Crane News September 2017 - October 2017 By Soji Kashiwagi Since our founding in 2001, the Grateful Crane Ensemble has been honoring our Issei and Nisei ancestors by telling their stories and singing their favorite Japanese and American songs. As a non-profit theater company, we combine drama, comedy, music, and song to educate, inspire, and entertain our community and the community at-large about the Japanese American story. With this newsletter, our goal is to keep you informed about what we’ve done and what we’re doing to keep our story alive.
In This Issue Page 1 - Statements from the ED and Board Chair Page 3 - Grateful Crane Goes National! Page 4 - Fall Far East Feast Page 5 - GCE Receives Grant from JACF - GCE’s New Website! Page 6 - Tuna Canyon Detention Station show Page 7 - “Growing Up Sansei” in the Bay Area Page 8 - Grateful Four Variety Show in November!
Upcoming Events November 18, 2017: “Growing up Sansei” event at San Diego Buddhist Church November 19, 2017: Grateful 4 & Friends Variety Show at OCBC December 2, 2017: Holiday Far East Feast at John Nishio’s House (sold out!) December 2017: Holiday performances at Nikkei Senior Gardens and former Keiro facilities February 24, 2018: Far East Feast at John Nishio’s House March 24, 2018: 10th Annual GCE Fundraising Dinner May or June 2018: “Camp Dance” and “Nihonmachi” in Chicago, IL
Statement from the Executive Director Dear Friends and Supporters, After 16 years of educating and entertaining a largely Nisei audience within our JA community, Grateful Crane is turning the page to a new and exciting chapter in our history, and that’s educating and entertaining the Sansei, Yonsei and younger generations as well as the American public in general. Just in the last two months, Grateful Crane has received national exposure and recognition when we traveled to Dearborn, Michigan to perform our “Camp Dance” show and participated in a town hall at the Arab American National Museum. At this meeting, a diverse group of Americans discussed the current political climate, and how the Japanese American incarceration story resonates with what’s happening with Muslim Americans today. (continued on Page 2)
Letter from the Board Chair Hello friends, Over the past year, I have had the great pleasure of serving on the board of directors, volunteering at GCE events, and performing with the cast and crew of GCE. For the past six months, it has been an honor and privilege to serve as the chair of the board of directors for the Grateful Crane Ensemble during this exciting time for our organization. (continued on Page 2)
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