We are pleased to announce our support of The Grateful Crane Ensemble in our first round of grants awarded this Fall, 2016. Our grant will assist with funding for their upcoming West Coast tour of their latest production: Growing up Sansei: A Community Dialogue about Our Uniquely JA Upbringing.

The Grateful Crane Ensemble, Inc. is a non-profit theater group whose mission is to present educational and theatrical programs in appreciation for the unique hardships and inspiring contributions of Japanese Americans in our country’s history. This is done through the telling of Japanese American stories, and the singing of favorite and nostalgic American and Japanese songs.

Their latest production, Growing up Sansei: A Community Dialogue about Our Uniquely JA Upbringing, tackles the trauma faced by the JA community during and after WWII.

The organization describes the project this way: “Nisei did not talk about their feelings about camp with their Sansei children. This ‘community silence’ was pervasive, and led to family dysfunction and a lack of understanding among Sansei about their history and themselves as Japanese Americans. Our project’s goal is to help Sansei and others gain a better understanding of what happened, and why.

Growing up Sansei or GUS, is a community event that combines a live, theatrical play reading followed by a community dialogue facilitated by a psychotherapist who specializes in cross-cultural counseling and trauma, with a focus on JA families struggling with trauma. GUS is a unique combination of theater and therapy.”

You can find more information about Grateful Crane Ensemble upcoming tour dates here.