East West Players 51st Anniversary Visionary Awards Honors Chloe Bennet and The Ahmanson Foundation

East West Players (EWP), the nation's longest-running professional theatre of color and the largest producing organization of Asian Pacific American artistic work, celebrates RADIANT, its 51st Anniversary season, with the Annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction. Recognizing the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft, the gala fundraiser takes place on Monday, April 24, 2017 at the Hilton Universal City. Proceeds benefit East West Players' educational and artistic programs.

In addition to previously announced honorees Randall Park and Ken Jeong, EWP also honors:

Actress Chloe Bennet currently co-stars in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Agent DaiSy Johnson. Growing up on the Southside of Chicago, her father is first generation Chinese-American, her mother is Caucasian, and she has six brothers: three biological and three adopted. At 15, she moved to China to pursue a pop-music career, and her song single, "Uh Oh", was hugely popular and catalyzed Bennet's stardom.

The Ahmanson Foundation serves Los Angeles County by funding cultural projects in the arts and humanities, education at all levels, health care, programs related to homelessness and underserved populations as well as a wide range of human services. By supporting non-profit organizations that demonstrate sound fiscal management, efficient operation, and program integrity, the Foundation strives to enhance the quality of life and cultural legacy of the Los Angeles community.

"We are proud of the longstanding relationship between East West Players and The Ahmanson Foundation," says Bill Ahmanson, President of The Ahmanson Foundation. "East West Players not only provides wide-ranging opportunities for Asian Pacific Islander talent to shine, EWP excels in producing great theatre."

Also joining the evening's festivities are Vincent Rodriguez III (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend); Amy Hill (All American Girl, 50 First Dates); Parvesh Cheena (Outsourced); singer/songwriter Julianne Aurora; and Disoriented Comedy, featuring Jenny Yang, Atsuko Okatsuka, and D'Lo.

Current major sponsors (as of April 10, 2017) of the gala include: PLATINUM CIRCLE: ABC Disney, NBC. GOLD CIRCLE: East West Bank, Wells Fargo. BRONZE CIRCLE: Nielsen, Randall & Mari Tamura, Lynn Waggoner. COPPER CIRCLE: Asian Pacific American Friends of the Theater, Snehal Desai & Friends, Carmen J. Smith, Union Bank.

Gala Committee Members include: Co-Chair Daniel Mayeda, Co-Chair Peter Shimamoto, Ken Katsumoto, Jay Kim, Carrie Lee, David Lee, Ed Lew, Judy Sasaki, Randall Tamura, and Lynn Waggoner.

Honorary Committee Members Include: Jon M. Chu, Wenda Fong, Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar, Jeff Imada, Melvin Mar, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, Los Angeles City Councilmember David Ryu, George & Brad Takei, and Janet Yang.

East West Players' 51st Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction will be held on Monday, April 24, 2017 at the Hilton Universal City, 555 Universal Hollywood Drive, Universal City, CA 91608. VIP Reception for Premium Circle Sponsors and Silent Auction (for all guests) start at 5:30pm. No-host cocktails start at 6pm. The dinner and awards show begins at 7pm.

Individual tickets are $200- $1,500. Full table sponsorship packages are also available. For more information please contact Development Manager Monika Ramnath at mramnath@eastwestplayers.org or (213) 625-7000 x17. For more information about East West Players, please visit www.eastwestplayers.org.

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