2011
The PLANT THE SEEDS campaign succeeded in
committing 2000 theater seats to students, seniors and
communities in need.
The World Premiere of KRUNK FU BATTLE BATTLE, a
groundbreaking hip-hop musical conceived, developed and produced
at EWP, was nominated for LA Stage Alliance's Ovation Award for
Choreography and Lighting.
The 3rd National Asian American
Theatre Conference & Festival brought artists and arts leaders
from around the world to Los Angeles to continue pushing the
conversation on multicultural arts and to strengthen the
increasingly global field.
2010
EWP was honored with the California
Association of Teachers of English (CATE) Merit Award for
outstanding contributions toward the improvement of teaching
English & language arts through our Arts Education Theatre for
Youth program.
The Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence
Initiative Neighborhood honored East West Players with their
Neighborhood Builders Award.
EWP earned widespread critical acclaim for our
World Premiere production of ROAD TO SAIGON Developed and
Directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, noted by the LA Times as
"extremely specialized, virtually unclassifiable, and utterly
enchanting."
2009
The James Irvine Foundation honored Producing Artistic
Director Tim Dang with its 2009 Leadership Award for "increasing
understanding of and appreciation for California's diversity and
creating new opportunities for Asian American artists" through
his work at East West Players.
California Community Foundation recognized EWP as a laureate
for its inaugural Unsung Heroes Award.
EWP partnered with Pan Asian Repertory in New York to
premiere IMELDA: A NEW MUSICAL by Nathan Wang, Sachi Oyama and
Aaron Coleman, directed by Tim Dang off-Broadway as part of the
2009 Asian American Theatre Festival.
EWP's Los Angeles production of Yasmina Reza's Tony Award
winning ART Directed by Alberto Isaac was lauded by critics as
"executed to near perfection" (LA Downtown News, 9/09).
The LA Ovation Awards recognized our May 2009 production of
Jason Robert Brown's THE LAST FIVE YEARS directed by Jon
Lawrence Rivera with 4 nominations (Musical in a Larger Theatre,
Direction of a Musical, Lead Actor in a Musical, and Lead
Actress in a Musical).
EWP launched a strategic partnership with
Southern California Edison to bring our Theatre for Youth tour
to underserved schools in low-income and distressed communities.
2004-2008 Highlights
In 2008, YELLOW FACE by David Henry Hwang (originally written
at Producing Artistic Director Tim Dang's request) became a
finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Dramatic Writing after
its New York debut.
In 2007, YELLOW FACE by David Henry Hwang / directed by
Leigh Silverman (produced in association with Center Theatre
Group) and DURANGO by Julia Cho /directed by Chay Yew were
selected for the LA Times' Top Ten Productions of 2007, making
EWP the only theatre to have two productions listed.
In 2006, EWP hosted NEXT BIG BANG: THE EXPLOSION OF ASIAN
AMERICAN THEATRE, the first national Asian American theatre
conference uniting for the first time in history the nation's
Asian American artistic leaders, artists, and educators.
In 2004, Theatre Communications Group confirmed East West
Players is not only the largest Asian American theatre but also
the longest operating theatre of color in the nation.
