About the Theatre
EWP was founded by nine Asian American artists (Mako, Rae Creevey, Beulah Quo, Soon-Tek Oh, James Hong, Pat Li, June Kim, Guy Lee, and Yet Lock) seeking to create roles beyond the stereotypical parts they were offered in mainstream Hollywood. In 1998, EWP Artistic Director Tim Dang led the company’s move from a 99-seat Equity Waiver “black box” theatre into a new 240-seat venue at an Actors Equity Association contract level. EWP’s main stage is the David Henry Hwang Theater, housed within the Union Center for the Arts in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district. The theater serves more than 25,000 people each year, and has become a creative center in this historically significant setting. When Dang retired in 2016, his successor Snehal Desai was appointed to guide East West Players into a new wave of artistic leadership. Desai has committed to steering the work of East West Players with an intersectional focus that further unveils the diversity of Asian Pacific identities as portrayed on stage.
by Shari Barrett - March 16, 2026
Directed magnificently by Elijah Green, with energetic choreography by Katie Powers-Faulk and musical direction by Miki Yokomizo, the totally entertaining and artistically brilliant production pulled me in from the moment it started....
by Andrew Child - March 15, 2026
This is inside baseball with tensions, heartaches, and personal touches that no one wants to have to explain afterward to their token straight friend....
by Evan Henerson - March 14, 2026
Weston Gaylord’s mind-bender of play enhances the mystery of an already fascinating creature and of the limitless possibilities of what we don’t know....
by Andrew Child - March 13, 2026
Glass feels to be in direct conversation with grand opera, layering incantations from the chorus over triangulations of notes played nearly ad nauseam on violas to evoke something of the mystery that shrouds ancient Egypt in western culture....
by Evan Henerson - March 13, 2026
With all its visual delights on full display, the non-Equity production directed by Catie Davis (from the original direction by Alex Timbers) is a carnival of the macabre....
by Shari Barrett - March 09, 2026
Thanks to de Santos’ insightful direction, the on-going dialogues never seem to drag and the action flows at a pace which keeps the audience interested in just what happens between these well-written characters....
by Evan Henerson - March 06, 2026
In the premiere of RED HARLEM at Company of Angels, director Bernadette Speakes’s production offers some frequently dynamic staging which is brought down by a mixed bag of acting performances and the heavy-handed messaging of Henderson’s script....
by Shari Barrett - March 01, 2026
Director Max Mayer keeps the action authentic and story realistically contrite after helping execute the play’s workshop, making this production an especially meaningful return to the material....
by Evan Henerson - February 27, 2026
Embodied by the exciting Ann Noble and surrounded by a solid cast, Richard and his dastardly deeds are every inch at home within the world of Guillermo Cienfuegos’s sweet and seedy production of RICHARD III for A Noise Within....
by Andrew Child - March 02, 2026
LuPone has woven an unexpected, eclectic musical collage that leads to two clear conclusions; she knows what sounds good in her voice and she knows how to sell a song....
Past Shows
East West Players presents the new play PARANORMAL INSIDE by Prince Gomolvilas, directed by Jeff Liu. This supernatural thriller reunites audiences with Max and Delia,...
Pacific OverturesThe 2024 Season culminates with the Tony Award winning musical Pacific Overtures, with music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman, additional...
INTERSTATE is an Asian-American pop-rock poetry musical that follows Dash, a transgender spoken word performer who becomes internet-famous along with his best friend Adrian, a...
A darkly comic Tony-award winner that examines the motives of the nine notorious Americans who took their shot at the President of the United States,...
The Sitayana (Or How To Make An Exit) is an artful transposition of the Hindu epic The Ramayana told from Sitas point of view. Part...
East West Players (EWP), the nations largest producer of Asian American theatrical works, is proud to present Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct)s 1 Hour Photo,...
East West Players is excited to present multiple GRAMMY-winning musician Daniel Ho in concert on December 19th. Enjoy an evening of Aloha spirit with Daniels...
East West Players, the nations premiere Asian American theatre organization, is partnering up with online musician AJ Rafael for Crazy Talented Asians, a concert series...
On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to...
Chinglish – Back by Popular Demand! By David Henry Hwang Directed by Jeff Liu December 3, 2015 – December 13, 2015 “CRITIC’S CHOICE!…deliriously funny, deliciously...
East West Players: - Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus; lyrics: Tim Rice; dir: Tim Dang....
THREE YEAR SWIM CLUB is inspired by the true life story of Soichi Sakamoto, who trained the youth of Maui to swim in the plantation...
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