East West Players (EWP) in collaboration with the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) is proud to present:

Excerpts from "THE GIRLS FROM AFAR"
By Libby Emmons
Directed by Jeff Liu
A Staged Reading with Dante Basco, Fran de Leon, James Kyson Lee, Camille Mana, and Tamlyn Tomita

Slavery and human trafficking take on many forms sometimes right before our eyes. With her parents out of town, a daughter sneaks home for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend. But when they arrive, they discover two women and her parents’ secret. THE GIRLS FROM AFAR explores two worlds that coexist, yet are often invisible to each other. What happens when they finally come face to face?

The reading will be followed by a panel discussion and reception. This reading is presented as part of a month-long campaign to raise the awareness of human trafficking and modern day slavery. To learn more on human trafficking, visit: www.castla.org.

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Or call East West Players at: 213-625-7000.

*SPECIAL: Pay what you can!

Day of Remembrance 2010

The Day of Remembrance commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, which led to the unconstitutional forced removal of thousands of Americans of Japanese ancestry from their homes on the West Coast and parts of Hawai`i by the U.S. government. A grassroots movement to petition the government for an official apology and reparations, pilgrimages to Manzanar and events like Day of Remembrance, organized in Japanese American communities throughout the country, sparked the successful redress campaign that culminated with the signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

During World War II, Fred Korematsu challenged the constitutionality of the incarceration Japanese Americans in a landmark civil rights case known as Korematsu v. United States. He lost and was sent to Topaz concentration camp. In the 1980’s a team of lawyers attempted to get his conviction overturned. The 2010 Day of Remembrance will explore this case and its relevance today.

Program

Emcees: Dana Heatherton and Tony Osumi
Remembrance Ceremony
Keynote Speaker: Dale Minami, Lead Counsel of the Coram Nobis legal team
Performance Selection from "Leaps of Faith" by Great Leap/Nobuko Miyamoto
Calls to Action

Light Refreshments following program
Arrive early - limited seating

Presented in collaboration with the Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress, the Japanese American Citizen’s League–Pacific Southwest, and the National Museum.

Saturday, February 27 * 11 AM & 3 PM
Sunday, February 28 * 2 PM
$23.00 members; $25.00 non-members. To purchase tickets, please call (323) 769-5503

A Play by Hiroshi Kashiwagi Directed by Darrell Kunitomi Southern California Premiere Award-winning Nisei playwright, actor, poet, and author Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s Southern California premiere of his new two-act play about a young Nisei couple torn apart over the infamous loyalty questions #27 & #28. Forty years later, we meet Tak and Grace again, and learn how these questions and the decisions they made back then affected them for the rest of their lives.

Writers Gallery Play Reading Presented by EWP:
THERE OR HERE
by Jennifer Maisel
directed by Chil Kong

A dark comedy about a mixed race American couple who outsources their pregnancy to India. Tomorrow Robyn and Ajay meet the woman who will have her egg and his sperm implanted inside her. Tonight they won't have sex even though they want to. Past and present, America and India - connected by the tenuous threads of time zones and technology. Outsourcedcomputer technicians, fast food order takers and phone sex operators become the refuge they can't seem to be for each other.

Saturday, May 01 * 11 AM & 3 PM
Sunday, May 02 * 2 PM
$23.00 members; $25.00 non-members. To purchase tickets, please call (323) 769-5503

It’s “Men versus the Women” in the Grateful Crane Ensemble’s delightful spoof of Japan’s New Year’s Eve singing contest, Kouhaku Uta Gassen. The show features nostalgic and classic Japanese songs and entertaining impressions of your all-time favorite Japanese singers.

The 26th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will be from April 29th to May 8th. Presented by Visual Communications (VC), the nation’s premier APA media arts center, screenings will premier and showcase Asian American and International Asian cinema in the nation. The film festival screens 150 films and videos from over 20 countries. 200 industry professionals including filmmakers, celebrities, and press are in attendance. In addition to screenings, the festival offers a wide range of activities including seminars, workshops, and special events. Every year, over 14,000 people attend this film festival, which launches the celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

The Tateuchi Democracy Forum will feature a number of screenings including S. Leo Chiang's award winning documentary, A Village Called Versailles and new media works by seniors from VC’s and Diskovery Center's Digital Histories program.

For tickets and program information, please visit www.vconline.org/festival

Join us in celebration of Asian, Pacific Island, and California Indigenous cultures through performance, documentary, and more!

FREE!
The Society of Friends (Quakers) were one of the few groups to publicly defend and support the Japanese Americans during the Second World War. Learn more about their important social justice work and legacy that extends to today.

Presented in collaboration with Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress, American Friends Service Committee, and the National Museum.

The Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival is a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts, and every year brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and Mixed families for two days of workshops, readings, film screenings, a children's event and a live performance.

The Festival has showcased many talented filmmakers, writers, and performers including Rebecca Walker, Kip Fulbeck, Danzy Senna, Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts, Angela Nissel, Neil Aitken, Sundee Frasier, Karyn Parsons and many, many more.

The festival dates coincide with Loving Day, a global network of annual events celebrating the 1967 Loving decision affirming the right of people of different races to marry. The Loving Prize, presented during the festival, is awarded annually to outstanding artists, storytellers and community leaders for inspirational dedication to celebrating and illuminating the Mixed racial and cultural experience. Past recipients of the prize are: James McBride, Kip Fulbeck, Angela Nissel, and Maria P.P. Root.

For schedule information, visit mxroots.org. The festival is free and is and open to the public!