A dramatic reading of “Moss on the Mirror” by Warren Sata will take place on Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum’s Tateuchi Democracy Forum, 100 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo.
silver print. Partial and promised gift of Frank and Marian Sata and Family. Collection of the Japanese American National Museum.
“Moss on the Mirror” is a fictional story inspired by the life and work of renowned photographer Toyo Miyatake. Taking place in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district in the late 1920s and early 1930s, where Miyatake’s practice flourished before World War II, the play examines the creativity, hope, and optimism, as well as the struggles and challenges, of the Japanese immigrant photographers community.
Although not a literal retelling of actual events, the piece seeks to transport audiences to the feelings and circumstances of those times.
The author’s paternal grandfather was J.T. Sata (1896-1975), who is a featured photographer along with Miyatake in the exhibition “Making Waves: Japanese American Photography, 1920–1940,” which runs until June 26.
The reading is directed by Chris Tashima, who won an Oscar for his dramatic short “Visas and Virtue.” His acting credits include “Under the Blood Red Sun” and “Lil Tokyo Reporter.”
Free with museum admission. RSVPs are recommended. For more information, call (213) 625-0414 or visit www.janm.org.