Tim Toyama
| Tim Toyama | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 28, 1952 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation |
playwright producer |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | California State University, Northridge |
Tim Toyama (born in 1952 in Chicago, Illinois) is a playwright and producer. He is Sansei (third-generation Japanese American) living in Los Angeles, California. He is co-founder of the Asian American media company Cedar Grove Productions, and its sister Asian American theatre company, Cedar Grove OnStage. He attended California State University, Northridge (CSUN) as an English major.
His plays have been produced at The Complex in Los Angeles and The Road Theatre Company at the Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood, California. His best-known work is Visas and Virtue, which is based on the story of Holocaust rescuer Chiune "Sempo" Sugihara – known as "The Japanese Schindler". Adapted into a short film by actor-director Chris Tashima, the 26-minute drama received the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film in 1998.
In addition to serving as the film's executive producer, Toyama co-founded Cedar Grove Productions with Tashima and producer Chris Donahue. By producing professional dramatic films intended for entertainment and educational use, Cedar Grove Productions has brought forth Asian American stories, history and issues which were previously either glossed over in textbooks or ignored by the mainstream media. Cedar Grove Productions "remains dedicated to developing and producing projects that boldly defy mainstream Hollywood by giving Asian Americans the spotlight on stage, and the close-up on screen."
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