CEDAR GROVE PRODUCTIONS

'Cedar Grove Productions' is an independent production company based in Los Angeles, CA., specializing in media and theatre arts representing the Asian Pacific American community. They often partner with Visual Communications (VC) as a non-profit sponsor for media projects.
MISSION STATEMENT:

To entertain, enrich and enlighten, through the sharing of Asian Pacific American art, culture and history, broadening perspectives of the American experience and empowering our community.
By examining and preserving, through media and theatre arts, the rich culture and history of Asian Pacific Americans, we can come to an understanding and appreciation of our past, which informs and shapes our present and future.

Contents

Motion Picture Background

Television

Theatre

Educational Efforts

Community Recognition

External links

Motion Picture Background

Founded in 1996 by playwright Tim Toyama, actor/director Chris Tashima, producer Chris Donahue and actor/director Tom Donaldson, Cedar Grove Productions first brought the heroic saga of Holocaust rescuer Chiune “Sempo” Sugihara to movie audiences with the Academy Award® winning dramatic short film, ''Visas and Virtue'' (1997). First formed to pay tribute to Mr. Sugihara by adapting Toyama’s original one-act to the big screen, the company takes its name from the literal translation of the courageous diplomat's name: ''sugi'' (Japanese: 杉) meaning cedar, and ''hara'' (Japanese: 原) meaning field or grove. The company "remains dedicated to developing and producing projects which boldly defy mainstream Hollywood by giving Asian Americans the close-up on screen, or the spotlight on stage."

Television

In 2006, Cedar Grove Productions received an Emmy nomination from the NATAS San Francisco/Northern California Chapter, for the half-hour PBS television special, ''Day of Independence'', a fact-based story of a young ''Nisei'' (second-generation Japanese American) baseball player facing the tragic circumstances surrounding the internment of 110,000 Americans of Japanese Ancestry during World War II. Produced by Lisa Onodera, the program has been officially selected to over sixty film and video festivals across the country, and worldwide, having been shown in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Chile, Italy and Canada, garnering twenty-five international awards.

Theatre

In 2006, 'Cedar Grove OnStage' was formed, as a sister company focusing on live theatre. It joined a multicultural consortium called the "Cultural Roundtable" at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC). Cedar Grove OnStage develops, produces and presents new Asian American theatre works, with Cedar Grove Productions co-founders Toyama and Tashima serving as co-Artistic Directors. Productions are slated to begin in 2008 at the LATC venues in downtown Los Angeles. Other performance groups belonging to the Cultural Roundtable include the Latino Theater Company, Playwrights Arena, Robey Theatre Company, Culture Clash, American Indian Dance Theatre and the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television.
Cedar Grove OnStage will present the world premiere of "Show Me Some Stuff," a play written by veteran performance artist Dan Kwong as its debut production at LATC.

Educational Efforts

In 2000, Cedar Grove Productions organized and presented “The AJA Circle: Artists of Japanese Ancestry,” a day-long seminar where Japanese and Japanese American theatre artists came together to share cultural experiences — of the Japanese American community's history in the U.S. and the artistic community of Asian Americans working in Hollywood. Moderated by playwright/producer Soji Kashiwagi and Tashima, panelists included ''Nisei'' playwrights Hiroshi Kashiwagi and Wakako Yamauchi, as well as noted actors George Takei, Tamlyn Tomita, Clyde Kusatsu, Amy Hill, Marcus Toji and Greg Watanabe.

Community Recognition

Community organizations have recognized Cedar Grove Productions for cultural and artistic contributions. Honors include the Biennium Award from the Japanese American Citizens League, a Community Award given by the Japanese American Service Committee, of Chicago, a Special Recognition Award from the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, a Visionary Award from East West Players, and a Humanitarian Award received from The “1939” Club, a Holocaust Survivors’ organization.

External links

★ www.cedargroveproductions.com

★ Cedar Grove OnStage on MySpace

★ article posted on Asian American Theatre Revue