EAST WEST PLAYERS

2015 marks the 50th Anniversary of East West Players, the longest-running theatre of color in America. Established in 1965, EWP has been hailed as the nation’s leading Asian American theater troupe for our award-winning productions that blend Eastern and Western movement, costumes, language, and music. EWP has premiered more than 100 plays and musicals about the Asian Pacific American experience. Our emphasis is on building bridges between East and West. East West Players was founded by nine Asian-American seeking opportunities to take on roles beyond the stereotypical parts they were being offered in Hollywood. EWP continues to provide unique opportunities for Asian-American artists and is committed to advocating for more diverse representations of the Asian-American experience on TV and across all media. In 1998, EWP Artistic Director Tim Dang led the company’s move from a 99-seat Equity Waiver “black box” theatre into a new 240-seat venue at an Actors Equity Association contract level. EWP’s mainstage is the David Henry Hwang Theater, housed within the historic Union Center for the Arts in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district, where it serves more than 10,000 people each year. EWP alumni include David Henry Hwang, John Cho, Kal Penn, Daniel Dae Kim, and B.D. Wong.