'THE PINK DRESS' PUPPET PERFORMANCE SET FOR NATIONAL MUSEUM DEC. 6

"The Pink Dress", a puppet-theatre performance done in a Japanese Bunraku style and based on a story of a Japanese American teenage girl’s experiences in the World War II domestic concentration camp at Amache, Colorado, will return to the Japanese American National Museum for a single performance on Saturday, Dec. 6, beginning at 2 p.m. The show is being produced by Triumvirate Pi Theatre (Tri-Pi Theatre).

Last presented at the National Museum in 2005, "The Pink Dress" was developed by Leslie K. Gray and is inspired by the story of her mother, who was falsely incarcerated along with thousands of Japanese Americans by the U.S. government during the war. Utilizing puppets created by Beth Peterson, modeled after the famed Bunraku puppets of Japan, "The Pink Dress" provides an accessible understanding of the dilemma of this group of Americans who were forced from their homes and businesses to live in the harsh conditions of a desolate prison camp.

It also highlights the desire of the central character, Tsuki, to be seen as an individual and "not an ant", and her determination to wear her pink dress as part of her junior high school graduation and not the drab clothes all the other graduates are expected to wear.

"This piece is particularly important to me because of the legacy of the mass incarceration in the lives of many Japanese Americans, and its significance in the political atmosphere of the current time," explained Gray. "I’m attempting to bring this story, and awareness of its historical context, to a young audience, particularly elementary-grade children, who often are not engaged in discussion about these kinds of important topics. This piece provides a way for youngsters to discuss important concepts such as war, discrimination, stereotyping, mistrust, individuality, and being an American of foreign descent, through a poignant and accessible story that everyone of any ethnicity can enjoy."

Gray is a playwright, whose work has been seen at East West Players, ASK Theater Project, and the Coronet Theater. A Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department Artist in Residence, Gray wrote and directed the acclaimed, site-specific production of Tri-Pi Theatre’s Reds, Whites, and Blues, which was produced at the Los Angeles Athletic Club and remounted at the National Museum.

Peterson, who created the puppets, is an internationally renowned designer and puppeteer. She has worked for "In the Heart of the Beast Puppet" and Mask Theatre. Triumvirate Pi Theatre was founded in 2000 and is dedicated to producing provocative live theatre that breaks down perceived barriers of race, gender, and disability for all Los Angeles theatre artists and audiences.

The performance is 45 minutes in length and geared toward families with children third grade and older. Tickets are $6 for National Museum members, youth and children and $12 for non-members. To make a reservation, call the Japanese American National Museum at (213) 625-0414.