For over 30 years, Janet Hayakawa and Tere Martínez have collaborated on educational theatre projects. This relationship began in graduate school in the educational theatre program at New York University where they discovered the power of theatre and drama to teach and learn. This was followed by several years of working together at the Creative Arts Team developing and facilitating interactive drama workshops for students and teachers in New York City public schools. Most recently, they were commissioned by The Broadway Center (Tacoma) to write Nihonjin Face – a 35-minute play about the Japanese American exclusion and incarceration story. Nihonjin Face toured schools across Washington state in 2017, reaching over 15,000.
Janet is an educator and artist. GRIT has provided the opportunity to integrate theatre with her family story of incarceration during World War II, and her educational experience (teacher, administrator, facilitator). Her work at Densho, whose mission is to educate, preserve, collaborate and inspire action for equity, helped to provide the foundation for this work. Janet believes in the power of the arts to engage, empower, teach and learn.
Tere is a Puerto Rican playwright and educator. She is currently the Artistic and Education Director of Roots & Action, an educational theatre program dedicated to motivating, inspiring, and preparing young people for active engagement in their communities. Tere says, “It never fails: when engaging students through drama, that’s when most of the learning happens.” She has also authored 15 plays, directed several productions and performed in numerous shows.