Leslie Ishii News

The 26th Annual Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival, held at Theatre 68 in North Hollywood, conferred awards on five women of distinction from the world of theatre. The event was hosted by Starletta DuPois and Kym Whitley.

The Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival (LAWTF) marks 26 years of producing well over 500 extraordinary multicultural and multidisciplinary solo performers from around the globe.

Studio Luna by Teatro Luna West, located in Boyle Heights, is pleased to announce the return of Talking While Female Storytelling Sessions (TWF) . Season 2 will be kicking off Friday, January 18 at 8:00PM with a special New Year, New You Holiday Episode which will focus on the theme 'NOW OR NEVER'. TWF Storytelling sessions were launched in 2018 to answer the need for spaces for women of color share stories in a brave and empowering space that is dedicated to supporting their growth and the amplification of their joy. This episode will be featuring Ginna Diaz, Maya Malan Gonzalez, Leslie Ishii, Amalia Robinson, and Diana Romo.

Center Theatre Group will host two Community Conversations inspired by Luis Valdez's play "Valley of the Heart," which runs at the Mark Taper Forum through December 9, 2018. Community Conversations are a series of panel discussions that are free and open to the public and feature local thought leaders in dialogue about the context, issues and ideas finding voice on Center Theatre Group stages.

 The Oregon Shakespeare Festival will present the world premiere of Manahatta by Mary Kathryn Nagle, directed by Laurie Woolery, on April 1, 2018, in the Thomas Theatre. Preview performances are March 28, 30 and 31, and the play runs through Oct. 27.

On Monday night, April 24th, at its semi-annual Membership meeting, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, the national theatrical union representing stage directors and choreographers across the United States, announced the 2016-2017 Top Ten "Standout Moments."

During World War II, nearly 120,000 Japanese-Americans, including over 200 Alaskans, were ordered to internment camps in the name of "national security." Gordon Hirabayashi was one of only three people who attempted to defy the order on legal grounds. Hold These Truths is his story. It's a play about one man who stood up to power and discrimination in the middle of a worldwide conflict. Gordon persevered, bringing his fight to the U.S. Supreme Court twice, and in 2012 was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Perseverance Theatre is honored to be collaborating with a team that includes a Japanese scenic designer, and Japanese-American actor, director, and playwright to produce this story in Alaska.

East West Players (EWP), the nation's longest-running professional theatre of color in the country and the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, has received a $180,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Fund for National Projects, which provides support to national performing arts organizations and projects to foster continued dynamism and vitality in the fields of contemporary dance, jazz, and theater. The grant is one of seven given to new projects in 2016 for a total of $1,052,006.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) and the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists (CAATA) will present the 2016 National Asian American Theater Conference and Festival (ConFest) Oct. 1-9, 2016, hosted by OSF's biannual CultureFest.

East West Players (EWP), the nation's premier Asian American theatre, celebrates its milestone 50th Anniversary with the Annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction on Monday, April 25, 2016 at the Universal Hilton. Proceeds benefit East West Players' educational and artistic programs.

UC Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Drama presents Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park, which was awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play. Written as a spin-off of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, it examines suburban racial tensions which occur in one Chicago house, 50 years apart. At the helm of Clybourne Park is guest director Leslie Ishii, a celebrated director, actor and arts educator, who is internationally recognized as a leader in the conversations surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion in the American theatre. Ms. Ishii is excited to explore this rich and controversial work.

East West Players (EWP), the nation's longest running professional theatre of color and the largest creator of Asian Pacific artistic work, announces the winners of the "2042: See Change" playwriting competition, funded with generous support from the James Irvine Foundation.  The 2042: See Change initiative is a visionary goal for equity, diversity and inclusion for the American Theater. According to the US Census, by 2042, minorities are projected to become the majority. The "2042: See Change" Playwriting Competition received a record-breaking number of submissions that were professionally unproduced and explored the changing face of America.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is proud to announce the launch of artEquity, a facilitator training initiative for theatre companies nationwide. Supported by a $145,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, artEquity will provide facilitation skills and capacity building in the areas of diversity, inclusion and equity.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) announces the 2015 Round 3 Cycle A recipients of the Leadership U[niversity]-Continuing Ed program. Through the support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, grants of up to $5,000 will support four mid-career and veteran theatre professionals at TCG Member Theatres for learning opportunities to advance their leadership skills. The goal of this program is to strengthen the field by developing the individuals who are the core and the future of theatre.

East West Players (EWP), the nation's largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work and the longest-running professional theater of color in the country, is leading a 'call to action' to the American Theatre demanding equity, diversity and inclusion affecting artistic and production personnel as well as programming for the communities they serve.

Susan Soon He Stanton has woven insights to Japanese philosophy amidst sharp, witty lines in her two-hour, three-dimensional character-driven drama, directed by Leslie Ishii in a smooth, flowing pace.

East West Players (EWP), the nation's longest-running professional theatre of color in the country and the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, continues its 50th Anniversary Season, Golden, with 'TAKARAZUKA!!!,' by Susan Soon He Stanton, directed by Leslie Ishii and choreographed by Cindera Che. This production is presented with community partners the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and AARP. The production features Fiona Cheung, Michael Hagiwara, Joseph Lim Kim, Klarissa Mesee, Joy Regullano, Janelle Toyomi-Dote, Grace Yoo.

East West Players (EWP), the nation's longest-running professional theatre of color in the country and the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, continues its 50th Anniversary Season, Golden, with "TAKARAZUKA!!!," by Susan Soon He Stanton, directed by Leslie Ishii and choreographed by Cindera Che. This production is presented with community partners the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center and AARP. The production features Fiona Cheung, Michael Hagiwara, Joseph Lim Kim, Klarissa Mesee, Joy Regullano, Janelle Toyomi-Dote, Grace Yoo.

Artists at Play presents the Los Angeles premiere of 99 Histories, a poignant drama exploring the themes of family, generational and cultural differences, and history through the relationship between a Korean immigrant mother and her American-born daughter. Opening tonight, September 13, 2014, the play is written by Julia Cho, and directed by Leslie Ishii.

Artists at Play presents the Los Angeles premiere of 99 Histories, a poignant drama that explores how a family history of mental illness - and the fear and silence that surrounded the disease - affects the relationship between a Korean immigrant mother and her American-born daughter.