Allegiance – A New American Musical

Allegiance – A New American Musical is an epic story of family, love and patriotism set during the Japanese American internment of World War II. Sixty years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a chance meeting forces WWII veteran Sam Kimura (television and film star George Takei) to remember his family's relocation from their California farm to the Heart Mountain internment camp. As they struggle to adjust to their new home, Young Sam (Telly Leung – Godspell, "Glee") and his sister Kei (Lea Salonga, Tony Award winner for Miss Saigon) find themselves torn between loyalty to their family and allegiance to their country. With its moving score, Allegiance takes audiences on a journey into our nation's history through the eyes of one American family.

Allegiance - A New American Musical is supported in part through gifts from Production Sponsors Conrad Prebys and Debbie Turner, Mary Beth Adderley and Elizabeth and Ryan Williams, The Family of Elaine Lipinsky and HME.

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Background on the Japanese American Internment

The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is an oft-overlooked and shameful chapter of American history. In the aftermath of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt authorized, through Executive Order 9066, the forced evacuation of approximately 120,000 persons of Japanese descent from the West Coast of the U.S. and their involuntary internment in 10 camps on American soil. About two-thirds of the internees were American citizens.

Although many reasons were given at the time for the internment, all of them have been discredited as based in prejudice, animus and war-time hysteria. No U.S. citizen or alien of Japanese descent was ever charged with, let alone found guilty of, any act of espionage or sabotage, even though the U.S. government had insisted these concerns underlay its egregious policy. Decades later, the U.S. apologized for its actions and provided certain monetary reparations to surviving internees.

Further information can be found by following the links below to organizations related to these topics.

A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans & the U.S. Constitution
Information about the experiences of Japanese Americans who were placed in detention camps during World War II through interactive galleries that combine images, music, text and first-person accounts.

Densho
The history of President Franklin Roosevelt decision to incarcerate 120,000 Japanese Americans and, decades later, the congressional commission that found the justification of military necessity to be false.

Further and Further Away
An exploration of how the Japanese internment affected San Diego and its citizens.

Go For Broke National Education Center
Information about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a group of Nisei (American-born sons of Japanese immigrants) that was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the entire history of the U.S. Military.

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“The Tag Project”

The Old Globe will present artist Wendy Maruyama’s large-scale sculptural installation “The Tag Project” in conjunction with the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical.  “The Tag Project” memorializes the nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans who were imprisoned in U.S. internment camps during World War II.  The project consists of 10 groupings of replicas of the historic identification labels issued to every internee, including their name, number and the camp to which they were relocated.  Three of the groupings will be hung in the upper lobby of the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, during the run of Allegiance.  Admittance to the exhibit is included in the ticket price to Allegiance and is available for viewing 45 minutes prior to showtime and also 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Tuesdays. 

Wendy Maruyama is an artist and educator from San Diego and has been making furniture and art since 1970.  Her work is often inspired by extended residencies and visits to various countries such as France, England, Japan, Korea and China.  In the past 15 years her work has taken on stylistic influences from Asia.  Born in La Junta, Colorado, to second-generation Japanese American parents, she made several pilgrimages to the land of her heritage, Japan.  At times reverent of Japan’s craft history and advanced technology, and appalled by Japan’s self-indulgent, materialistic and almost faceless and patriarchal society, she vacillates between creating works that both emulate and satirize contemporary Japan.  Her newest works, “The Tag Project” and “Executive Order 9066,” are hitting closer to home—the works are influenced by personal and family history and addresses the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942.

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“Allegiance: A San Diego Perspective”

The Old Globe will team with the Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego (JAHSSD) to present “Allegiance: A San Diego Perspective,” a museum exhibit about the Japanese American internment during World War II and how it affected San Diego County and its citizens.  The exhibit, presented in conjunction with the World Premiere of Allegiance – A New American Musical, will be located in the Museum of Man Annex adjacent to the Globe and will be open throughout the run of Allegiance from Sept. 7 – Oct. 28, 2012.  The exhibit is free to the public and will be open two hours prior to each performance on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; from noon to 8:00 p.m. on Saturdays; from noon to 7:00 p.m. on Sundays; and from noon to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays as part of Balboa Park’s Free Tuesdays. 

“Allegiance: A San Diego Perspective” contains maps, photographs, artwork and artifacts from the thriving Japanese American community in San Diego before the war and traces the removal of San Diego’s Japanese Americans to internment camps in 1942.  The exhibit, which includes artifacts that have been donated by local Japanese Americans, also features a scale model of an internment camp room and a variety of furniture and objects made by internees.  In addition, the exhibit highlights the important contributions of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans to San Diego.  Exhibit volunteers include men and women who were interned as children, members of JAHSSD and representatives from The Old Globe.