August 16, 2025
Crazy Talented Asians
Curated and produced by AJ Rafael in partnership with East West Players and Nisei Week Foundation. Featuring Grace Yoo, Jasmine Rafael and more.
Crazy Talented Asians : Homecoming Nisei Week 2025
Curated and produced by AJ Rafael in partnership with East West Players and the Nisei Week Foundation.
Featuring Grace Yoo, Jasmine Rafael and more!
Presented at the David Henry Hwang Theater!
ONE NIGHT ONLY: Saturday, August 16, 2025, 8:00 PM.
Get ready for an unforgettable night as East West Players, in partnership with AJ Rafael and the Nisei Week Foundation, brings back the hit concert CRAZY TALENTED ASIANS: NISEI WEEK! As part of the iconic Nisei Week Japanese Festival, this one-night-only event spotlights the best and brightest Asian American talent on stage today.
CRAZY TALENTED ASIANS: NISEI WEEK is a vibrant celebration of community, creativity, and identity in the heart of Little Tokyo. Curated and hosted by music director and YouTube sensation AJ Rafael, the evening features powerhouse performances by Broadway stars, acclaimed poets, rising musicians, and special surprise guests—many of whom trace their roots back to the East West Players stage.
This is more than just a concert. It’s a homecoming for artists who have helped shape AAPI arts and a high-energy showcase of the talent redefining what’s possible for Asian Americans in the performing arts.
Featuring
Grace Yoo (Hadestown on Broadway, Soft Power, Mamma Mia! at EWP)
Jasmine Rafael (& Juliet on Broadway, choreographer for Assassins at EWP)
Justine Rafael (Spring Awakening, On This Side of the World at EWP)
Aman K. Batra (acclaimed poet and TEDx speaker)
Haven Everly (Netflix’s You, The L Word, The Girl Who Left Home)
Alyssa Rafael (Forbes “30 Under 30,” Disney+ Launchpad producer)
8eyes (LA-based singer/songwriter duo)
Allen “Lucky” Weaver (SoCal theater artist and EWP Casting Director)
Leah Lewis (Netflix’s The Half of It, Pixar’s Elemental)
EWP SPRING AWAKENING Cast Reunion, including Thomas Winter, Mia Sempertegui, Jaylen Baham, and Madi Grepo
…and more special and surprise guests!
Featuring
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Aman K. Batra is a poet, educator, and cultural curator from Artesia, CA. With an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and a BA in English from UCLA, her work bridges performance, pedagogy, and social impact. A TEDx speaker and National Poetry Slam finalist, Aman has toured colleges, universities, and poetry venues across the country, using art as a tool for transformation. Her poetic voice is deeply rooted in justice work, emotional truth, and intergenerational healing, shaped by years of facilitating youth-centered programs, coaching writers, and designing arts-based curriculum. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, All Def Poetry, Button Poetry, The Huffington Post, and the Fight Evil With Poetry Anthology. Follow her on socials @amankbatra or visit amankbatra.com.
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Allen “Lucky” Weaver is a local theater artist in SoCal. Lucky received his B.F.A in Musical Theater, from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Regional Theatre: Rocky Horror Show (Riff Raff), Cabaret (Helga / Emcee u.s.), A Christmas Carol (Young Scrooge / Fred), La Cage Aux Folles (Jacob), Rent (Angel), and Miss Saigon (Thuy). LA Theatre: Fixed (Jenny), and Wizard of Oz (Nikko). EWP Credits: La Cage Aux Folles (Jacob / Dance Captain), Mamma Mia (Assistant Director), On This Side of The World (Choreographer) and Lucky is currently the Casting Director for EWP and Outside theatre. Lucky loves to cook and is a dog dad to two Pit Bull Mixes, Gertrude and Thaddeus. Big shout out to David and family for their constant love and support. Big thank you and much love to AJ and EWP!
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AJ Rafael is an accomplished singer/songwriter who has amassed over 1 million subscribers on YouTube and 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His debut album “Red Roses” reached the iTunes and Billboard charts, and he has collaborated with artists like Tori Kelly, Jeremy Passion, Kina Grannis, and Kolohe Kai. Rafael was named a Filipino American Game Changer by the City of Los Angeles in 2018 for his contribution to the music industry as a proud Asian American independent artist.
AJ Rafael is proud to be a founder of Crazy Talented Asians, developed in 2018 after and inspired by the success of “Crazy Rich Asians” by Jon M Chu.
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Hadestown, Regional: Soft Power, Mamma Mia (East West Players)
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Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Haven Everly grew up in a very musically inclined family. She started performing with her two older sisters at the age of 5 years old. As a singer, she and her sisters graced the stages of New Jersey's Prudential Center Gospelfest, and received a standing ovation at New York City's Apollo Theatre. As an actress, she played Gigi in Netflix's You, Tatiana in Showtime's The l Word, and starred in the musical feature film, The Girl Who Left Home. Haven Everly aims to inspire others through her talent and her story.
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Leah Lewis is a Chinese-born American actress, singer, and dancer. She's known for her roles as Ellie Chu in the 2020 Netflix film The Half of It, Georgia "George" Fan in the CW's Nancy Drew, Sarah in the award-winning TV show “Matlock” on CBS, and as the voice of Ember in Pixar’s ELEMENTAL.
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Broadway: & Juliet, Regional: Assassins (East West Players, Choreography)
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Alyssa Rafael is a singer, actor, executive producer, and host. She was named "30 Under 30" by Forbes, Hollywood & Entertainment. Alyssa was an Executive Producer and Coordinator for the Disney Launchpad Shorts Incubator program, where 6 directors from underrepresented backgrounds produced a short film for Disney +. Alyssa has also appeared on “I Can See Your Voice” on FOX.
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Spring Awakening (East West Players), On This Side of the World (East West Players)
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Hi! We’re 8eyes, an LA-based singer/songwriter duo, made up of Abe Soane and Jeong-Soo Park. We met in college at UCLA, and have been friends and writing partners ever since. When we write music, we keep a quote in mind, “Music is for the listener, but the performers are the first listeners.” Our goal is to write music that tells a story, and makes the audience feel something. We know we’ve done our job well when our music makes us feel the story while we’re playing it. Come and listen!
Tickets
Prices include $5.00 service fee.
Premium $104 • The best views in the orchestra and admission to a to be announced after party.
Regular $84 • The sides and rear of the orchestra.
Balcony $54 • Great views of the whole stage. Please note, no elevator access to balcony.
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