Leslie Ishii News

Workshops begin on July 19 and culminate in a final presentation on August 4. Scholarships are available and all Perseverance Everywhere members receive a discount. Learn more about how to register here!

Center Theatre Group is marking the ninth anniversary of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) with “WET: A DACAmented Journey” written and performed by Alex Alpharaoh and directed by Brisa Areli Muñoz. Alpharaoh's deeply personal work will be available free to the public on the Center Theatre Group's Digital Stage.

Theatre Communications Group has announced the launch of THRIVE!, a regranting program to provide unrestricted funds and professional development and technical assistance for U.S.-based Black Theatres, Indigenous Theatres, and all Theatres of Color.

National New Play Network will host its second fully virtual Annual Conference this Friday June 11 and Saturday June 12. The event - free and open to the public - is hosted on the Hopin event platform.

To celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Perseverance Theatre is hosting a Community Conversation led by Artistic Director, Leslie Ishii, on May 26 at 6 p.m. AKDT. Additional panelists include Adriana Li, Dennis Arashiro, and Edric Carrillo.

Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) announces speakers for the second episode of its ongoing monthly ConFest Virtual Series, Healing Over Hate on Monday, May 10 at 1PM HT, 3PM AKT, 4PM PT, 5PM MT, 6PM CT, and 7PM ET.

Perseverance Theatre is producing the second in a series of concerts featuring performers throughout the state of Alaska. Held entirely virtually, audiences can tune in to enjoy music and connect with each other from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, today announced the recipient and six finalists for the inaugural Barbara Whitman Award. Established by theatrical producer Barbara Whitman, the award recognizes a female, trans, or non-binary early-career director who has demonstrated a unique vision in their work with an unrestricted $10,000 cash prize.

As anti-Asian discrimination, violence, and hate crimes continue to rise, National Asian/Pasifika/Native/Indigenous/MENA Theatre Leaders commemorate one month after the Atlanta massacre with a new statement calling for local and national public leadership to take action against racism.

The national advocacy organization to issue several statements and demands from the national Asian American theatre community, featuring a PSA to honor the victims of the Atlanta massacre and condemn anti-Asian hate, the social media campaign #HadABadDay, and community anti-violence training sessions.

The Spirit of the Valley, which premiered at Perseverance Theatre in the Fall Season 2020, is back by popular demand! This visually stunning, live-streamed production dazzled audiences this past November, with many requests to bring the show back.

To celebrate Black History Month and Women's History Month, Perseverance Theatre is hosting two intersectional events. 

National New Play Network has announced the creation of a new program aimed at centering Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) artists and anti-racist practices within its Member Theaters. 

This February, innovative Canadian theatre company Why Not Theatre will launch ThisGen 2021 Fellowship, the second annual national initiative that supports BIPOC Female, Trans, and Non-Binary artists get to the next stage in their careers through training, mentorship, guided self-study, and peer-to-peer connection.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival and artEquity announced today the launch of Talking Back, a six-part digital series available both on O! and artEquity.org, hosted by artEquity founder and executive director, Carmen Morgan. Created and produced in collaboration with OSF's director of equity, Sharifa Johka, this breakthrough web series brings artEquity's practice of facilitating hard and necessary conversations to a broader audience.

Perseverance Theatre will present This Wonderful Life by Steve Murray, conceived by Mark Setlock, adapted from the screenplay It's a Wonderful Life by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, and Jo Swerling. The production is directed by Leslie Ishii and Josh Lowman.

As part of their holiday offerings, Perseverance Theatre will be delighting audiences with an on demand, streaming version of the heartwarming classic, This Wonderful Life, Starring Wesley Mann. You may recognize him as the “I think he stole his wallet!” guy from Back to the Future, but now he plays forty different roles in this charming Christmas production.

Today (November 19) in live streaming: Luba Mason visits Backstage Live, Andrew Barth Feldman guests on Ten Minute Tidbits, and so much more!

Stars in the House continues tonight (8pm) with a spotlight on NEA & CARES Act in Theatre with NEA Chairman, Mary Anne Carter joined by Matt Gutschick (Rose Theater), Jamil Jude (True Colors), Jonelle Procope Apollo Theater), Emika Abe (Woolly Mammoth), Leslie Ishii (Perseverance Theatre), Stephanie Ybarra (Baltimore Center Stage) and Eric Johnson (Honolulu Theatre).

artEquity, in partnership with Yale School of Drama, has announced the launch of its latest leadership program for fieldwide systemic change. The BIPOC Leadership Circle prioritizes, centers, and addresses the needs of BIPOC leaders in cultural arts institutions and comes at this particular time when values-based leadership is needed even more.