East West Players proudly announces actress Michelle Yeoh as an honoree at its 56th Anniversary Visionary Awards Dinner and Silent Auction.
“East West Players is thrilled to recognize the achievements of the renowned Michelle Yeoh,” says EWP Producing Artistic Director Snehal Desai. “Michelle is a trailblazer who has opened a path for Asian representation in Hollywood. She has starred in many of the seminal API film works of the last 30 years, and continues to define herself as an icon.”
Yeoh is an internationally recognized Malaysian-born actress who rose to fame in 1990s Hong Kong action films before going on to shatter convention and star in a myriad of globally acclaimed blockbusters. She is currently starring in a highly anticipated original sci-fi action adventure feature from A24, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as the Daniels), and will next be seen in “Avatar” Parts 2 and 3 as well as Netflix’s “The Witcher: Blood Origins.”
Having appeared in more than 70 features and television series, the former Bond girl’s filmography is a collection of iconic roles, from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” Parts 1 and 2 and “Memoirs of a Geisha” to “Tomorrow Never Dies,” Danny Boyle’s “Sunshine,” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” the highest-grossing romantic comedy in the U.S. in the last decade.
After appearing in the second installment of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise, Yeoh returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe last year in Destin Daniel Cretton’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings.” In television, Yeoh can most recently be seen as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in CBS’ “Star Trek: Discovery” and is reuniting with Cretton in Disney+’s “American-Born Chinese.”
Featured on both Time 100 and the BBC’s 100 Women list of 2020, Yeoh’s impact reaches beyond cinema, as she represents the United Nations as goodwill ambassador with a focus on raising awareness and mobilizing support for environmental issues.
Joining her will be the previously announced honorees: artist, activist, and elected official Kristina Wong and EWP Board Chair Emeritus Randall Tamura. This year’s theme is “Here. Us. Now!”
Recognizing the achievements of individuals who have raised the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through their craft, the gala fundraiser takes place on Saturday, April 23, at City Market Social House, 1145 San Pedro St., Los Angeles. Sponsor reception, silent auction, and cocktail hour start at 6 p.m. Dinner and awards show begin at 7 p.m. Proceeds benefit East West Players’ educational and artistic programs.
Sponsors for the event include the Aratani Foundation, Paramount, the Annenberg Foundation, East West Bank, and Comcast NBCUniversal. Leading EWP’s Gala Committee are Co-Chairs Peter Shimamoto and Judith Sasaki.
Individual tickets are $250 to $1,500. Full table sponsorship packages are also available from $2,500 to $50,000. For more information, visit www.eastwestplayers.org, or contact East West Players at (213) 625-7000 or galaguests@eastwestplayers.org.
Since 1965, EWP has been committed to raising the visibility of the Asian American experience by presenting inventive world-class theatrical productions, developing artists of color, and providing impactful youth education programs. Founded at a time when Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) faced limited opportunities to see their experiences reflected outside of stereotypical and demeaning caricatures in American media, EWP not only ensures that API stories are told, but works to increase access, inclusion, and representation in both the performing arts and entertainment industry.