Youth Tour

"Performances like Dawn's Light are a vital component of the cultural enrichment experience in libraries, and I'm thrilled that East West Players chose the San Fernando Library as a venue."
-Lydia Harlan, Librarian at San Fernando Public Library

"Thank you so much for inviting us to the play today, my students were talking about it all afternoon and were really impressed with the actor. They also noticed the connection between how Japanese Americans were treated and how they feel they are sometimes treated as Mexican Americans - interesting."
-Kerrie Egerton, Teacher at Los Angeles High School

"The students gained immense knowledge of the time from the content of the play and its delivery. Students could easily understand the play and were completely engaged for the entire production. Afterwards, the actor and the play’s author took time to answer the students' questions. The time was extremely valuable as the students processed the content of the play and made connections to their prior learning. Los Angeles High School would welcome East West Players anytime and would wholeheartedly recommend any other school inviting theater to their campus."
-Cynthia A. Headrick, Assistant Principal at Los Angeles High School

"Dawn's Light was a very powerful performance at Pacific High School.  It was great to see our students be exposed to the performing arts and Japanese American history, which is something our students definitely need.  All students from various ninth to twelfth grade classes benefited from this great program from East West Players."
-Roderick Conwi, Teacher at Pacific High School 
 

"I was very moved by Mr. Kushi's powerful performance and am sure others were too. At the end of the program, one woman in the audience stood up and reminisced about the hardships, indignities and prejudices that Japanese Americans went through during WWII."
-Rafael Gonzalez, Community Library Manager at Baldwin Park Library

"We have worked with East West Players for three years. The student performances are outstanding and engage middle school learners. Dawn's Light is entertaining, while shedding light on the injustice during the time of Japanese Internment. Our students leave the performance with a knowledge of the historical context of these events, and an appreciation for the civil liberties that we now enjoy. The shows are designed to promote understanding of the Asian American experience, and build tolerance for other cultures. East West Players is an invaluable part of our diversity curriculum.”
-Donna Jacobson, Principal at Richard Merkin Middle School