War Atrocity Takes Center Stage at East West Players with Hanako
           
          During World War II, the Japanese Imperial Forces drafted more than two
          hundred thousand women from Asian countries, the majority from Korea,
          and forced them to serve as sex slaves known as "comfort women" for
          Japanese soldiers.  Directed by Tzi Ma, HANAKO is an emotional story of
          the Korean "comfort women" who suffered in silence, isolation and shame,
          as their stories remained buried for decades.

          East West Players, the nation' s first and foremost Asian American
          theatre, sets the cast and designers for the third production of its
          33rd Anniversary Season, the world premiere of HANAKO, written by
          Chungmi Kim.

          The East West Players David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for
          the Arts is located at 120 North Judge John Aiso Street (formerly San
          Pedro Street) in Little Tokyo downtown Los Angeles.  HANAKO will open on
          April 7 and close on April 25, 1999.  Low priced previews begin on
          Thursday, April 1.

          The cast for HANAKO includes (in alphabetical order) June Angela, Dian
          Kobayashi, Christina Ma, and Marilyn Tokuda.  Choreography for HANAKO is
          by Don Kim, set design by Yuki Nakamura, costume design by Joyce Kim
          Lee, lighting design by G. Shizuko Herrera, and sound and slide design
          by Miles Ono.  Victoria A. Gathe is the production stage manager.

          Chungmi Kim, a Korean American poet and playwright, has works included
          in numerous anthologies, magazines and newspapers.  Her play The Comfort
          Women was the winner of the Grand Prize at the 14th Annual USC One-Act
          Play Festival and a finalist for the National Playwrights Conference at
          Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, New York.  Most recently, she was
          selected as one of Los Angeles Times "Faces to Watch 99."

          Performances are Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8pm (except
          Thursday, April 15, showtime is 7pm), and Saturday and Sunday matinees
          at 2pm.  There is no Saturday matinee performance on Saturday, April 10.
          Low priced previews are April 1, 2 and 3 at 8pm and April 4 at 2pm.
          General ticket prices range from $25-$27 for orchestra and $20-$22 for
          balcony.  Patrons can purchase tickets beginning March 8 by calling
          Telecharge at 800-233-3123, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Senior
          and student rates are available through theatre box office only.

          For groups and subscriptions, call 213-625-7000, Monday through Friday,
          10am to 6pm.  Contact:  Suzanne Hee 213/625-7000
           
           
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