{"id":141015,"date":"2021-05-09T08:00:55","date_gmt":"2021-05-09T18:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=141015"},"modified":"2021-05-10T14:48:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T00:48:36","slug":"edward-sakamoto-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/05\/09\/edward-sakamoto-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa gifted rights to award-winning Asian American playwright\u2019s works"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_33788\"  width=\"676\" height=\"676\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oOaNOSPD0GE?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Â鶹´«Ã½M\u0101noa gifted rights to award-winning Asian American playwright\u2019s works\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>A friend of one of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\u2019s\">Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s<\/span> most iconic and celebrated playwrights, <strong>Edward Sakamoto<\/strong>, has gifted his entire catalog of plays to the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M&#257;noa <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/liveonstage\/\">Department of Theatre and Dance<\/a>, an extremely rare endowment. The gift gives <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> full ownership and copyright authority of the award-winning writer\u2019s 19 plays which will help support theatrical productions in the department as well as around the world. Sakamoto, a <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa alumnus, died in 2015. The <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span> native wrote highly-acclaimed plays in pidgin and specialized in nostalgic comedies and family dramas largely focused on local Japanese in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii.\">Â鶹´«Ã½.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141019\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141019\" style=\"width: 214px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-e-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"Sakamoto headshot\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-141019\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-e-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-e-93x130.jpg 93w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-e.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141019\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ed Sakamoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;We are honored to work together with local community theatre artists and scholars to preserve Ed Sakamoto\u2019s plays and legacy,&rdquo; said <strong>Markus Wessendorf<\/strong>, chair of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa Department of Theatre and Dance. &ldquo;Our priority will be to extend the rich cultural reach of these plays; the funds raised from licensing his plays will be used to support that endeavor and to celebrate and nurture local playwriting in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½&rdquo;<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Sakamoto\u2019s most popular plays include <em>Aloha Las Vegas<\/em>, about a widower contemplating a move off island, and <em>Our Hearts Were Touched with Fire<\/em>, a play about the all Nisei (second-generation American soldiers of Japanese ancestry) 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. His <em><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> No Ka Oi<\/em> trilogy (<em>The Taste of Kona Coffee<\/em>, <em>M&#257;noa Valley<\/em> and <em>The Life of the Land<\/em>) follows a Japanese-American family in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> for a 60-year period. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The characters are instantly recognizable to local people because it\u2019s like your friend or your neighbor down the street from small kid time,&rdquo; said <strong>Justina Mattos<\/strong>, an assistant professor of performing arts at <a href=\"https:\/\/hilo.hawaii.edu\/\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo<\/a>. &ldquo;You just recognize them right away. Reading or watching the plays introduces people not only to the local characters and the local culture but also to sociological issues that may have been important at any given time in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii.&rdquo;\">Â鶹´«Ã½.&rdquo;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa alumnus <strong>Harry Wong<\/strong> directed several of Sakamoto\u2019s plays at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kumukahua.org\/\">Kumu Kahua Theatre<\/a>. Sakamoto was so moved by Wong\u2019s ability to bring his work to life he wrote a sequel to one of the productions he directed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He was a man of the theatre&#8230;Ed knew how to tell a story using the medium,&rdquo; Wong explained. &ldquo;He never shared a play until he was pau; he wouldn\u2019t even say he was working on a play until it was complete in his mind.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141022\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141022\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-manoa-valley-2-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"actors on a stage\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-141022\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-manoa-valley-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-manoa-valley-2-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-manoa-valley-2.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141022\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A 1982 production of Sakamoto\u2019s play, <em>M&#257;noa Valley<\/em> about a local Japanese <span aria-label=\"ohana\">&#699;ohana<\/span> dealing with familial struggles concerning race and traditions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sakamoto\u2019s plays have been produced in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and at prestigious regional theatres in Los Angeles and New York. <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa theatre faculty have invited key members of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\u2019s\">Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s<\/span> theatrical and literary community to an advisory board. The group will assist <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa faculty in establishing an initiative to preserve Sakamoto\u2019s plays for future productions and publications. Companies, organizations and schools interested in producing his work can <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/liveonstage\/kennedy-theatre\/sakamoto\/\">contact the department for more information<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Through the generosity of another donor, the <a href=\"https:\/\/giving.uhfoundation.org\/funds\/12971604\">Edward Sakamoto Fund<\/a> has been established at <a href=\"https:\/\/giving.uhfoundation.org\/\"><abbr>UH<\/abbr> Foundation<\/a> to provide annual awards to <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa Theatre and Dance students focusing on playwriting, and support department activities related to playwriting.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I do hope more of our <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> students come and study at the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M&#257;noa so that they can tell their stories,&rdquo; said <strong>Tammy <span aria-label=\"Hailiopua\">Haili&#699;&#333;pua<\/span> Baker<\/strong>, an associate professor of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa Hawaiian Theatre Program. &ldquo;It\u2019s really important for all of us to tell the stories of our community so that those stories are recorded.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>While earning a master\u2019s degree at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa, Baker was a recipient of a performing arts scholarship Sakamoto previously sponsored at the university. <\/p>\n<p>This effort is an example of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa\u2019s goal of <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=20\">Enhancing Student Success<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), one of four goals identified in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf\">2015&#8211;25 Â鶹´«Ã½<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020. <\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_141020\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-141020\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-manoa-valley.jpg\" alt=\"two women performing in a play\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-141020\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-manoa-valley.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-manoa-valley-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/manoa-arts-sakamoto-manoa-valley-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-141020\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">2004 production of Sakamoto\u02bbs <em>M\u0101noa Valley<\/em> performed at Kennedy Theatre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Celebrated playwright Edward Sakamoto specialized in pidgin plays largely focused on local Japanese in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,12],"tags":[1471,1466,76,319,9,56],"class_list":["post-141015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-video","tag-college-of-arts-languages-and-letters","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-theatre-and-dance","tag-uh-foundation","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141015"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141140,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141015\/revisions\/141140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}