EDUCATOR resource GUIDE

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VERSION 1.1 a letter for educators...

Dear Allegiance Teachers,

Thank you for bringing Allegiance into your classroom, enriching your students’ experience, and sharing the story of this unique time in American history.

THIS GUIDE CONSISTS OF PRE- AND POST-SHOW ACTIVITIES AND QUESTIONS TO RAISE ON YOUR WAY TO THE SHOW, AT INTERMISSION, AND ON THE WAY BACK TO SCHOOL.

Each activity includes step-by-step instructions with highlighted and italicized questions and infor- mation that you can read directly to your students to support their understanding of the activities.

We hope, with the assistance of this Guide, Allegiance will be an impactful and inspiring event for your students. We welcome your feedback: please contact us if you have ideas or would like assis- tance with modifications based on the needs of your students.

With gratitude,

Matt Freeman, Matthew J. Schneider,

Director of Education, Inspire Change Director of Education, Allegiance [email protected] [email protected]

INSPIRE CHANGE biography

Initially launched with the Broadway musical Memphis in 2009, Inspire Change is an innovative arts program that partners with commercial theater productions to provide schools and communities across the tri-state area with subsidized tickets and high-impact educational experiences.

Inspire Change’s programming is developed in tandem with productions, drawing on and contribut- ing to their research and artistry, in order to create the most effective tools to educate communities, foster dialogue, and inspire change. 1 BEFOREshow THE ALLEGIANCE SYNOPSIS

ALLEGIANCE FOLLOWS ONE AMERICAN FAMILY’S EXPERIENCE OF WORLD WAR II; THE ACTIONS THEY TAKE AND THE CONSEQUENCES THAT FOLLOW WILL HAUNT THEM FOR DECADES.

Sam Kimura receives a mysterious envelope that leads him 60 years into his past to 1941 in the farming village of Salinas, CA, where he was born and raised along with his sister Kei. Over the radio, the Kimuras hear President Roosevelt’s announcement of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a “date which will live in infamy.”

The Kimuras are forcibly relocated to Heart Mountain Camp in rural Wyoming where Sam and his sister struggle to agree on a response to this unconstitutional imprisonment. In an attempt to prove the “loyalty” of his people, Sam enlists in the army and fights for the U.S.A. in Europe; meanwhile, Kei leads a movement of resistance against the injustice of the incarceration.

After the war, they attempt to reconcile their political actions and hurtful words, but their divided loyal- ties — to their loved ones, politics, legacies, and family — keep them apart for decades to follow. In the present day, through the contents of the mysterious envelope, Sam has a chance to reconcile his past and share in the love and compassion of his family.

LEFT TO RIGHT: LEA SALONGA AS KEI KIMURA, TELLY LEUNG AS SAMMY KIMURA,GEORGE TAKEI AS OJII-CHAN AND CHRISTÓPHEREN NOMURAKA AS TATSUO KIMURA. PHOTO CREDIT: MATTHEW MURPHY

2 HISTORYof japanese BEFOREshow THE americans 1869-1988

First Japanese immigrants settle in California. 1869 Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act) ostensibly stops all immigration from Japan; Japanese immigrants were "ineligible" for naturalized citizenship after 1870.

1924

THE "LOYALTY QUESTIONNAIRE". December 7th: the Empire of Japan attacks Pearl 1943. COURTESY Harbor. All U.S.A residents of Japanese descent, OF DENSHO AND THE IKEDA FAMILY including citizens, are classified as “enemy aliens.” COLLECTION.

1941 December 8th: U.S.A. declares war on Japan, officially entering World War II. DECEMBER

WRA creates the “Loyalty Questionnaire” to 1942 determine whether the imprisoned Japanese Americans are “loyal” to Japan or the U.S.A. FEBRUARY SPRING The U.S. Supreme Court determines the evacuation from the West Coast was constitutional, but the incarceration of Japanese Americans was not. 1943

BAGGAGE IS ASSEMBLED AND TAKEN BY TRUCK TO Japanese Americans begin to leave the prison FEBRUARY THE SALINAS DETENTION CENTER. MARCH 21, 1942. COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND camps; they are given $25 and a bus or train ticket. DECEMBER RECORDS ADMINISTRATION AND DENSHO.

February 19th: Executive Order 9066, creates 1944 military exclusion zones “from which any or all persons may be excluded” for “protection JANUARY against espionage and against sabotage.”

“Military exclusion zones” enforced. The U.S. 1945 Army forcibly removes 110,000 Japanese Americans from California and parts of Washing- AUGUST A PICTURE OF A MOCKUP OF THE FAT MAN ton, Arizona, and Oregon to 10 permanent NUCLEAR DEVICE DROPPED ON NAGASAKI, JAPAN. COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS (CC-BY-2.0). SEPTEMBER camps in 7 states.

August 6th: U.S.A. drops an atomic bomb on September 2nd:Japan formally surrenders; Hiroshima, Japan. August 9th: U.S.A. drops a World War II ends. 1983 second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. FEBRUARY The Civil Liberties Act offers a public apology A federal commission concludes that the incar- 1988 and $20,000 in monetary reparations to those ceration was the result of "race prejudice, war whose Constitutional rights had been violated as AUGUST hysteria, and a failure of political leadership." a result of the wartime exclusion. 3 BEFOREshow THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

THE TIMELINE ON PAGE 3 LOOKS AT THE RELATED HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE OF JAPANESE AMERICANS FROM THE LATE 19TH CENTURY TO THE LATE 20TH CENTURY.

FOCUS YOUR STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THESE EVENTS BY CON- CENTRATING ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN PREPARATION FOR SEEING ALLEGIANCE AND FOR MANY OF THE ACTIVITIES IN THIS GUIDE.

1924: For Japanese immigrants already living in Ameri- ca, how do you think they felt when their adopt- ed country stopped allowing other people from Japan from entering the country?

DECEMBER 1941: What comes to your mind when I say World War II? What are some of the circumstances that led to World War II? What other countries were involved? What do you think “enemy alien” means? What images does that term evoke?

CIVILIAN EXCLUSION ORDERS: (Like the one to the left) named “all persons of Japanese ancestry” as those affected by 9066’s “exclusion zones.” Hearing about these govern- ment-issued orders for “exclusion,” a targeted separation of people, what does this remind you of- perhaps from another time in American history?

MARCH 1942: What are some reasons people immigrate to America? How might an immigrant to America respond after hearing they are being “relocated” because they are originally from a different country? How might these responses differ for someone who was born in America but is also being “relocated” because of their ancestry?

"INSTRUCTIONS TO ALL PERSONS OF JAPANESE ANCESTRY", APR. 24, 1942, POSTED IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. COURTESY OF DENSHO, THE YAMADA COLLECTION. 4 SELECT GLOSSARY BEFOREshow THE

442ND BATTALION, The 442nd Infantry Regiment, almost entirely Japanese OR “THE 442” American, was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare.

“DISLOYAL” If an imprisoned individual did not swear allegiance to the U.S.A. on the “Loyalty Questionnaire”, they were sent to a high-security prison camp called Tule Lake.

DO NOT FIGHT THE STORM In Japanese, the phrase shikataganai means “It’s beyond my control, so it cannot be helped”, or “nothing can be done”. In Allegiance, this is translated into the song "Do Not Fight the Storm".

GAMAN A Japanese term of Zen Buddhist origin that means“ endure with patience and dignity”.

HEART MOUNTAIN CAMP A prison camp* in Northwest Wyoming, built in 1942, that held a total of 13,997 prisoners over three years.

HEART MOUNTAIN CAMP Draft Resistance in the camps was strongest at Heart Moun- RESISTANCE tain; 92 people were sentenced and imprisoned for Selec- tive Service Act violations.

JACL Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) is the largest and oldest civil rights organization for Japanese Americans.

“FOUR-C” ENEMY ALIENS In July 1942, all residents of Japanese descent (including citizens) were categorized as “4-C: enemy aliens.”

“LOYALTY QUESTIONNAIRE” The “Loyalty Questionnaire”, distributed by the WRA, attempt- ed to determine which Japanese Americans were "loyals" and which were "disloyals," with the hopes that some would serve in the military.

PURPLE HEART The Purple Heart is an American military decoration awarded for wounds received in action, and for meritorious perfor- mance of duty.

“WISHES ON THE WIND” “Wishes on the Wind” celebrates Tanabata, a summer festival in which the Japanese celebrate a celestial myth by tying wishes to a tree.

*WHILE HISTORICALLY REFERRED TO AS “INTERNMENT CAMPS”, WE HAVE CHOSEN TO USE THE RECOMMENDED TERMINOLOGY SUGGESTED BY DENSHO, INSPIRE CHANGE AND ALLEGIANCE. 5 BEFOREshow THE BECOMING THE OTHER

THROUGH A THEATER ACTIVITY DRAWN FROM AUGUSTO BOAL’S THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED, BECOMING THE OTHER GIVES STUDENTS A CHANCE TO EMBODY THE IDEA OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO GO FROM A CIVILIAN TO A SUSPECT.

MATERIALS 1 Ask your students to think about the groups to which they belong. How does it feel to be part of a group or community? Generate a list on the board of those responses. CLASSROOM BOARD, A PRINTED LIST OF YOUR STUDENTS’ NAMES CUT INTO SLIPS OF PAPER AND PUT 2 Tell your students that for the purposes of this activity the traits on their list will now serve as IN A HAT OR BUCKET. the basis of how they feel to be part of a newly formed, class-wide community.

3 Have your class spread out so each student is located in their own small area of the room. PREPARATION Keeping their list of community qualities in mind, at your signal the students should move from their spots and attempt to individually greet each of their classmates. CLEAR DESKS AND CHAIRS OUT OF THE WAY FOR AN OPEN SPACE, COMPUTER ACCESS SET-UP 4 After giving a couple of minutes for the greetings, pause your class. How did it feel to greet TO PLAY FDR’S “DECLARATION OF and be greeted by your classmates? What words on the list could you most connect with WAR ON JAPAN” (LINKED BELOW). during the activity? Are there any new words you’d like to add?

Before returning to their original place in the room for Round 2, have each student draw the STANDARDS 5 name of a classmate from a hat or bucket. Tell them to keep their selected name a secret and NYC DOE BLUEPRINT FOR to pick again if they draw their own name. TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THEATER: 6 In the second round, give your students these directions: THEATER MAKING BENCHMARKS: Something has happened - we don’t yet know what - and the community we built in Round ACTING: IMAGINATION, ANALYSIS, 7 AND PROCESS SKILLS (GRADES 8 1 is no more. The student whose name you chose now represents your only ally in the class. AND 12) For unknown reasons, all other students have recently become suspicious of you.

MAKING CONNECTIONS THROUGH THEATER BENCHMARKS (GRADES 8 8 Please silently move around the space in an attempt to find your ally, while staying as far AND 12) away as possible from your suspicious classmates.

COMMON CORE: 9 Let the students move around until things become somewhat chaotic and then have every- HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES: one pause. How did the circumstances shift in this round? Who felt successful in finding (6-8.2, 11-12.2) their ally? What were some of the challenges? Who could tell which classmates had picked

READING: INFORMATIONAL TEXT: their name as an ally? What were your feelings towards that person? Did any pair pick each (8.1, 8.7, 11-12.1, 11-12.7 other as allies? How is that different for “mismatched” pairs? How did the movement of the room change between Round 1 and Round 2? How did your feelings towards your classmates change in Round 2? The responses to the last question should become a second column on the board.

10 Following your discussion, ask students to return to their seats and watch President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s speech declaring war on Japan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhtuMrMVJDk

11 After watching, begin a class discussion: What are the main points of the speech? FDR is declaring war on Japan, but what do you think that meant for Japanese Americans? What do you think is the relationship between the speech and the activity we just did? Which pairings of words on the board do you think reflect how Japanese Americans may have felt before and after hearing FDR’s speech?

6 SEEING ALLEGIANCE

USE THESE QUESTIONS TO STRUCTURE CONVERSATIONS ON YOUR WAY TO SEE ALLEGIANCE, AT INTERMISSION, AND ON THE WAY BACK TO SCHOOL.

STANDARDS ON YOUR WAY TO THE SHOW: QUESTIONS FOR THE BUS

NYC DOE BLUEPRINT FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING • Raise your hand if “Allegiance” will be your first time seeing a musical. Keep them raised if IN THEATER: “Allegiance” will be your first time seeing a Broadway show.

DEVELOPING THEATER • What do you think of when you hear “Broadway”? LITERACY BENCHMARKS: • What do you expect to see on stage based on the history and themes we explored in class? RESPONDING TO THEATER PERFORMANCE (GRADES 8 • What questions are you bringing with you into the theater after completing the pre-show activities? AND 12)

BEFORE ARRIVING: REVIEW EXPECTATIONS AND THEATER ETIQUETTE

• Review the process of what will happen when you get to the theater. If chaperones are assigned to specific students, remind students to be on the lookout for the appropriate adult. • Phones and devices should be turned completely OFF (not muted, not on vibrate). • No photography, eating, drinking, texting, or talking during the show! • There is a 15 minute break (the “Intermission”) in the middle of the show. At that time you can use the restroom and purchase food, drinks, and merchandise. • Discuss how dismissal will work when the show ends.

AT INTERMISSION: QUESTIONS AT THE BREAK

In the first act of “Allegiance,” the audience is introduced to many characters.

• Which character are you currently most drawn to and why? • What questions were you left with at the end of Act 1 that you most want to see answered in Act 2? • Did you come in with any questions from the pre-show activities that were or were not answered? • What surprised/excited you the most?

CURTAIN CLOSERS: QUESTIONS ON YOUR WAY BACK TO SCHOOL

The show is over, but it’s the ideal time to capture and synthesize the experience. Use these questions to frame a discussion on the bus back to school.

• How was it to see a Broadway show? What did/didn’t you expect? If you’ve seen a Broadway show before, what was the same and what was different about this experience? • What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the musical “Allegiance”? • What themes does the play explore? What examples from the performance can you use to justify your argument? • What looked or sounded different from your expectations for ”Allegiance”? • What questions remain for you? How do you think we can find the answers?

LEA SALONGA AS KEI KIMURA. 7 AFTERshow THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

ALLEGIANCE GRAPPLES WITH CHALLENGING QUESTIONS OF PATRIOTISM. AS DRAMATIZED IN THE PLAY, IN 1943 A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS CREATED TO EVALUATE THE LOYALTY OF JAPANESE AMERICANS TO THE UNITED STATES.

PREPARATION In the play, different perspectives on “loyalty” are expressed and the multiple interpreta-

CLEAR DESKS AND CHAIRS tions of patriotism are crucial to understanding the primary questions of Allegiance. OUT OF THE WAY FOR AN OPEN SPACE. CLASS QUESTIONNAIRE

STANDARDS 1 Divide the class into five equal groups, each named after an Allegiance character: NYC DOE BLUEPRINT FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THEATER: GROUP 1: The Sammys, the decorated soldiers of the 442nd Infantry Regiment. GROUP 2: The Frankies, the organizers of the draft resistance at Heart Mountain. MAKING CONNECTIONS THROUGH THEATER GROUP 3: The Keis, the underground revolutionaries who created a newspaper BENCHMARKS (GRADES 8 AND 12) campaign to alert the press to the injustices in the prison camps. GROUP 4: The Tatsuos, the Japanese immigrants who answered “no, no” on COMMON CORE: the “Loyalty Questionnaire”. HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES: GROUP 5: The Mike Masaokas, National Secretaries of the Japanese American 6-8.7, 11-12.3, 11-12.6, 11-12.7 Citizens League. READING: LITERATURE: 8.3, 11-12.2 2 Ask each group to to review the decisions made by its assigned character throughout Allegiance. For each decision, ask the group to make a Pro and Con list. Remind students to draw on the historical information they know, their experience seeing Allegiance, and to carefully consider the unique background of their character (i.e., a woman in the 1940s, a Japanese immigrant, American citizens of Japanese descent).

3 Once the lists are finished, each group should present theirs to the other groups before posting the list in a different area of the room.

4 After all groups present and post their lists, have your students move to the area of the room now represented by the character whose choices they most closely identify with. Students are free to stand between two areas to represent their support of more than one character’s choice.

5 When your students are settled into their places, ask if anyone wants to share why they chose to stand in that spot of the room and how it reflects their feelings towards the Allegiance characters.

6 After your discussion, have your students form a circle. Ask one of your students to shake hands with the person next to him or her. That handshake should then be “passed” around the circle, from one person to the next. The handshake is a symbolic acceptance of the different opinions expressed in the activity, and the many other opinions expressed by Japanese Americans faced with these challenging circumstances.

TELLY LEUNG AS SAMMY KIMURA, 8 AFTERshow THE BEYOND ALLEGIANCE

AT THE START OF THE SHOW, SAM KIMURA SAYS HE HASN’T SPOKEN TO HIS SISTER KEI IN OVER 50 YEARS. EXPLORE THESE RESOURCES WITH YOUR STUDENTS TO FIND OUT WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE FOR JAPANESE AMERICANS AFTER WORLD WAR II AND AFTER LEAVING THE PRISON CAMPS.

ESSAYS

http://encyclopedia.densho.org/Return_to_West_Coast/

http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/after_internment.htm

VIDEOS

http://www.densho.org/righting-a-wrong/

AFTERshow OTHER RESOURCES THE

WEBSITES

Densho www.densho.org

Heart Mountain Interpretive Center www.heartmountain.org

National Japanese American Memorial Foundation www.njamf.com

BOOKS

No-No Boy a novel by John Okada

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Houston and James D. Houston

Last Witnesses: Reflections on the Wartime Internment of Japanese Americans edited by Erica Harth 9