | |||||
| 1977 - 1978 12th Season | Points of Departure | Paul Stephen Lim | ||||
| Bunnyhop | Jeffrey Paul Chan | |||||
| O-Men: An American Kabuki | Karen Yamashita | |||||
| 1978 - 1979 13th Season | Voices in the Shadows | Edward Sakamoto | ||||
| Frogs | Aristophanes | |||||
| The Avocado Kid or Zen and the Art of Guacamole | Philip Kan Gotanda | |||||
| Princess Charley | Book by Jim Ploss and Norman Cohen Lyrics by Jim Ploss | Roger Perry | ||||
| Pacific Overtures | Book by John Weidman Additional material by Hugh Wheeler Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | ||||
| 1979 - 1980 14th Season | Pacific Overtures (encore performance) | Book by John Weidman Additional material by Hugh Wheeler Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | |||
| Stories with Strings & Sticks & Shadows: Lawson | Lawson Inada | |||||
| Stories with Strings & Sticks & Shadows: Karasu Taro | Taro Yashima | |||||
| Stories with Strings & Sticks & Shadows: The Princess and the Fisherman & Magic Show | Michiko Tagawa | |||||
| Hawaii No Ka Oi: Aala Park and Manoa Valley | Edward Sakamoto | |||||
| What the Enemy Looks Like | Perry Miyake, Jr. | |||||
| Da Kine | Leigh Kim | |||||
| Happy End | Lyrics by Bertolt Brecht Original German play by Dorothy Lane Book and lyrics adapted by Michael Reingold | Kurt Weill | ||||
| 1980 - 1981 15th Season | F.O.B. | David Henry Hwang | ||||
| Hokusai Sketchbooks | Seiichi Yashiro Translated by Ted T. Takaya | |||||
| Godspell | Conceived by John-Michael Tebelak Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz | Stephen Schwartz | ||||
| Not a Through Street | Wakako Yamauchi | |||||
| East West Stories | ||||||
| The Life of the Land | Edward Sakamoto | |||||
| 1981 - 1982 16th Season | Station J | Richard France | ||||
| Christmas in Camp | Dom Magwili Conceived by Mako | |||||
| 12-1-A | Wakako Yamauchi | |||||
| Pilgrimage | Edward Sakamoto | |||||
| 1982 - 1983 17th Season | Imperial Valley | Margaret DePriest | ||||
| Have You Heard | Soon-Teck Oh Additional writing by Kwang Lim Kim and Sukman Kim | Yong Mann Kim | ||||
| Yamashita | Roger Pulvers | |||||
| The Dream of Kitamura | Philip Kan Gotanda | |||||
| No Smile For Strangers | Harold Heifetz | |||||
| Yellow Fever | R.A. Shiomi | |||||
| 1983 - 1984 18th Season | Live Oak Store | Hiroshi Kashiwagi | ||||
| You're on the Tee & Ripples in the Pond | Jon Shirota | |||||
| The Grunt Childe | Lawrence O'Sullivan | |||||
| Paint Your Face on a Drowning in the River | Craig Kee Strete | |||||
| Asaga Kimashita | Velina Hasu Houston | |||||
| Visitors From Nagasaki | Perry Miyake, Jr. | |||||
| 1984 - 1985 19th Season | A Song for a Nisei Fisherman | Philip Kan Gotanda | ||||
| The Music Lessons | Wakako Yamauchi | |||||
| The Threepenny Opera | Bertolt Brecht English adaptations by Marc Blitzstein | Kurt Weill | ||||
| 1985 - 1986 20th Season | Christmas in Camp II | Dom Magwili Conceived by Mako Additional writing by Mako and Keone Young | ||||
| The Memento | Wakako Yamauchi | |||||
| Rashomon (revival) | Fay and Michael Kanin Based on short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa | |||||
| 1986 - 1987 21st Season | Chikamtsu's Forest | Edward Sakamoto | ||||
| The Gambling Den | Akemi Kikumura | |||||
| Wong Bow Rides Again | Cherylene Lee | |||||
| The Medium (revival) | Gian-Carlo Menotti | |||||
| The Zoo Story | Edward Albee | |||||
| Hughie | Eugene O'Neill | |||||
| Lady of Larkspur Lotion | Tennessee Williams | |||||
| 1987 - 1988 22nd Season | A Chorus Line | Conceived by Michael Bennett Lyrics by Edward Kleben Book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante | Marvin Hamlisch | |||
| Stew Rice | Edward Sakamoto | |||||
| Mother Tongue | Paul Stephen Lim | |||||
| Mishima | Rosanna Yamagiqa Alfaro | |||||
| Where Nobody Belongs | Colin McKay | |||||
| An Afternoon at Willie's Bar | Paul Price | |||||
| 1988 - 1989 23rd Season | The Fantasticks | Words by Tom Jones | Harvey Schmidt | |||
| Laughter and False Teeth | Hiroshi Kashiwagi | |||||
| Webster Street Blues | Warren Sumio Kubota | |||||
| Vacancy | Lillian Hara and Dorie Rush Taylor Based on "An Apple, An Orange" by Diane Johnson | |||||
| 1989 - 1990 24th Season | Company | Book by George Furth Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | |||
| The Chairman's Wife | Wakako Yamauchi | |||||
| Performance Anxiety | Vernon Takeshita | |||||
| Come Back little Sheba | William Inge | |||||
| 1990-1991 25th Season | Songs of Harmony | Karen Huie | ||||
| Doughball | Perry Miyake, Jr. | |||||
| Hedda Gabler | Henrik Ibsen | |||||
| Canton Jazz Club | Book by Dom Magwili Lyrics by Tim Dang | Nathan Wang and Joel Iwataki | ||||
| 1991-1992 26th Season | Not a Through Street | Wakako Yamauchi | ||||
| Uncle Tadao | Rick Shiomi | |||||
| Six Characters in Search of an Author | Luigi Pirandello Translation by Robert Cornthwaite | |||||
| Accomplice | Rupert Holmes | |||||
| 1992 - 1993 27th Season | Into the Woods | Book by James Lapine Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | |||
| Fish Head Soup | Philip Kan Gotanda | |||||
| The Rising Tide of Color | Vernon Takeshita | |||||
| The Dance & Railroad House of Sleeping Beauties | David Henry Hwang | |||||
| 1993 - 1994 28th Season | 29 1/2 Dreams, Women Walking Through Walls | Conceived and developed by Nobu McCarthy and Tim Dang Written by Emily Kuroda, Jeanne Sakata, Judy SooHoo, Marilyn Tokuda, and Denise Uyehara | ||||
| Arthur and Leila | Cherylene Lee | |||||
| The Maids | Jean Genet | |||||
| Letters to a Student Revolutionary | Elizabeth Wong | |||||
| 1994 - 1995 29th Season | Hiro | Denise Uyehara | ||||
| Sweeney Todd | Book by Hugh Wheeler Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | ||||
| Twice Told Christmas Tales | Judy SooHoo | |||||
| S.A.M. I Am | Garrett Omata | |||||
| Cleveland Raining | Sung J. Rho | |||||
| Twelf Nite O Wateva! | James Grant Benton | |||||
| 1995 - 1996 30th Season | Merrily We Roll Along | Book by George Futh Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | |||
| And the Soul Shall Dance | Wakako Yamauchi | |||||
| Whitelands: Part I – Porcelain Part II – A Language Of Their Own Part III – Half Lives | Chay Yew | |||||
| Lettice & Lovage | Peter Shaffer | |||||
| 1996 - 1997 31st Season | Cabaret | Book by Joe Masteroff Lyrics by Fred Ebb | John Kander | |||
| Ikebana | Alice Tuan | |||||
| The Taste of Kona Coffee | Edward Sakamoto | |||||
| F.O.B. | David Henry Hwang | |||||
| Woman From the Other Side of the World | Linda Faigao-Hall | |||||
| 1997-1998 32nd Season | Pacific Overtures | Book by John Weidman Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | |||
| Heading East | Book and Lyrics by Robert Lee | Leon Ko | ||||
| Big Hunk O' Burnin' Love | Prince Gomolvilas | |||||
| Lava | Edward Sakamoto | |||||
| Dance and Sing for the Holidays | Deborah Nishimura | Deborah Nishimura | ||||
| 1998 - 1999 33rd Season | Yohen | Philip Kan Gotanda | ||||
| Carry the Tiger to the Mountain | Cherylene Lee | |||||
| Hanako | Chungmi Kim | |||||
| Beijing Spring | Lyrics by Tim Dang | Joel Iwataki | ||||
| 1999 - 2000 34th Season | Leilani's Hibiscus | Jon Shirota | ||||
| Golden Child | David Henry Hwang | |||||
| My Tired Broke Ass Pontificating Slapstick Funk | Euijoon Kim | |||||
| Follies | Book by James Goldman Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | ||||
| 2000 - 2001 35th Season | The Theory of Everything | Prince Gomolvilas | ||||
| The Year of the Dragon | Frank Chin | |||||
| A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | ||||
| Yankee Dawg You Die | Philip Kan Gotanda | |||||
| 2001 - 2002 36th Season | Red | Chay Yew | Chay Yew | |||
| Chay Yew | Philip Kan Gotanda | |||||
| Monster | Derek Nguyen | |||||
| And the World Goes 'Round | Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, David Thompson Lyrics by Fred Ebb | John Kander | ||||
| 2002 - 2003 37th Season | Queen of the Remote Control | Sujata G. Bhatt | ||||
| The Tempest | William Shakespeare | |||||
| Little Shop of Horrors | Book and lyrics by Howard Ashman Based on the film by Roger Corman Screenplay by Charles Griffith | Alan Menken | ||||
| The Nisei Widows Club | Betty Tokudani | |||||
| 2003 - 2004 38th Season | Passion | Book by James Lapine Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | |||
| Masha No Home | Lloyd Suh | |||||
| The Wind Cries Mary | Philip Kan Gotanda | |||||
| M. Butterfly | David Henry Hwang | |||||
| 2004 - 2005 39th Season | Mixed Messages | Cherylene Lee | ||||
| As Vishnu Dreams | Shishir Kurup | |||||
| Proof | David Auburn | |||||
| Imelda: A New Musical | Book by Sachi Oyama Lyrics by Aaron Coleman | Nathan Wang | ||||
| 2005 - 2006 40th Season | Stew Rice | Edward Sakamoto | ||||
| Equus | Peter Schaffer | |||||
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Book by Hugh Wheeler Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim | ||||
| Motty-Chon | Perry Miyake | |||||
| 2006 - 2007 41st Season | Slides: The Fear Is Real... | Mr. Miyagi's Theatre Company | ||||
| Surfing DNA | Jodi Long | |||||
| Master Class | Terrence McNally | |||||
| I Land | Keo Woolford | |||||
| Yellow Face | David Henry Hwang | |||||
| 2007 - 2008 42nd Season | Durango | Julia Cho | ||||
| Dawn's Light | Jeanne Sakata | |||||
| Voices From Okinawa | Jonathan Shirota | |||||
| Pippin | Tim Dang | Book by Roger O. Hirson | Stephen Schwartz | Blythe Matsui and Jason Tyler Chong | ||
| 2008 - 2009 43rd Season: "Beyond Presence" | Be Like Water | Chris Tashima | Dan Kwong | |||
| The Joy Luck Club | Jon Lawrence Rivera | Susan Kim Based on the novel by Amy Tan | ||||
| Ixnay | Jeff Liu | Paul Kikuchi | ||||
| Marry Me a Little | Jules Aaron | Craig Lucas and Norman René | Stephen Sondheim | |||
| The Last Five Years | Jason Robert Brown | Jason Robert Brown | ||||
| 2009 - 2010 44th Season: "Art is..." | Art | Alberto Isaac | Yasmina Reza | |||
| Po Boy Tango | Oanh Nguyen | Kenneth Lin | ||||
| Cave Quest | Diane Rodriguez | Les Thomas | ||||
| Road to Saigon | Jon Lawrence Rivera | Jon Lawrence Rivera | Nathan Wang | |||
| 2010 - 2011 45th Season | Mysterious Skin | Tim Dang | Prince Gomolvilas | |||
| Crimes of the Heart | Leslie Ishii | Beth Henley | ||||
| Wrinkles | Jeff Liu | Paul Kikuchi | ||||
| Krunk Fu Battle Battle | Tim Dang | Book by Qui Nguyen Lyrics by Beau Sia | Marc Macalintal | |||
| 2011 - 2012 46th Season: "Languages of Love" | A Widow of No Importance | Shaheen Vaaz | Shane Sakhrani | South Asian Network and USC School of Theatre | ||
| The Language Archive | Jessica Kubzansky | Julia Cho | Kaya Press and Libros Schmibros Lending Library & Bookshop | |||
| Three Year Swim Club | Keo Woolford | Lee Tonouchi | ||||
| A Little Night Music | Tim Dang | Book by Hugh Wheeler | Stephen Sondheim | Reggie Lee | ||
| 2012 - 2013 47th Season: "Spirited Away" | Encounter | Anil Natyaveda and Aparna Sindhoor | S.M. Raju and Aparna Sindhoor Inspired by a short story by Mahasweta Dav | Isaac Thomas Kottukapally | Anil Natyaveda and Aparna Sindhoor | |
| Tea, with Music | Jon Lawrence Rivera | Velina Hasu Houston | Nathan Wang | |||
| Christmas in Hanoi | Jeff Liu | Eddie Borey | ||||
| Chess | Tim Dang | Tim Rice | Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus | |||
| 2013 - 2014 48th Season: "Making Light" | Steel Magnolias | Laurie Woolery | Robert Harling | Keali'i Ceballos | ||
| The Nisei Widows Club: How Tomi Got Her Groove Back | Amy Hill | Betty Tokudani | ||||
| A Nice Indian Boy | Snehal Desai | Madhuri Shekar | ||||
| Beijing Spring | Tim Dang | Tim Dang | Joel Iwataki | Marcus Choi | ||
| 2014 - 2016 Extended Two-Year 50th Anniversary Season: "Golden" | Animals Out of Paper | Jennifer Chang | Rajiv Joseph | |||
| Takarazuka!!! | Leslie Ishii | Susan Soon He Stanton | Cindera Che | |||
| Washer/Dryer | Peter J. Kuo | Nandita Shenoy | ||||
| The Who's Tommy | Snehal Desai | Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff | Pete Townshend | Janet Roston | ||
| Chinglish | Jeff Liu | David Henry Hwang | ||||
| Criers for Hire | Jon Lawrence Rivera | Giovanni Ortega | ||||
| La Cage Aux Folles | Tim Dang | Book by Harvey Fierstein Based on play by Jean Poiret | Jerry Herman | Reggie Lee | ||
| 2016 - 2017 51st Season: "Radiant" | Mama Bares in Concert: Once Upon a Play Date | Sean T. Cawelti | Joan Almedilla, Ai Goeku Cheung, Deedee Magno Hall, and Jennifer Paz | |||
| Road to Kumano | TAIKOPROJECT | |||||
| Kentucky | Deena Selenow | Leah Nanako Winkler | ||||
| Free Outgoing | Snehal Desai | Anupama Chandrasekhar | ||||
| Next to Normal | Nancy Keystone | Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey | Tom Kitt | |||
| 2017 - 2018 52nd Season: "The Company We Keep" | Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin | Sean T. Cawelti | Lisa Dring and Chelsea Sutton with Rogue Artists Ensemble | |||
| Yohen | Ben Guillory | Philip Kan Gotanda | Robey Theatre Company | |||
| Allegiance (musical) | Snehal Desai | Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione | Jay Kuo | Rumi Oyama | Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) | |
| Soft Power | Leigh Silverman | David Henry Hwang | Jeanine Tesori | Sam Pinkleton | Center Theatre Group | |
| As We Babble On | Alison M. De La Cruz | Nathan Ramos | ||||
| 2018 - 2019 53rd Season: "Culture Shock" | Vietgone | Jennifer Chang | Qui Nguyen | Shammy Dee | ||
| Man of God | Jesca Prudencio | Anna Moench | ||||
| Mamma Mia (musical) | Snehal Desai | Catherine Johnson | Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson | Preston Mui | ||
| 2019 - 2020 54th Season: "We Are the Ones We Are Waiting For" | Hannah & the Dread Gazebo | Jiehae Park | Jennifer Chang | The Fountain Theatre | ||
| The Great Leap | Lauren Yee | BD Wong | Pasadena Playhouse | |||
| Sugar Plum Fairy | Sandra Tsing Loh | Bart DeLorenzo | ||||
| Assassins (musical) | Snehal Desai | Book by John Weidman Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Stephen Sondheim |
David Henry Hwang is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays FOB, Golden Child, and Yellow Face. Three of his works have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Timothy G. Dang is an American actor and theatre director originally from Hawaii of Asian origin. He served as the artistic director at the Asian American theatre company, East West Players (EWP), in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California until 2016.
Randall Park is an Asian-American actor. He is best known for his role as Louis Huang in the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat (2015–2020), for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 2016.
Prince Gomolvilas is a Thai American playwright. He has written many plays which have been produced in the United States and won several distinctive awards, including a PEN Center USA West Literary Award for Drama.
Suzy Nakamura is an American actress and improv comedian. She is known for her many guest appearances on sitcoms such as According to Jim, Half and Half, 8 Simple Rules, Curb Your Enthusiasm and How I Met Your Mother and her recurring role in the early seasons of the drama The West Wing as assistant to the Sam Seaborn character, as well as Dr. Miura in the ABC sitcom Modern Family. She had leading roles in the television shows Dr. Ken and Avenue 5.
Christopher Inadomi 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. Tashima directed, co-wrote, and starred in the 26-minute film Visas and Virtue for which he and producer Chris Donahue won the 1998 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film.
Tim Toyama is a playwright and producer. He is Sansei living in Los Angeles, California. He is co-founder of the Asian American media company Cedar Grove Productions, and its sister Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He attended California State University, Northridge (CSUN) as an English major.
Cedar Grove Productions is an independent production company based in Los Angeles, California, specializing in media and theatre arts representing the Asian Pacific American community. Media projects are educational, with Visual Communications (VC) serving as a non-profit fiscal sponsor.
Hiroshi Kashiwagi was a Nisei poet, playwright and actor. For his writing and performance work on stage he is considered an early pioneer of Asian American theatre.
Shizuko Hoshi is a Japanese and American actress, theater director, dancer and choreographer. Born in Japan, she is a graduate of Tokyo Women's College and University of Southern California. She was married to actor Mako, the founding artistic director of East West Players in Los Angeles, and worked closely with the Asian-American theatre company from 1965 to 1989.
Lily Mariye is an American television director, filmmaker and actress.
Takayo Fischer is an American stage, film and television actress, as well as voice-over actress.
Asian American theatre is theatre written, directed or acted by Asian Americans. From initial efforts by four theatre companies in the 1960s, Asian-American theatre has grown to around forty groups today. Early productions often had Asian themes or settings; "yellowface" was a common medium for displaying the perceived exoticism of the East in American performance. With the growing establishment of second-generation Asian-Americans in the 21st century, it is becoming more common today to see Asian-Americans in roles that defy historical stereotypes in the United States.
Rodney Masao Kageyama was an American stage, film and TV actor. He was a Nisei Japanese American (second-generation) and besides acting in Asian American theater groups, he was also a director and designer. With his roles in the “Gung Ho” film and television series and the “Karate Kid” franchise, he was a trailblazer for Asian Americans in Hollywood.
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. It is a division of the entertainment company, Cedar Grove Productions and their focus is to develop, produce and present new and original Asian American theatre works.
The Asian American Theater Company(AATC) is a non-profit theatre performance company based in San Francisco. Its stated mission is "To connect people to Asian American culture through theatre".
Tisa Chang is a Chinese-American actress and theatre director born in Chongqing. Her father, Ping-Hsun Chang, was a diplomat, and her family moved from China to New York City when she was a child. Chang was interested in theatre and began studying acting in high school, at the High School of Performing Arts, then at Barnard College. Soon after finishing college, she started her career as an actor performing in Broadway plays and musicals, including Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen and The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel. She also appeared in a few films, including Ambush Bay and Greetings.
Sumi Haru was an American film and television actress, producer, actor, journalist, poet, and the first national vice-president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Haru is best known for such films and television shows as Krakatoa, East of Java, MASH, The Beverly Hillbillies and Hill Street Blues.
Paula Williams Madison is an American journalist, writer, businessperson, executive and a former NBCUniversal executive who is now CEO of a family investment group based in Chicago. On May 20, 2011, she retired from NBC after more than 35 years in the news media. She is currently the Chairman and CEO of Madison Media Management LLC, a Los Angeles–based media consultancy company with global reach.
Ernesto Cloma Briones Jr., known as Jon Jon Briones, is a Filipino-American actor best known for his work in musical theatre. He was born in Quezon City, Philippines and became a United States citizen in 2010.
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