From our "Nihonmachi: The Place to Be - A Musical Journey" show 
May 31, 2008, in San Jose, CA

Nihonmachi, The Place To Be

                    We tapped our feet, to the taiko beat,
                             reminiscing on a musical journey.
                         The diversity of flavors in old songs we savor,
                             left us happy, hungry and yearny.

                        Effervescent voices left us no choices
                             but to stand up and cheer for more.
                        The harmonic conversion, in it's own unique version,
                             was harmony, unheard of, before.

                        The magical sound by the pianist, I found,
                             convinced me he was definitely, 'My Guy.'
                         I felt my heart float, with each nostalgic note,
                             softly brushing a tear from my eye.

                         The thoughtful tribute to Misora Hibari
                             completed this memorable journey.
                         She lifted our spirits, we can still hear it,
                             who can forget 'Kawa no Nagare No Youni?'

                         'The path we walk is long and narrow,
                             like the flow of a river, there is no end.
                          We may see dark clouds along the way,
                             but blue skies will appear, just around the bend.'

                          From the opening number to the final curtain,
                             you brought us much joy, of this I am certain.
                          Thank you, thank you, Grateful Crane,
                             we await your return, again and again!

                                                                         Janice Tao

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Dear Mr. Kashiwagi,

 

Loved the production of Nihonmachi.  My 92-year-old mom was mouthing the

words and had a big smile on her face.  She was a big fan of Misora Hibari.  Thanks. 

-Betty Kinoshita, San Jose

 

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June 2, 2008

 

Thank you for the wonderful and memory-filled evening at last Saturday’s performance

of Nihonmachi—our group of 8 thoroughly enjoyed the show.

 

Keep up the good work and we look forward to future presentations.

-Alice Tanaka, San Jose

  

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Dear Soji,

 

My husband, Paul, and I just returned from taking 30 seniors from the

Watsonville-Santa Cruz JACL Senior Center to see Nihonmachi: The Place to Be

in San Jose this afternoon, and I had to write to tell you how much everyone

enjoyed the show!  Many of us saw your production of Camp dance when you

brought it to the Mello Center in Watsonville, and our seniors were happy to have

the opportunity to see Nihonmachi and visit Nihonmachi in San Jose today. 

They loved the music and some knew all the songs!  Thanks to you and the

Grateful Crane Ensemble for a terrific production.

 

Enclosed is a donation in appreciation for the wonderful work that you are doing. 

We hope to see the show again in Salt Lake City in July.

 

Sincerely,

Carol Kaneko

Watsonville-Santa Cruz JACL

 

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June 2, 2008

Dear Mr. Soji Kashiwagi,

 

Nihonmachi is a musical story I wish my mother and father could have experienced.

The 100 years brought forth my sleeping memory into seeing my heritage.

 

Your music aroused tears to turn my memories into the present.  I felt my parents,

my grandparents and my great-grandparents spirit embrace my heart and soul.

 

Thank you.

 

Love, health and happiness always,

Jean Marlow, Campbell, CA

(Jean Mitsuko Takeuchi)

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Hi Soji,

Sending a quick note to say that Nihonmachi--The Place to Be has stirred emotions within friends that attended the San Jose shows.

For one of our 30-yr. old yonsei SJT members, two things happened---a renewal to advocate for the continuation of Japantown and a reflection of his own commitment to SJT in terms of community-building.

While watching, I could easily see San Jose Taiko (SJT) in the Manju-ya's role; for that matter, all institutions going through transition regardless of community from which they come. But, of course, it really tugs at the heart with all the changes surrounding our Japantowns. (I just read the article about "Sushi to Kimchi"---the sale of the Mitsuwa shopping center.)

The cast was excellent. Music permeates the soul. And, aligned with a great script with such a deep message---really hit home plate!

We wish you the best in getting Nihonmachi--The Place to Be into wider circulation. You can bet that we'll go to see it again, with many more friends in tow!

- PJ 

(PJ & Roy Hirabayashi of San Jose Taiko (SJT), who kindly loaned us their Odaiko for Danny’s opening taiko number)

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Soji,
Hope you had a safe trip back home. Many thanks for the comp tickets to see Nihonmachi. It is a great show and I am glad you were able to bring it to San Jose Japantown. Your message is very timely to what is going on in the three remaining Japantowns, but it really hit home
for us here in San Jose. The theme of the play is what we the community here is struggling with right now. Thanks for helping to remind us all what is important.

-Roy Hirabayashi, San Jose Taiko

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It really took us back to the post-war era when Japanese town, even in Sacramento, was booming.  What a nostalgic visit it was for us.  I don't know how Soji was able to pick up on that era and present it so well.  Although we sat way back in the kaikan since we got our tickets the day before, we were able to see and hear well.  I know Soji had said he wanted a theater setting, but to me it really took me back to my youth when we used to see "shibais" and Japanese movies in the cozy kaikan setting.  It's so much more authentic when you are close to the stage instead of seeing the stage from afar as in a theater.

-Gloria Imagiri, Sacramento

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From our "Nihonmachi: The Place to Be - A Musical Journey" show 
December 1, 2007, in Los Angeles, CA

Hi Soji:

We love Grateful Crane productions, and attended Nihonmachi for the second time yesterday.  My 8-year-old daughter is especially entranced.

How very fortunate we are that Grateful Crane is around!  Thank you so much!                                                                         

--Miki Fujimoto

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Review by Gil Asakawa on Nikkeiview Blog:

You wouldn’t think that the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II would make for great source material for a stage musical. But it does, and in a way, makes a much more effective vehicle to tell people about that time, and what happened to JA families, than heavier, dramatic works such as the novel and movie, “Snow Falling on Cedars.”

“The Camp Dance: The Music & the Memories” is proof that internment can be explained in an entertaining way through a musical.

Written and produced by Soji Kashiwagi, a sansei, and performed by his Grateful Crane Ensemble of actors, the play combines narration (the actors announcing what’s going on on the stage), acting (there’s plenty of terrific, believable and historically accurate dialogue), music and dance to entertain and educate audiences about the internment experience.

The difference is that although there are plenty of tears to shed, Kashiwagi’s script deftly weaves the sadness with flat-out humor, and then overlays the storytelling with the joy of the music and dancing of the big-band era. The overall effect is a very warm and enjoyable nostalgic performance where you walk away thinking, “man, I didn’t know all that happened to Japanese Americans”...

Read the full review

http://www.nikkeiview.com/blog/2007/11/18/keeping-history-alive-through-the-good-times/#more-173

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From our " Camp Dance : The Music and the Memories" show 
November 17, 2007, in Denver , Colorado

November 28, 2007

Dear Mr. Kashiwagi,

I would like to congratulate you on the success of “The Camp Dance ” Denver show, performed on November 17 at Teikyo Loretto Heights University Theater.  In fact, I do not simply congratulate but rather would like to thank you for moving my emotions in ways I hadn’t experienced before.

It portrayed the reality of history on one hand, but also how people could remain human under such difficult circumstances.  What struck me especially was that your Sansei group, Americans, were able to break a taboo of unpleasant history to create both an old and new drama using their interest and respect for their ancestors.  While recognizing the hardships their elders had experienced, I could not help but “envy” them as their lives and memories were splendidly revived with many beautiful stories that their descendants will cherish and hand down from generation to generation.

Thank you once again.  Please convey my regards and appreciation also to the cast members and to all involved.  I hope you continue with such wonderful work and wish you further success in your excellent activities.

Sincerely yours,

Kazuaki Kubo  
Consul-General of Japan at Denver

The talent of the cast was outstanding.  Their vocal range and acting skills were of Broadway caliber.  For two hours we were transported back, back to the World War Two years, to a first dance, a dance where awkward young people try to act cool; cool while being incarcerated; incarcerated for their Japanese ancestry in a place called Tule Lake.

The songs were familiar to most, “ Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Moonlight Serenade” and many more had us singing along in our hearts, we were in the groove.  The story line gave all of us a small peek behind the barbed wire and guard towers, a peek into the feelings of the mostly American citizens who were rounded up without charge, without due process.

The lives of the 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who had their constitutional rights stripped from them is part of America ’s history.  We owe it to those that served time for no crime to preserve their oral history, we owe it to future generations to protect and preserve what remains of those camps so they can better understand what can happen when racism, economic and political exploitation and expediency can undermine our constitutional guarantees.  

Thank You,

David Porter Misso
Tulelake, CA

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Dear Mr. Kashiwagi (Kashiwagi san):

First I would like to compliment you and the whole cast and anyone who participated in the presentation “ Camp Dance ” at the Ross Ragland Theatre in Klamath Falls , OR this month. For me it was a beautiful depiction of the events at Tule Lake , CA and represented the other internment camps in the US . It was very heart moving although very sad (at times) and embarrassing for me as a Fellow American to think this did happen in the USA .

Not only are the actors and directors of this presentation excellent in their acting and singing abilities, they are true actors portraying to the fullest the events of that time....

  ... I believe this presentation is more than worth seeing and reviewing not only by all Americans, but by Japanese people just moving her to the states as it is history and needed knowledge to know what some of their relatives went through. I also realize under certain Japanese cultures, especially with the older generation, they would like to forget the times and move on. But for me it is education in order to prevent this form ever happening again to anyone....

  ... I’ll sign off and will be looking for the program to be presented again so I can enjoy one more time.

Chuck Van Horn  

PS. I have finished the book purchased at the Ross Ragland by your father; Hiroshi Kashiwagi and enjoyed it very much. – Please pass my compliments on to him.

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From our "Nihonmachi: The Place to Be - A Musical Journey" show 
March 24 and 25, 2007, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) in Los Angeles

I have been on the Board at the JACCC for many years and currently I am on the
Board of Governors.  I have seen many a production of every type and I must
commend your ensemble for one of the most exciting...and passionate Musicals ever
presented at our theater.  The production captured the emotions of the day and
presented visions gained...and lost through the years.  I wish you well and thank you
very much for all of your collective efforts for the production.
 
Sincerely,
Ernie and Elaine Nagamatsu

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I caught the show this afternoon -- and I have to say that y'all were quite upstaged by the Nisei lady next to me, who was repeatedly daubing her eyes with a tissue.

The show was great -- an honor to the Issei and Nisei legacy, for sure. Hopefully it can be brought to a broader audience soon.

At the end of the show, the guy next to me, a guy in his late 40s or early 50s, said to his wife, "I'm glad you suggested we come to this. I enjoyed it!" And, from my very informal survey of the balcony audience: On the sentimentality scale, the show gets somewhere between "1 to 3 tissues," depending on how much one uses that first tissue...

I really enjoyed the Japanese songs. Although they are completely unfamiliar to me, I appreciate what they meant to the Issei and to the remaining Nisei. (And I wish I had stayed in Japanese language classes a little longer, so I could understand more of the lyrics!)

You and your cast were golden.

:: sigrid ::

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From our "Nihonmachi: The Place to Be - A Musical Journey" show 
August 25 and 26, 2006, at the Japanese Community and Cultural Center of Northern California (JCCCNC)

Dear Soji,

I really enjoyed your play. I was on my 3rd Kleenex by intermission.

You folks have no idea how your play galvanized our community! People came from all over the Bay Area -- even little farm towns!. Your play gave us voice. The Obon Festival that night was extremely poignant and I think it had to do with the emotion you folks released. I only wish there had been an audience
talk-back after the show because this kind of a play begs for "witnessing." It would have been a great opportunity to have heard directly from the Nisei, what they remembered about our J-town. (Plus, it would be good post-press for you guys.)

Warmly,
Brenda Wong Aoki

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Soji-

I wanted to thank you so much for the wonderful tribute to Mako. It was very succinct, I thought. Told a lot in just a few words. I understood- and it made me proud!

I don't know if you had a chance to view your audience: It was AWESOME! This older issei man had his eyes closed, was singing along, and KNEW ALL THE WORDS! When we can touch people like that, I believe we are doing the right thing. So often nowadays (Do I sound like an old fart?) the "arts" pander to the lowest common denominator- MONEY- and it bothers me. The function of art (according to my dad) was to uplift people and make it easier for them to do the right thing- whatever their problem is. 
Even if it's just to allow their brain to relax for a while, art is part of a solution.

Momo Yashima

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Hi Soji, 

I can't tell you all the great feedback that we have received from your play. 

Thank you so much for such a wonderful play and in helping to bring back so many memories for so many people. I couldn't think of a more wonderful gift to help us celebrate our 100th Anniversary here in San Francisco's Western Addition, Japantown, than Nihonmachi: The Place To Be. It was a soulful, introspective journey of our community filled with incredible music, stories, laughter, tears and pride. For many of us Sansei, it brought back to life our Issei grandparents, who for many of us, we only knew in their aging years and as most of life had all but passed them by. Through your play, we remembered their dreams, their youth, their pain and also their happiness. 

Unfortunately, this centennial celebration will be the last big community celebration for many of the Nisei's who helped build and sustain our communities as a gift to us and for future generations. It is a generation that I see, aging everyday, painfully, but gratefully, step by step. 

As we stood and watched the Obon that night and the hundreds, if not thousands of dancers, I thought to myself that Post Street has never stood so proud in so many years. It has seen everything, the best and the worst of our community, over the past several years. It was the foundation of our stores, hotels and businesses, it was home to our families. It also sadly had to say good-bye to them and watch them depart one by one, only to see them return to wrecking balls and demolition, but the street returned and today's still embraces some of our oldest businesses and some of our most precious memories and stories. So it was fitting to pay our respects on the 75th Anniversary of the Obon to our ancestors on that street where we lived. 

In not so many years, great change will happen in our Japantown and along the Post Street corridor. No one can say for sure what that change will be, but for sure it will never be the same. 

Please give the cast and crew all my best, it will be a weekend long remembered. I hope that they realize the incredible gift that they gave us here. 

Sincerely, 

Paul Osaki 
Executive Director, JCCCNC

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Dear Soji: 

Words alone cannot express the deep gratitude to you and your cast for the best event SF J-town has seen in a long time. 

My kibei uncle, 2 aunts, mom, dad and cousin were fortunate to have front row seats for your Saturday afternoon performance, and my mom and aunt said that my 93-year-old uncle sang along with the cast from beginning to end. My other aunt, who lost her oldest son in camp while incarcerated at Tule Lake, cried through most of the first half and then cried again during the second half, but this time with tears of laughter, especially since Hiroshima ben was used. 

Everything that you selected for this performance meant so much to so many people. The younger crowd (I consider myself younger than the Niseis) loved the selection of songs, "Colette's" performance, and the struggle of keeping J-town alive during redevelopment and now. 

Thank you for all of your hard work. Please know that the memories that you captured have brought life back into our community. Your performance was part of the last project I was able to work on before leaving [the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program] and, thus, seeing it performed with such spirit, respect and love for our community meant more than you can ever know. 

Looking forward to seeing you her in SF again soon. 
Thanks again!
Sincerely, 

Diane Matsuda

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From our JACL National Convention show, Gila River Resort & Casino, Arizona - June 23, 2006 

Soji, 

You know, our Sayonara Banquet on Saturday night was a great event but my feeling is that "Camp Dance" on Friday night will be the one event that our local community will remember the most for years to come.  You won't believe how many local AZ sansei and yonsei were shocked to hear their parents or grandparents singing and dancing along to the music from your show...especially the songs in nihongo!  We just don't have opportunities to enjoy shows like this locally and many of our nisei just do not like to travel to CA.  This show touched so many of our people who attended both the dinner and show and enjoyed not just the music but the historical lessons from the show, as well. 

Please thank your entire cast and crew for making last Friday night an evening this community will be talking about for years to come! 

Ted Namba

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From our Japan American Theatre show, Los Angeles, March 12, 2005

Dear Grateful Crane folks: 

I wanted to write to thank you for a precious memory that I will keep in my heart always. I took my Nisei parents, Alice and Kengo Otsuka, to see "Camp Dance" on March 12, 2005 at the Aratani Theater in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo. I didn't tell them anything beforehand -- it was a complete surprise for them. 

They bobbed along politely to the American swing songs, they nodded sagely with memories recalled from the skits, and they chuckled at the jokes. But oh! When it was time for the old Japanese songs -- the songs their parents used to sing and play -- that was when their faces really lit up. In fact, I remember an astonished ripple of gasps through the audience as all of the oldsters recognized the songs. They nudged each other and closed their eyes, and I could see they were transported to some other place and time, remembering their parents, brothers and sisters who departed long ago. And my Dad, especially, closed his eyes, and mouthed the words softly to "Shina No Yoru," his favorite, favorite song that he never expected to hear in a live performance. And when the performers asked the veterans to stand and be recognized, we urged him (a staff sergeant in the 442nd, Charlie Company, who served in Italy and France) to stand, and even though his legs were starting to be crippled by illness, he stood up tall to the applause -- the performers', the audience's, and especially my own. He had seldom spoken of his army days, and this was the only time I ever knew him to accept public thanks and recognition for his service. My eyes filled with tears, and I had never been so proud to be his daughter. 

It is a memory I will always cherish because last week, on November 15, 2005, my father passed away. We've known for a year or two that he was ill and wouldn't be with us long, so we made this last year his "Farewell Tour" and packed in as much fun and good memories as we could. I'm proud that "Camp Dance" was one of these memories. I hope you'll forgive me, but I used "Shina No Yoru" as the music behind the slide show I prepared for his funeral. He loved the performance so much, and the memory of our afternoon at "Camp Dance" was so precious to me and my mom. 

Thanks for the memories, Grateful Crane. 

With warmest regards, 
Leigh Otsuka Curran

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From our Long Beach show, September 11, 2005

Dear Grateful Crane Ensemble,
Thank you for your recent performance at Grace First Presbyterian Church.  Without exception, everyone that I talked with was moved by the story and so much enjoyed your musical performance in portraying
it.  When I grew up, I never learned in school about the World War II internment camps.  It was not until adulthood that I learned of this sad period in American history.   I recall working with a remarkable
woman named Jane Urata who was the long-time secretary to the late Sheriff Sherman Block of Los Angeles County.  She told me about the wonderful family who took care of her family's home and possessions while she and her family were in the internment camps. She also made it a point to invite me to join her when the Japanese American Museum in Los Angeles first created its display of segments of the
internment camp living quarters.  It was quite an education.  Your musical brings to everyone this part of history, while at the same time demonstrating that trials and tribulations do make good people
stronger.

One of the members of our church, Joyce Clark, mentioned that she was one of the members of a youth group that purchased and sent Christmas gifts to the children in the camps.  She said that in addition to
prayer, that was one of the things that she and others could do for the children sent to the camps.  Had mention of the gifts not been made in your presentation, this recollection might not have occurred.  No
matter how bad things get, there always are good people out there who care and do what they can despite the power of government.

An interesting tidbit is the meeting of the two Mary Nomuras. Both had been interned at Manzanar but had never met.  Mary Nomura of Grace First Presbyterian Church frequently had been teased about her namesake and frequently asked if she could sing.   The attached photo now serves as proof that there is only one songbird of Manzanar.  We also appreciate the fact that you and other performers took the time to mingle with the people after the performance.   That says a lot about the character of the actors.  Thank you.   I'm also enclosing a photo of the people awaiting the performance.  Besides being ethnically diverse, the group was so large that both the downstairs and balcony of the church was filled.

The remarkable finale' to the Camp Dance production was the assembly of people of all cultures and ages that took place at our church after the production.  Countless people from the church had prepared food items to be served informally after the production.  We had anticipated that most people might only stay long enough to use the rest room and take a snack with them.  Much to our delight, people remained and sat at tables visiting with others, many of whom had been strangers.  By the time that the people started to go home, no one was a stranger.  In fact, the church taiko group performed an encore in celebration.

Thank you for such a memorable event.  We hope that you take your musical across the U.S. and wish you much success in your future endeavors.

Irene McReynolds
Grace First Presbyterian Church
Megumi Kai Ministry Co-Chair

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From our San Francisco shows, June 4 & 5, 2005

Our entire family enjoyed your performance in San Francisco on June 4th. The play brought back poignant memories of camp life. I was too young to attend the camp dances but recalled all of the songs from the 40s in the play, including all the Japanese songs. Wayne and most in the audience did attend the dances and it brought back many sentimental memories for them. Three of our sons and a teenage granddaughter saw the play with us and each of them thoroughly enjoyed learning more about our lives in the internment camps. Thank you all very much. Your grandparents would be so proud! The Japanese songs were great. Enjoy the photos. It was a wonderful coincidence that Wayne recognized your name. 

Sally Osaki

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I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you that I was at your most recent performance of "The Camp Dance" at the San Francisco Buddhist Church. I was there with my mother, my sister, and several of our friends. We had listened to a copy of your CD beforehand, so we knew what songs that you were going to perform. And we were all looking forward to it. 

You see, my mother grew up during that time in Canada. Not many people really know this but, the Canadian Japanese were also taken from their homes and interned to sugar beet farms to work. My grandfather though, was sent to the Canadian version of internment camp because he was very active in the Japanese community there. She was very surprised that the Japanese in the US listened to the same music. I was always immersed in that music too. I have many memories of her singing a lot of the music of the 40's. I think that it really made me appreciate it. And I will always know "Shina No Yoru." All through your show my Mom could not help herself but to sing along. It really warmed my heart. I was scared that she was offending people around her. But, soon found out that they did not mind at all. I think that is where I got my voice from. You see I am a singer/actor myself. 

I have done a couple of shows/caberets that dealt with the topic of the internment. So, I was very interested in how you put your show together. I grew up hearing all the stories of the internment camps and being in the service as a Japanese-American soldier. My father was in the service during the war. He grew up in Hawaii and spent several years in-between Japan, Hawaii, and the mainland. Actually he was one of those GI's who were in many a brawl between the "katonks" and the "buddha heads," where he was stationed at a Military Intelligence Language School at Camp Savage in MN. So, I knew all about that portion of your show. I just wish that he could have seen it. Unfortunately he passed away this past March. I am sure it would have brought back a lot of memories for him too. 

I am glad that you put in "I'll Be Seeing You," because it was my Mother and Father's song. I know that that took her by surprise. Along with all the other stirred up memories. And to have that open dance at the end is a great touch. I even danced with my Mom toward the back. I know that meant a lot to her. We have learned a lot from our elders. And all the sacrifices that they went through for us, their children. To give all the generations to come a fighting chance. Thank You For Everything... 

Scott Kitajima

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June 21, 2005

Dear Soji,

I just wanted to thank you for the tickets to Camp Dance and tell you how much my family and I enjoyed the show in San Francisco.

It was a great experience for each of us:  my mother, my daughter, and my wife and I.

I’m sure it brought back many poignant memories for my mom.  I know that it helped my 13-year-old daughter understand more of the experience her Nagatani grandparents endured.  My wife is Caucasian and I know the show gave faces and personalities to her knowledge of the internment experience.  For me, it brought back many memories of the stories my dad told me about his time in Jerome.  And it filled me with gratitude for the courage, tenacity, and faith that the Issei and Nisei have displayed throughout their lives.

Thank you for taking the lead and expressing the gratitude that so many of us Sansei have in our hearts for our parents and grandparents.

Please accept the enclosed check as our way of supporting you and everyone involved in the Grateful Crane Ensemble.

We wish you continued success!

Sincerely,

Gerry Nagatani

P.S.  It was great to see Scott and I really enjoyed reading about your father in the San Francisco Chronicle.  A young woman in the office where I work bought your dad’s book for her Sansei mother!

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From our Manzanar Show, May 21, 2005

May 24, 2005

Dear Grateful Crane Ensemble,

My parents and I just happened to be camping in the Lone Pine area for the weekend when we stopped by the Manzanar Historical Site on May 21^st.  We were fortunate to be able to watch the Camp Dance.  My father who is in his late 70s was getting restless and we had to leave at the end of the Camp Dance piece and before the panel discussion.

I am second generation Japanese America, my parents arrived in the United States in the late 1950s and so we’re not part of that period of history of the Japanese American internment.

The presentation was very stirring.  The dance was very entertaining but more important, the history told by the performers deeply moved me.  It’s one thing to read about the history but it’s totally different to experience as though we are hearing the voices of those who were there and their day-to-day experiences.

I applaud all those who were involved with the presentation.  It was well done.  I wished that I had the opportunity to experience the full version.

The one thing that sticks in my mind was a saying at the end of the presentation that reflected the thoughts of the Issei generation, which translated, meant “for the sake of the children.”

Sincerely,

Henry Miyashita

Colma, CA 

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THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  : )

Based on the stories you’ve experienced this evening, how can we, as Californians,

become stronger as a community?

Educate all folks with great presentations such as tonight’s.  Educate high schoolers early.

Show the positives of diversity.  Why do we have fears?  Falseness?  Sameness is stale and boring.

What impact did tonight’s program have on you?

Very touching!  Brought tears, pulled out emotions from me.  (My parents too went through prejudice being of Russian immigrants 1930’s era.)  The power of perseverance.

As I-ching would say:  “It furthers one to cross the great water.”

What message did you walk away with this evening?  How can this message strengthen us as individuals and as a community?

Don’t give up—we as humans are not a lost cause.  We can continue to grow, educate,

become more open and flexible—allay fears.  Viva la difference!  Cultures colour this world a beautiful palette of diversity…

What’s the difference between seeing the show as opposed to reading about it in a textbook?

Nothing like a live performance.  It really “pulls you in.”  Grateful Crane was TERRIFIC. 

Perfect harmony.  I wanted to get up and dance too!  Sing along too! 

I bought 2 CD’s  Love those songs.  

- Natasha Hrenoff, RN in Big Pine

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From our Watsonville Show, March 2005

Hello Kashiwagi-san, 
I wanted to tell you and your ensemble how much we enjoyed the “Camp Dance” performance in Watsonville.

My mother and I are from Salinas and we drove to Watsonville to see the show. My mother is 85 years old and a former camp resident. The show brought back many memories for her. She loves the music of the 40’s and she was humming merrily to many of the tunes. It is hard to find anything that really makes her happy now a days, so this was a real treat for both of us to share.

I am deeply appreciative of your efforts and thank you for finding a way to reach out to our remaining Nisei.

I also see a real value to our future generations in seeing this show. I thought to myself, my daughter really needs to see this, and my sister. I would like information on how to get tickets or reserve spots for your San Francisco showings.

Thanks again to all for a great job and a wonderful time!

Jan Tokiwa
- a Sansei from Salinas

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Dear Soji,

First off, wanted to repeat what I’ve been hearing from everyone since yesterday’s production of Camp Dance in Watsonville—absolutely bravo performance. A brilliant concept, brilliantly executed. Damn fine singers, too. My only regret was that we didn’t get to see the musicians when they received their curtain call. I know they were still playing music, but it would have been neat to actually see them. Great afternoon all around. 

Thanks again for all you and your team are doing to advance the awareness of what your parents (and their parents) went through.

Onward!

Sandy Lydon, Historian Emeritus, Cabrillo College, Aptos, CA
- Watsonville Show guest speaker

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“I just got off the plane yesterday from New York. While I was there, I saw three Broadway productions, including Cats, and this was just as good.”

- George Ow, show sponsor

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“I’m sorry for your pain.”

- Comment to cast members by an African American male audience member who saw the show with his young daughter. 

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Grateful Crane Ensemble,

Thank you!!
I enjoyed “Camp Dance” more than Phantom of the Opera. (With Michael Crawford)
Sincerely yours,
Margie Yoshizumi

Formerly of Manzanar (April 1942 to Summer 1945)

- Margie Yoshizumi of Los Angeles
  Japan America Theatre audience member

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From Our Manzanar Show -  October 2004

I had already visited the museum and seen your show in Lil Tokyo recently. This time around, however, your show really and truly got to me (and my daughters). We felt so much emotion that we were teary eyed! We could easily tell that all of you were "acting from the heart."  Thank you again, and may your show continue!!!!!

Frank

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Dear Grateful Crane Ensemble:

Several members of my family decided to celebrate my father’s (Francis )80th birthday with a weekend trip to Manzanar, which was his “home” for 4 years during the war, with his family being interned there It might
sound like a strange way to celebrate to some, but actually it turned out to be fitting and entirely wonderful.

Our plan was to simply go up there to the Manzanar Interpretive Center and have a family dinner together in Lone Pine. We then heard about your musical show, “The Camp Dance: The Music and The Memories” and how it would be performing on the very day we planned to go (10/23). The show’s subject
and the location of the performance made it a must for us to include in our plans!

I had expected it to be simply a fun, carefree look back at the 40’s music; it was much more than that! As the show went on, I got more and more teary-eyed as it evolved into a moving tribute to our Issei, Nisei and Kibei elders. I saw many others dabbing their eyes as well. Even the actors had to compose themselves several times during the performance, which showed me this was a true labor or love. Perhaps it was performing within the actual walls of the building that held such “Camp Dances”, but there was something
very magical about that evening!

When my father danced with my sister at the show’s end (at the invitation of the cast), he told her, I havent danced here in 62 years! More tears.

I think we all left the Interpretive Center with a sense of pride and appreciation for our heritage, for both our Japanese-ness AND our American-ness.

May I give my sincerest thanks for making my family’s celebration of my father’s 80th birthday such a memorable one. Your group’s mission of showing appreciation for the sacrifices of our prior generations was just the message we wanted to convey to our father for his big birthday—to thank
him for all that he has done for us, too.

Much continued success to your Ensemble. You have a beautiful message for
all peoples!

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From Our Seattle Show, September 2004

…The play was absolutely magical! I glanced at Mom often during the performance and her face was filled with happiness, excitement and emotion.  Afterwards she talked about the play until she went to bed, when she first got up, and then off and on all the way to Anacortes!  It was an experience she will remember and treasure forever.

… you should feel very proud of being a part of this production …  for the incredible tribute it gives to those who sacrificed so much.  What a gem of a project!!

Thank you, again, for a truly enchanting evening.

 Lil 

Well we saw Camp Dance on Saturday, and enjoyed it very much!  Thank
you for telling us about it.  We saw the second show on Saturday, and
the cast did a great job.  I'm sure they were exhausted, but it sure
didn't show… The show certainly did convey the complexities of emotion and experiences faced by that generation of Nisei during the camp days. I felt sad through much of the performance.  Being so young when I was in camp, I was not marked by the experience, as were the older youth. To be in Camp during those painful adolescent days. really hard. The production was very effective in communicating the issues in a personal way.  Pete wondered if the visit to Arkansas by the Hawaiian Nisei soldiers really did bring about solidarity in the 442^nd’we had never heard about that.

 Sylvia

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Thank you for your wonderful performance of Camp Dance.  I attended the Saturday performance in Seattle and found the show quite extraordinary.  Even as a Sansei, I found myself moved to tears many times.  And I witnessed many Nisei who also had tears - tears of sorrow, and tears of joy.  The show is important to help reconcile and heal the pain that continues to exist, resurrect fond memories that have been buried, and honor those who were incarcerated.  What a wonderful way to accomplish those goals.

John 

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From our Sacramento Show:

Thank you for a brilliant production!  I truly believe in what you are doing, and am enclosing my check to support the continuation of your work.  You have my heartfelt wish for your continued success!

Sincerely,  
Dolly

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And from Stockton (handwritten):

 You people are all heart for venturing into something that many of us waited over 60 years to see.  Like many of the deserving Issei who did not live to see the letter of apology from the U.S. Government or the token monetary redress payment, many Nisei have already gone by the wayside who would have really appreciated experiencing the emotional catharsis of reliving some of the things that happened in camp.  Your closing number with accolades to the Nisei generation released a lot of pent up emotion that had been locked in for 6 decades.