Published September 10 2014
A free performance of a one-actor live show called "Within the Silence" is scheduled for Saturday, September 20, 3:30 p.m., at the Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE.
The theatrical presentation mixes live performance with multimedia as it tells the story of Emiko Yamada, a teenage girl growing up in Seattle's "Nihonmachi" (Japantown) who lives through the Japanese internment during World War II. Ruth Yeo-Peterman stars in the feature.
In 1942, President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 imprisoned thousands of loyal American families. Innocent citizens struggled to maintain their families while interned.
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Emi and her family became victims of anti-Japanese hysteria. The story follows the family as they are forced to sell or give away their possessions and home. They are first placed in a camp called "Camp Harmony" on the site of the present-day Washington State Fair. Emi's father is taken away by the FBI to a special camp in Montana. From Camp Harmony, Emi is sent to a new camp in Idaho called "Minidoka." She and her family remain there for three years.
The program is sponsored by the city Diversity Program and the Bellevue Arts Museum. More information about the show is available at Living Voices.
The event is free but reservations are strongly suggested. RSVP to Kevin P. Henry at khenry@bellevuewa.gov or 425-452-7886.