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SOPHIE ODA TO PERFORM AT JCCCNC 30TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY CELEBRATION DAYby Kim Nakahara August 25, 2003 At the tender age of 11, Sophie Oda is already a seasoned performer. A native of Danville, this veteran singer and actress first participated in a theater workshop at age six and was hooked. She auditioned for and was cast in “The King and I” at the Willows Theatre and quickly followed with a role in the “The Joy Luck Club” at TheatreWorks. Since then, Sophie has challenged traditional casting norms by playing non-Asian characters, including the title role in “Annie” at Stage 1 Repertory, a young French girl in a musical rendition of the classic “Jane Eyre” at TheatreWorks, and the role of Marta von Trapp daughters in American Musical Theater San Jose’s production of “Sound of Music”. Beyond the Bay Area theater scene, Sophie entered the national spotlight with an appearance on CBS’ “Star Search” earlier this year. Competing in the junior singer category as a finalist, Sophie performed “Don’t Rain on My Parade” for a national television audience. Despite narrowly losing by one point, her spirits were bolstered by an encouraging post-competition phone call from “Star Search” host Arsenio Hall, who advised her to persevere and pursue her dream. Performing in theater productions all across the Bay Area, while also attending school, Sophie is always on the go. As a result, she has become adept at balancing the demands of her Los Cerros Middle School coursework with learning her lines and rehearsing. In addition, she stays down-to-earth by hanging out with her sixth grade classmates and playing Carmen Sandiego or Sims computer games. Sophie also values her Japanese American ancestry and appreciates learning and sharing JA history with her friends and family. And even during her taped introduction for Star Search, which happened to air on February 19, 2003, Sophie was asked what was important to her. Another young person might have mentioned personal aspirations, but Sophie chose to speak about the Japanese American internment experience and importance of preventing a similar injustice, raising awareness among the show’s millions of viewers. Looking ahead, Sophie plans to continue performing throughout her teen years and college. She also hopes to pursue a directorial career someday and frequently “shadows” the directors of the productions she is in, in order to learn the process and gain insight. Clearly, Sophie’s fans can expect great things from her for many years to come. About the JCCCNCEnvisioned by the Japanese American community, JCCCNC will be an everlasting foundation of our Japanese American ancestry, cultural heritage, histories and traditions. The JCCCNC strives to meet the evolving needs of the Japanese American community through programs, affordable services and facility usage. The JCCCNC is a non-profit community center based in San Francisco. For more information, please contact: Paul Osaki, Executive Director |
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FRANCISCO (August 25, 2003) - “Our community, our future,”
is the theme for JCCCNC’s 30th Anniversary Community Celebration
Day on Saturday, September 20, 2003, 3:00pm to be held at JCCCNC,
1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco. A special performance from our
community members and a dedication to Yori Wada will be included.
As a special guest, we are pleased to announce that Ms. Sophie Oda
will be performing during our program.