Philip Kan Gotanda
Philip Kan Gotanda (born December 17, 1951) is an American playwright and filmmaker and a third generation Japanese American. Much of his work deals with Asian American issues and experiences. Biography. Over the last three decades Gotanda has composed many plays designed to broaden theater in America. Through his plays and advocacy, he has been instrumental in bringing stories of Asians in the United States to mainstream American theater, as well as to Europe and Asia. The creator of one of the largest bodies of Asian American-themed work, Gotanda's plays and films are studied and  performed at universities and schools across the USA. Gotanda wrote the text and directed the production of Maestro Kent Nagano's "", an original symphonic work with narration. His newest work, "After the War", premiered at the American Conservatory Theater in March 2007. "After the War" chronicles San Francisco's Japantown in the late 1940s, when Japanese Americans returning from the internment camps encountered a flourishing African American jazz scene. A Japanese translation of his play, "Sisters Matsumoto", opened in Tokyo with the Mingei Theatre Company. Gotanda is also a respected independent filmmaker; his works are seen in film festivals around  the world. His most recent film, "Life Tastes Good", was originally presented at the Sundance Film Festival and can presently be seen on the Independent Film Channel. Along with executive producers Dale Minami and Diane Takei, he is currently developing his newest film, "Inscrutable Grin", with their production company, Joe Ozu Films. Gotanda holds a J.D. degree from Hastings College of the Law, studied pottery in Japan with the late Hiroshi Seto, and resides in Berkeley with his actress-producer wife Diane Takei. His play collections include "No More Cherry Blossoms" and "Fish Soup and Other Plays", published by the  University of Washington Press. Other published plays include "The Wash", "The Dream of Kitamura", "Day Standing on its Head", "Yohen", and "The Wind Calls Mary". Awards Gotanda has received include the Guggenheim, Pew Trust, 3 Rockefeller, Lila Wallace, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts-Theater Communications Playwriting Award, A PEN Center West Award, LA Music Center Award, 2007 Japan Society of Northern California Award, A Chinese For Affirmative Action Award, NJHAS, City of Stockton Arts Award, East West Players' Visionary Award, Asian American Theater Company Life Time Achievement, 2 California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, 2009  MAP Fund Creative Exploration Grant, 2008 Granada Arts Theater Fellowship, UC Berkeley Arts Center Fellow in Theater, Sundance Theater Fellow, Sundance Film Fellow Program. Alongside Ed Bullins and Constance Congdon, Gotanda was announced as an inaugural recipient of the Legacy Playwrights Initiative Award in December 2020. Career. Gotanda, a leading American playwright and one of the most prolific playwrights in Asian American theatre. Theaters where Gotanda's works have been produced include American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Campo Santo+Intersection, East West Players, Manhattan Theatre Club, Mark Taper Forum, Missouri Rep, New York Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Horizons, Asian American Theater  Company, Robey Theatre Company, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and South Coast Repertory. He has been Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Critical studies. As of March 2008: