East West Players

09/09/2026

And we're off! WIVES is one of the "Shows to See in the U.S. This Fall" in The New York Times! Join us this October for “a gleeful work of historical subversion.” — Ben Brantley, New York Times review. Ticket link in the comments!

This season is rich with sharp productions, like Bess Wohl’s and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s Pulitzer winners, Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!” and the hip-hop musical “Mexodus.”

09/08/2026

Introducing the cast & creative team of our first main stage production of our 61st season: WIVES by Jaclyn Backhaus. We are thrilled to finally share this uproarious comedy with you all, in co-production with Hypokrit Live Arts, the theater division of Hypokrit Productions 🎭 Hypokrit

PRINCIPAL CAST
👑 Rachna Khatau Rachna Khatau
👑 E.M. Davis E.M. Davis
👑 Arasha Arasha
👑Parvesh Cheena Parvesh Cheena

UNDERSTUDY CAST
👑 Pallavi Srinivasan Pallavi Srinivasan
👑 Vanathi Sundararaman Vanathi Sundararaman
👑 Kapil Kanagasabai Kapil Kanagasabai

“This play offers its actors the opportunity to time travel, to play many characters, and to ultimately ask the question of what it means to be able to be fully seen for who they are, rather than who society supposes them to be,” says playwright Jaclyn Backhaus. “It is a play about how women might support each other in a world run by tyrant men, a play about how community is built by sharing abundance in the face of scarcity.” jaclyn backhaus

“Jaclyn Backhaus’s WIVES is the audacious and irreverent storytelling event the world needs right now. The play will have you not only questioning how history was written, but dare you to imagine a new form entirely. Insanely theatrical and side-splittingly funny, this is the kind of craveable drama that will keep you coming back for more. ” said director and Hypokrit Live Arts Artistic Director Arpita Mukherjee. “We are honored to be joining forces with EAST WEST PLAYERS, a company whose long history of championing Asian American voices lit the way for Hypokrit’s own work across film, TV, and theater. And together, we’re ready to invite the entire LA community into the experience that is WIVES. Don’t miss the party-come join us!” Arpita Mukherjee

SHOW RUN: October 8th - November 1st

GET TICKETS NOW
www.eastwestplayers.org/wives

09/04/2026

Thank you for being a friend, Randy.

The home you helped build for the next generation of artists is in good hands 🫶

Join us on 9/13 to support EWP Arts Education and the upcoming Theatre For Youth touring production of WHEN YURI MET MALCOLM, written by Rosie Narasaki and directed by Khalíf J. Gillett

Fundraiser ticket link in our bio 🎟️

09/01/2026

The EWP family is deeply saddened to share the passing of Randall Alan Tamura, our beloved Board Chair Emeritus. Randy was more than a leader, he was at the heart and soul of East West Players, a friend to artists, and a tireless champion for Asian American theater.

Randy’s generosity and spirit left a mark on everyone he met. His passion for AAPI theater and unwavering support for our artists ran deep, shaping the very core of our community. His legacy stretches far beyond the stage. Randy showed us what true leadership means: steadfast, strategic, and always present.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Randy excelled as a software engineering executive but never lost his artistic spark. He was known for his love of jazz, his voracious reading, and his deep compassion. Randy and his wife, Mari, found a home at East West Players decades ago during the Silver Lake days. Their belief in the power of representation and community has helped shape EWP into what it is today.

We are honored to have known and worked alongside Randy. His humor, wisdom, and light continue to shine in every story on our stage. Our deepest love and condolences go out to his family and all who knew him. Thank you, Randy, for leading our community with grace and joy. We would not be here without you.

In honor of Randy’s tremendous dedication, generosity, and service to East West Players, we dedicate our Season 61 programming to him.

08/29/2026

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Introducing our post-show conversation panelists for our benefit premiere performance of WHEN YURI MET MALCOLM! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Swipe to get to know a little more about them, and how you can come be a part of kicking off our latest Theatre For Youth tour.

Alisa Pimentel (Panelist) is a Consulting Instructor and West Coast Coordinator at The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu). Before joining AAEdu, Alisa spent over seven years as an educator and program leader in public and private school settings, as well as nonprofits, throughout Southern California, on multicultural integration, arts education, and social emotional skills education. She received her B.A. in Liberal Studies from Concordia University Irvine, with a focus on global studies, and M.A. in Social Emotional Learning from National University.
Based in Orange County, Alisa identifies as a Filipino American. Her family’s heritage motivates her commitment to culturally responsive education and empowering diverse student populations. Her background in Polynesian dance gives her a unique appreciation for Pacific Islander American history and cultures. In her spare time, Alisa enjoys traveling with family, attending live theatre productions, and performing ‘ori Tahiti.

Dr. Juli Grigsby (Panelist) is an Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at Long Beach City College. Prior she held an Assistant Professor position in Anthropology at Haverford College and has taught courses at Harvard University, Boston College, and University of California at Riverside. Dr. Grigsby’s postdoctoral research took place at Pennsylvania State University at the Africana Research Center and in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She received her PhD and MA degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in Anthropology and her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in Chicana/o Studies and Anthropology. The past recipient of Davis Putter Fellowships and a Humanities, Arts, Science, Technology & Advanced Collaboratory Scholar (HASTAC), her photographic work has appeared in the Black California Dreamin’ journal and at the Metro Art Gallery in Pomona. Juli’s written work ha

08/27/2026

"Ultimately, Wong hopes, 'I would love for the show to be like, there used to be a thing called food banks … but we don’t have those anymore. I’d like to get to a place where everyone has enough. To me, it’s how do I make this issue I’m addressing completely obsolete?'"

-- Kristina Wong in Food Bank News, talking about her latest solo performance KRISTINA WONG , coming to East West Players in 2027. Secure your spot now by purchasing an EWP Season 61 Membership!

Kristina Wong, a performance artist who also goes by the descriptors comedian, writer, actor and Guggenheim Fellow, has found unlikely inspiration in food banks. In March 2025, she premiered her solo show, , after becoming acquainted with a hunger relief agency in Los Angeles. The...

08/20/2026

Introducing our WHEN YURI MET MALCOLM Benefit Premiere Host & Moderator! Swipe to learn more about Jeanne Sakata & The May Lee Show

JEANNE SAKATA (Host)

Jeanne Sakata is honored to host the benefit premiere performance of WHEN YURI MET MALCOLM, having begun her career both as an actor and playwright with East West Players. Jeanne has enjoyed guest star/recurring roles on ABC-Shondaland’s Station 19, Magnum P.I., NCIS Hawai’i, NCIS Los Angeles, Marvel/Hulu’s Hit Monkey, Disney Plus’ High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and Disney’s Big Hero 6. Onstage, she most recently performed with the 2025-26 national tour and world premiere of Moisés Kaufman & Amanda Gronich’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES at McCarter Theatre, Wallis Annenberg Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and La Jolla Playhouse, as well as the 2023 revival of Anna Deavere Smith’s TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 at Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum. Jeanne’s acclaimed solo play, HOLD THESE TRUTHS (Drama Desk Nomination, Outstanding Solo Performance; Theatre Bay Area Awards, Outstanding Production, Direction, and Lead Performance; San Diego Critics’ Circle Award), has been performed across the country in over two dozen productions after originally premiering at East West Players. She has been commissioned by LA TheatreWorks for her audio plays FOR US ALL and THE SECRET GARDEN, and recently workshopped her new play, SPRINGS, for Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions program. Her special honors include: Theatre LA Ovation Award for Outstanding Lead Actress, Chay Yew’s RED, East West Players; Trailblazer Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, East West Players; Lee Melville Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Los Angeles Theatre Community, Playwrights’ Arena.

JeanneSakata.com / HoldTheseTruths.info

MAY LEE (Moderator)

The May Lee Show is an award-winning, broadcast journalist/host who has been both a US-based and international anchor, host, correspondent, and producer and a former member of EWP’s Board of Directors. She currently co-hosts the vodcast “Shoes Off Inside with MKT” with iconic API actresses Kelly Hu and Tamlyn Tomita.

May is a promine

08/18/2026

The road to WHEN YURI MET MALCOLM on tour starts today as we welcome this wonderful company of artists to their first day of rehearsal! See their first performance at the Benefit Premiere Fundraiser happening September 13 at the David Henry Hwang Theater, hosted by Jeanne Sakata with a post show conversation moderated by The May Lee Show. Purchase tickets now at our link.

WHEN YURI MET MALCOLM explores the legacy of Yuri Kochiyama through her friendship with Malcolm X, tracing her journey from WW2 incarceration camps to a lifetime of activism. What does it mean to be a citizen of a flawed country, and how much can one person do to change it?

08/12/2026

⭐ WYMM ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Meet Rosie Narasaki Rosie Narasaki

Rosie Narasaki is a second-generation actor and playwright. Her play UNRIVALED had its world premiere co-produced by Playwright’s Arena and the Boston Court in Los Angeles, and was also co-produced by the Seattle Public Theater and SIS Productions in Seattle. It won the 2022 LA New Play Project Award and the 2023 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Original Writing. Her play WHEN YURI MET MALCOLM had its world premiere with East West Players in 2022, and she is delighted that they are reviving it again now! She also wrote for a Netflix show once.

⭐ WYMM ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Meet Khalif J. Gillett Khalíf J. Gillett

Khalif J. Gillett is a Los Angeles-based writer, director, and actor. His work seeks to expand the narratives of Blackness, queerness, and Latinidad through poetry, surrealism, and satirically anachronistic period pieces. Khalif is an alumnus of the Labyrinth Theatre Company’s Intensive Ensemble, a Candela Playwriting Fellow, and a finalist in the Nuyorican Poet Café’s Theatre Festival. His past directing credits include In the Heights, [Title of Show], Grease, Pipeline, and Beetlejuice. Khalif seeks to educate those without resources to study the arts and believes knowledge to be a form of reparations. He wants to empower the marginalized and underprivileged to tell their own stories to create healthy ways of processing their realities. Finally, he feels that marginalized joy is a radical act of resistance and that a story doesn’t have to be painful for it to be impactful.

ℹ️ SHOW DESCRIPTION

WHEN YURI MET MALCOLM explores the legacy of Yuri Kochiyama through her friendship with Malcolm X, tracing her journey from Japanese American incarceration camps to a lifetime of activism. What does it mean to be a citizen of a flawed country, and how much can one person do to change it?

Tickets for this fundraiser benefitting EWP Arts Education programs for youth are $100 each and available online through September 10th.

🎟️ GET TICKETS NOW! Link in bio
eastwestplayers.org/wymm-premiere

08/10/2026

Only one week left (and just 2 spots remain) to join Nicholas Pilapil’s Writing Workshop starting August 18th! We’re thrilled to welcome Nicholas to our instructor lineup as he launches his very first course with us this fall.

About the Course: Ready to take your play from idea to first draft? In this eight-week workshop, you’ll write and develop an entirely new play in a supportive, creative environment. This class is designed for playwrights who already have an idea brewing. You’ll stay accountable, generate new pages each week, and sharpen your work through thoughtful discussion and feedback.

Spots are limited, so don’t miss your chance. Scholarships and payment plans available. We’ll see you in class!

Link in bio | https://eastwestplayers.coursestorm.com/course/writing-workshop5