Roughly 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were interned in the
United States during World War II. But as often as their story has
been told, to many, it doesn’t seem to be enough to combat
the fear and intolerance that caused it in the first place.
Tonight’s performance of “Manzanar: An American
Story” marks a wholly unique approach to telling that story
and engaging in the issue of civil liberty in America. An epic
production featuring orchestra, spoken text, chorus, actors and
narrators, “Manzanar” is the result of an enormous
collaborative effort between artistic director Kent Nagano,
playwright and director Philip Kan Gotanda, three award-winning
composers, the American Youth Symphony, two choirs and a slew of
readers, including Sen. Daniel Inouye, figure skater Kristi
Yamaguchi, former Broadway star Pat Suzuki, actor John Cho and
(time permitting) actor Martin Sheen. The event is presented by
UCLA Live and takes place at Royce Hall tonight at 8.
Though “Manzanar” ““ named after one of 10 war
relocation centers ““ attempts to commemorate the unfortunate
episode in American history, those involved in the project insist
it avoids dwelling on victimization.
“It’s not meant to be a museum piece,” said
Gotanda. “It presents a living history ““ looking back,
and also bringing the story up to the present and basically saying
the story is about today, too, and about tomorrow, and what’s
going on in the world right now.”
In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt authorized the mass
incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry without due process in
response to growing concerns about potential sabotage and
espionage. Two-thirds of them were American citizens.
The focus on the fragility of human rights in times of war
strikes an especially relevant chord in today’s post-Sept. 11
environment.
“The perception and treatment of Arab Americans and
Muslims, how they’re viewed and how they’re treated
““ these are similar issues to what happened after the bombing
of Pearl Harbor to the Japanese living in America,” said
Gotanda.
UCLA alumna Naomi Sekiya, who composed most of the original
music for “Manzanar,” echoed the comparison.
“We wanted to focus on global issues. If you remember what
happened to Arab Americans or people in Guantanamo Bay right after
9/11, they were suspected or imprisoned because they looked
different from us. This is not only about Japanese
Americans,” she said.
For the opening half of the program, four works were selected
that also confront themes of oppression and liberation: Charles
Ives’s “The Unanswered Question,” excerpts from
Plato’s “The Apology of Socrates,” and two
selections by Beethoven, “Fidelio” Act Two Introduction
and “Leonore” Overture No. 3 in C-major. The second
half features “Manzanar: An American Story,” structured
by Gotanda into three parts. The first explores the immigration and
settlement of Japanese Americans up until Pearl Harbor; the second
covers the camps and the postwar years, and the third is an
epilogue drawing connections to contemporary times.
Sekiya, born and raised in Japan, wrote the music for Parts One
and Three, as well as linking materials for Part Two, working with
American jazz composer David Benoit and French-born Jean-Pascal
Beintus in a truly international effort. Sekiya and Gotanda teamed
up for the difficult and uncommon task of incorporating spoken text
into a symphonic format.
“There’s not a genre quite like what
“˜Manzanar’ is,” said Sekiya. “It’s
not an opera, and it’s not quite musical theater. This is
sort of oratorial, but not quite; I was interested in exploring a
new genre of music.”
Gotanda was similarly excited about working in a new medium.
“I’ve written about this topic over the years, but
I’ve never written in a symphonic format before. It’s
not done that often,” Gotanda said, citing “Peter and
the Wolf” as the closest example. “The music is quite
amazing, and the impact of marrying that with the text is
ultimately a very moving event. The combination is what people are
responding to.”
Indeed, the combinations of genres, cultures and artistic input
at work in “Manzanar” support its retelling of the
Japanese American internment as a universal issue. And that is a
story in need of being passed on, said Gotanda, who explained the
decision to end the piece with a youth choir.
“It’s up to the youth of this country to make sure
to be vigilant, that these histories are kept alive in the
present-day dialogue and the journey of tomorrow,” he
said.