SAN JOSE — CATS (Contemporary Asian Theater Scene) and Murasaki Productions LLC proudly present the local premiere screening of “Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performing Arts in the WWII Internment Camps.”
This is the first major presentation on the existence of traditional music, dance and drama in the camps and the remarkable roles played by the teachers of classical Japanese art forms.
Through historical footage and interviews from artists who were incarcerated comes the story of how traditional Japanese cultural arts were maintained at a time when the War Relocation Authority (WRA) emphasized the importance of assimilation and Americanization.
It is possible only because Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto-Wong, creative director and executive producer, has been searching for and collecting information for over 20 years. She and her son, Brian Mitsuhiro Wong, will present a short koto performance before the screening. A question-and-answer session featuring some of the internee artists in the film will conclude the event, and a short reception will follow.
See more at the “Hidden Legacy” website, jcalegacy.com, or visit www.catsasiantheater.com.
This project was funded, in part, by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program.
Date and time: Saturday, June 28, at 1 p.m.
Location: San Jose State University/San Jose City Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on 4th and San Fernando streets, San Jose, Room 225.
Admission is free; however, donations are always welcome.
Space is limited. To reserve a seat, send an email with your full name to info@jcalegacy.com. Reserved spots will be released at 12:45 p.m., and seating will be first-come, first-served.
Convenient parking at 4th Street Garage.