As many of you know, perhaps my biggest claim to fame is my 1998 Oscar win for my short film, Visas and Virtue, inspired by the true story of Holocaust rescuer Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara and his wife, Yukiko.  Chiune passed away in 1986, but I had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Sugihara in 1998 when former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan hosted a reception honoring her at the Mayor's residence in Hancock Park. She was the most elegant, gracious lady, with the kindest eyes, and having known, studied and worked so diligently at honoring her Humanitarian work, the experience of just being in her presence was the most humbling I have known.

Though most of the Humanitarian honors have been bestowed on her husband – for it was his work that allowed many thousands of Polish Jewish refugees to escape the impending Holocaust in 1940, via his consulate in Lithuania – I have always felt that it was her urging that was a major influence in Mr. Sugihara's decision to risk his career, and his life, and defy his government, and proceed to write transit visas 16 hours a day for three weeks.  When making our film, we made a conscious effort to include her in the story, oftentimes taking dramatic license to do so, as our way of honoring her along side her husband.

She was a Humanitarian, and a warm Human being.

Mrs. Sugihara passed away three days ago, at age 94.

Below is an announcement from Nobuki Sugihara, youngest son of Chiune and Yukiko.

I am grateful to have been a small part of honoring them both.

—CT







Mrs. Yukiko Sugihara joins Chiune, Hiroki and Haruki.
09/10/2008

Dear Friends,

My mother Mrs. Yukiko Sugihara passed away peacefully on the 8th of October 2008.
She was 94 years old.  Family funeral was taken care by my brother Chiaki Sugihara today in Fujisawa Japan.  Yukiko's cremated ashes and bones will be buried in Kamakura where Chiune, Hiroki and Haruki are buried, 30 days from today.  

I would like to thank all of you who gave my mother warm support and love in her dramatic life with Chiune Sugihara.

Yukiko is now joining my father Chiune and my brothers Hiroki and Haruki in the hereafter with happiness. 

My family and I would like to invite you for Yukiko Sugihara's farewell meeting at Aoyama Sougisho in Tokyo on the 9th of November at 13:00 o'clock.  Link for address and map:  www.aoyamasougisho.jp/map.html


I would like to request not to wear funeral suits as this way Yukiko would feel more comfortable and joyful with you.

Thank you.

Nobuki Sugihara and Family.

Ghost of Bruce Lee Appears in Dan Kwong's "Be Like Water"

By Soji Kashiwagi

Over 35 years ago, solo performance artist Dan Kwong remembers the moment martial arts legend Bruce Lee entered his life, and changed him forever.

It was 1972 at the historic Biograph movie theater in Chicago.  Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury" was on the big screen and Kwong, a 20-something Asian American male who grew up in the 1960s with no Asian male heroes to call his own, sat there with his eyes popped out and his mouth wide open.  When Bruce Lee entered and threw his first punch, Kwong's world, at that moment, was turned upside down.

"He was magnificent!" said Kwong.

So magnificent that when Bruce Lee proceeded to punch and whirl and kick and  take out all these bad guys all by himself, and just stood there, as Kwong remembers, "With this wild look on his face, like he's gonna explode from the inside," the audience, made up of mostly young, white males, started to cheer.

And Kwong sat there, crowd going bananas, Bruce Lee blazing hot on screen, and he started to cry.

Thirty six years later, Kwong, now 53, writes about this moment in his first play entitled "Be Like Water," which is currently receiving its world premiere at the East West Players David Henry Hwang Theater in Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles.


"Be Like Water" playwright DAN KWONG at work – EWP • Aug. '08 (photo by: LILIA HUANG)


"If you were an Asian guy," says Frank Fong, the Asian American father character in the play, "There was nothing out there to look up to. Nothing!  Until Bruce Lee.  It was like growing up in a dry, empty desert.  Then one day you walk over a hill—and there's the Pacific Ocean.  That was Bruce.  He was the ocean."

Kwong, the playwright, added: "Bruce Lee was international.  He was global.  He went beyond only a single group of people.  But he did have a very specific impact for a specific group of people, which is guys like me, and I wanted to shine a light on that."

So with Bruce Lee as his inspiration, Kwong added in a mother/daughter conflict, disco dancing teens, Gung Fu fighting and the ghost of Bruce Lee presiding over the entire proceedings while appearing in various forms of water—and a full-length play was born.  

Presented in association with Cedar Grove Onstage and directed by Academy Award winner Chris Tashima, "Be Like Water" is set in Chicago, 1978, where we meet 13-year-old Tracy Fong, a Gung Fu fanatic tomboy who is challenged by school bullies, airhead rivals and a controlling mother who just wants her to be a "normal" girl.

Throughout the play, as Tracy's life spins out of control, the ghost of Bruce Lee appears on stage to teach Tracy the true meaning of strength and the power of water.


SAYA TOMIOKA as Tracy with CESAR CIPRIANO as Ghost of Bruce Lee
in "Be Like Water" (photo by: MICHAEL LAMONT)

"There's two inspirations for this story," said Kwong.  "One, I wanted to express some things I believe about family and relationships and what happens to people who don't fit in.  The other main inspiration was I wanted to say something about the very specific impact Bruce Lee had for Asian American men."

Some might suggest that these are two separate plays.  Kwong disagrees.

"It turns out Bruce Lee had a lot to say about family and a lot to say about relationships.  He was just as much a philosopher as he was the greatest martial artist of his time.  So to combine these two ideas was actually very natural."

Tashima, the play's director, agrees.

"It's really a show about Asian American identity and family," said Tashima, who himself grew up inspired by Bruce Lee.  "But Dan is using one of our most recognizable heroes in Bruce Lee, and he brings him back as a ghost who helps a young girl who's going through family issues.  It's a really interesting idea," said Tashima.


Playwright DAN KWONG (LEFT) with director CHRIS TASHIMA (photo by: LILIA HUANG)

As the show's director, Tashima knows he has a lot of theatrical elements to play with, but has been focusing most of his energy on the mother/daughter relationship.

"That's the human story," said Tashima. "We've been spending a lot of time in rehearsal making sure that this relationship rings true."

Kwong knows that many will be able to relate to the 13-year-old daughter rebelling against the high expectations of her mother, especially those that grew up in traditional Asian or Asian American households.

"Growing up with a relentlessly demanding, critical parent is pretty common in our cultural tradition," said Kwong, who is of Chinese and Japanese ancestry.  "It's part of what has made our community successful and functioning in society.  But that comes at a cost."

Asian Americans, growing up in this "pressure cooker" environment, often lose their sense of self acceptance and mutual acceptance, according to Kwong.  "That becomes very elusive because nothing is ever good enough.  We cannot accept ourselves and we cannot accept each other," he said.  

So in the play, we see what happens to 13-year-old Tracy as she nears her boiling point.

"She gets it from her mom.  She gets it from the school bully, Jeremy—this racism, sexism and homophobia.  It's very raw and ugly," said Kwong.

Since 1989, Kwong has been best known to local audiences for his autobiographical solo performance pieces such as "Secrets of a Samurai Centerfielder," "Tales From the Fractured Tao," "The Dodo Vaccine," and his latest work, "It's Great 2B American."

As a solo performer, he has written, acted and directed his own works, created his own props, built his own costumes, designed and constructed his own sets and hung his own lights at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica and at venues across the country and around the world.

"As a soloist, I can write something and immediately bring it to life," said Kwong.  "But with a multi-character piece, it takes longer and it's more complicated to do."

But it's an experience he's learning from and enjoying.

"To see the characters and scenes actually coming to life on stage has been incredibly exciting. And having this creative team of expert specialists—from dance and fight choreographers, to costumes, to props, to lighting and set design…that's been a real treat to have these incredibly talented specialists contributing to the vision."



(CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT), SHAWN HUANG as Bruce Lee, MICHAEL SUN LEE as Frank, PAM HAYASHIDA as Kimiko, ARIEL RIVERA as Tina and SAYA TOMIOKA as Tracy in "Be Like Water" (photo by: MICHAEL LAMONT)

"And it's been a real pleasure to watch Chris working with the actors," said Kwong.  "The way he supports them and encourages their creativity in finding the truth in each scene and in each moment.  And it's been really delightful to work with these teenage actors.  They're energy is refreshing and reminds me of a certain kind of innocence."  

And when this innocence gets threatened in his play by a bigoted bully, enter Bruce Lee, Kwong's superhero, who guides and comforts Tracy with his words and philosophy instead of with punches and kicks.

"He's the helping hand we all wish we had in our time of need growing up," said Kwong.  And in the end, says Kwong, Tracy learns that the act of opening her heart—something she had once considered a weakness—actually makes her stronger.

As for his overall message, Kwong wants people to see the "preciousness of family.  Sometimes the obstacles that look so overwhelming between people are not as permanent or formidable as you think they are.  And that Bruce Lee was something special."



"Be Like Water" is currently running at the East West Players' David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso Street in downtown Los Angeles.  The show runs until October 12, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.  Tickets are $35 Orchestra, $30 Balcony.

For tickets and information, call the East West Players at 213/625-7000 or purchase tickets online at EastWestPlayers.org.

Sorry for not having blogged in awhile, but I've been very busy rehearsing our new show. It has been a true delight! I cannot say enough about our brilliant cast, who have their hands full with everything that is being asked of them for this production. But, they are truly talented and dedicated beyond my wishes, so I can only be thankful to be working with them all. It is going to be a great show! Come check it out if you are in Los Angeles this month, thru Oct. 12. Thanks!
—CT




East West Players
TIM DANG, Producing Artistic Director
in association with Cedar Grove OnStage
presents

BE LIKE WATER
by DAN KWONG
Directed by CHRIS TASHIMA
Martial Arts Choreography by DIANA LEE INOSANTO & RON BALICKI
Dance Choreography by BLYTHE MATSUI

Featuring
YURIE ANN CHO ~ CESAR CIPRIANO ~ JORDON DANG
JONATHAN DECKER ~ PAM HAYASHIDA ~ SHAWN HUANG
MICHAEL SUN LEE ~ YVONNE LU ~ STEPHEN OYOUNG
SEAN PEAVY ~ ARIEL RIVERA ~ SAYA TOMIOKA

Set Designer AKEIME MITTERLEHNER Costume Designer NAOMI YOSHIDA
Lighting Designer JOSE LOPEZ Sound Designer DAVE IWATAKI
Property Master KEN TAKEMOTO Hair & Makeup Designer ALYSSA RAVENWOOD
Projections Designer ALEXANDER GAO Assoc. Production Manager IRMA ESCAMILLA
Assistant Stage Manager LETITIA CHANG Stage Manager ONDINA V. DOMINGUEZ

A humorous family drama with Bruce Lee spirit!

Chicago, 1978. Disco rules. Five years since the tragic death of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. Tracy Fong is a 13-year old ass-kicking, gung-fu fanatic tomboy, challenged by school bullies, airhead rivals, and a mother who just wants her to be a "normal" girl. When bad goes to worse, the Ghost of Bruce Lee appears to teach her the true meaning of strength and the true power of water.

(This production contains adult language)

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!

www.EastWestPlayers.org, or call 213.625.7000

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION:

Wednesday - Saturday at 8PM; Sunday at 2PM

David Henry Hwang Theater
120 Judge John Aiso St.
Little Tokyo – Downtown
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Opening Night: September 17, $60 all seats
includes pre-show hosted bar & post-show reception with cast and crew

Performance Run: September 18–October 12 
Wed - Sat at 8PM; Sun at 2PM
$35 Orchestra, $30 Balcony

Pay-What-You-Can Performance: Thursday, September 18 at 8PM

Next Generation Community Night: Wed, September 24 at 7PM.
Free Pizza, Soda & Live Music.
$1 Opportunity Drawing Tickets. Prizes include Nintendo DS & Bruce Lee merchandise.

American Sign Language-interpreted Performance: Sun, October 5 at 2PM
$20 tickets for deaf & hard of hearing patrons.

Wine Down Fridays: Join us on Fridays and enjoy complimentary glasses of white or red wine served before the production
(Must be 21 years of age to drink)

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!

www.EastWestPlayers.org, or call 213.625.7000

East West Players (EWP), the Los Angeles-based Asian American theatre company, recently announced their 43rd Season, which will open this fall with a show I am directing, "Be Like Water," written by my good friend, award-winning performance artist, Dan Kwong.



This announcement comes after over a year of developement of this piece, through my theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage (CGO), which will be working in association with EWP on the production.

CGO originally planned on producing the play at THE NEW LATC in downtown Los Angeles, where we are in residence. But, when 2008 funding didn't quite come through there, we brought the piece to EWP. Many who know me know that EWP is where I got my start as an actor back in the mid 80s. It's also where I met my producing partner, Tim Toyama, and our production manager, Irma Escamilla. So, the three of us were extremely pleased when EWP decided to go with us this fall.

Dan has written a touching, revealing, very funny play, which will allow us to showcase some Asian American talent onstage in an original and entertaining way. I am so looking forward to getting to work!

I am about to get heavy into prepping for this play production, beginning with some very challenging casting. This family drama – with a twist – features a cast of 7, 4 of whom will be 13 or 14-year-olds. In addition to the dramatic and comedic demands of these young actors, one needs to be proficient at gung-fu, and another a great disco dancer. Then there's casting the major adult role in the play, which will be no small feat: finding an actor able to bring legendary Martial Arts icon Bruce Lee to life onstage.

Auditions will be later this month. Actor submissions are due July 14. All casting info follows below.

And if this has peaked your interest and you think you'd like to see the show, tickets and EWP season subscrīptions are now on sale online.

Check it out!

Thanks for reading,

—CT


CASTING NOTICE

"BE LIKE WATER"
East West Players in association with Cedar Grove On Stage
Theatre Production – AEA

WRITER: Dan Kwong
DIRECTOR: Chris Tashima
CASTING DIRECTOR: Meg Imamoto
AUDITION DATES: TBD – Approx mid to late July
START DATE: Rehearsals begin mid-August, performance begins Sep 11, runs thru Oct 12
PAY RATE: AEA LOA to BAT or non-Union
LOCATION: David Henry Hwang Theater, Los Angeles, CA

SUBMIT ELECTRONICALLY:

email to casting@eastwestplayers.org
or submit via www.actorsaccess.com

SUBMIT HARDCOPY:

EAST WEST PLAYERS CASTING
120 JUDGE JOHN AISO ST.
LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

SUBMISSIONS DUE BY MONDAY JULY 14

NOTE: Auditioners for roles of Tracy and Ghost please be prepared to demonstrate gung-fu ability. For role of Bruce (teenage nerd) please be prepared to dance disco routine, to "Disco Inferno," by The Trammps (playback will be provided).

Sides will be made available for all roles.


SEEKING BOTH UNION AND NON-UNION PERFORMERS FOR THE FOLLOWING:

[ TRACY FONG ]
Female, early teens, Asian American. Tomboy, quick-tempered, defiant. Gung-fu experience a plus.

[ BRUCE LEE ] (teenage nerd)
Male, early teens, Asian American. Nerd, loves disco. Tracy's best friend. Dance ability required.

[ JEREMY MORTON ]
Male, mid-teens, Caucasian. Bully, street tough. Chicago accent preferred. Stage fighting experience a plus.

[ TINA KAWAI MACDONALD ]
Female, early teens, Hapa (bi-racial Asian) or Asian American. Popular cheerleader type. Aloof and superficial.

[ GHOST OF BRUCE LEE ]
Male, early 30s, Asian/Asian American. Excellent physique. Charismatic, philosophical with sense of humor. Authentic sounding Hong Kong accent required. Must be able to move, gung-fu experience preferred.

[ KIMIKO FONG ]
Female, Late 30s, Asian American. Uptight, overbearing. Tracy's mother.

[ FRANK FONG ]
Male, Mid-30s, Asian American. Easy going with dry sense of humor. Tracy's father.


STORY LINE: Set in 1978 Chicago, themes of racism, identity and oppression are explored as 13-year-old Tracy Fong navigates her world of gung-fu, a neighborhood bully, disco and an overbearing mother, with some guidance offered from the Ghost of Bruce Lee.

Last Friday, my theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage threw a party... and it was a smash-hit. It certainly helps when you throw a party, to have a hugely popular guest of honor. And, for it to be for a worthy cause.

As I stated in my brief words before the show, my personal thanks go to friend Soji Kashiwagi, for bringing Rodney's plight to my attention and to the community's attention, and for helping to bring them to the event, and to Tim Toyama, whose idea it was to do an event for Rodney, and to him and to Irma Escamilla, who did all the work behind this event.

Thanks for reading,

—CT

RE-POST: Cedar Grove OnStage blog:

Regular visitors to our MySpace will know we recently hosted a benefit performance of "PIPPIN" at East West Players (EWP), for our good friend, actor Rodney Kageyama, who is recovering from a recent bout with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We are happy to report it was a HUGE SUCCESS!


Tim cheers as Rodney closes the evening with some grateful, heartfelt words of thanks (photo by PHIL NEE)

Well over 200 friends, fans and family members were on hand to wish Rodney well, and donate to a fund which exceeded – blew away, really – our initial goal of $4,000 (by close to 50%). Due to Rodney's long history in the community, many organizations were represented in the audience, including the Nisei Week Foundation (over 20!) + the Nisei Week Court, Japanese American Optimists, Grateful Crane Ensemble, Cold Tofu, Visual Communications (VC), Japanese American National Museum, Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), and EWP. Notable individuals included Councilwoman Jan Perry, "Songbird of Manzanar" Mary Kageyama Nomura, JANM Founder Bruce Kaji and new CEO Dr. Akemi Kikumura Yano, New VC Executive Director Shinae Yoon and founder Robert Nakamura, CAPE President Adele Yoshioka, and EWP Board President Lynn Fukuhara Arthurs. Among the dozens of actors and artists present were (in no particular order) Ken Narasaki & Sharon Omi, Emily Kuroda, Kim Miyori, Patti Yasutake, Jack Ong, Saachiko & Dom Magwili, Jeanne Sakata, playwrights Nic Cha Kim, Sachi Oyama and Soji Kashiwagi, newscasters Ted Chen (KNBC) and David Ono (KABC), and filmmakers Karen Ishizuka, and Amy Kato & John Esaki (plus many, many more...).

Please check out Chris Tashima's photo album on facebook to view many more great pics taken by Phil Nee.

Special thanks go to Clarence "Koji" Wong, of Japon Bistro in Pasadena for providing some great pupus.

Once again, a huge THANK YOU to all who came out and who pitched in.

Above all, Rodney was thrilled.

—Cedar Grove OnStage