Story Boldly’s Defining Courage
An Immersive Live Event
The production is a creation of Story Boldly, a nonprofit initiative devoted to journalistic storytelling founded by Emmy Award-winning creator David Ono, an anchor on KABC-TV in Los Angeles, who also narrates. The performance features music by composers Enzo De Roza and Sheridan Seyfried, performed by six-time Grammy winner Daniel Ho, multi-platinum songwriter and performer Harold Payne, the gospel-pop group Raise, Trio Barclay, and the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus.
Ono has described the project as a work of historic reclamation: “They’re truly some of America’s greatest heroes, some of the toughest guys we’ve ever created. To learn about these guys and learn about their adversity and how they overcame it…[I was shocked at] how they just kind of faded back into the background, never to be adored, never to be thanked or congratulated.”
Lead support for this performance is provided by The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation.
This performance is made possible in part by an anonymous patron sponsor.
This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Fractured History” programming for the 2024–25 season.
Run time for this concert is approximately 75 minutes without intermission.
There is a $15 per order service charge on single ticket purchases that partially underwrites the cost of our ticketing platform, credit card processing, Ticket Office staffing, and ticket delivery. To avoid this fee, tickets can be purchased in person at our Ticket Office during our regular office hours. Note: there is a $20 service charge for all subscription orders.
Illuminations Related Event
Story Boldly’s Defining Courage
Post-performance Panel: The Legacy of Nisei Soldiers, Storytelling, and the Fight for Justice
Fri, Apr 4
Immediately following the performance
Zellerbach Hall
Free for ticket holders
During World War II, while their families were unjustly incarcerated in US incarceration camps, thousands of young Japanese American men (“Nisei soldiers”) served in the US military, demonstrating extraordinary bravery in battle. Yet their contributions have long been overlooked, their history fractured by racism, wartime hysteria, and erasure.
This post-performance panel, moderated by Michael Omi, professor emeritus of UC Berkeley’s Department of Ethnic Studies, brings together David Ono, creator of Defining Courage; Alice Yang, chair of UC Santa Cruz’s Department of History; Don Tamaki, attorney and advocate for Japanese American reparations; and Philip Kan Gotanda, professor for UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies and co-creator of the opera Both Eyes Open. Together, the panel will discuss how different forms of storytelling, including performance, journalism, and legal advocacy, can correct this historical record and bring greater awareness to untold or misrepresented histories.
Discussion will include such questions as: How can artistic and journalistic storytelling make their history resonate with new generations? What lessons can be drawn from the Japanese American redress movement for broader reparations efforts? And, in an era of shifting media and political landscapes, what are the ongoing challenges in fighting for justice and recognition?
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on how fractured histories can be reclaimed and brought to the forefront of public consciousness.
This panel was created in partnership with UC Berkeley’s Department of Geography, Department of Sociology, Center for Japanese Studies, and Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies Program.
Video
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* There is a $15 per order service charge on ticket purchases made by phone or online that are not part of a subscription package, and a $20 service charge on all subscription orders. There is no fee for tickets purchased in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office unless they are part of a subscription. This fee helps to underwrite the cost of providing services online and by phone, as well as programs needed for digital order delivery.