The Story of Allegiance
Allegiance tells an epic, multi-generational tale about the Kimura family, in particular a brother and sister, Sammy (Glee's Telly Leung) and Kei (TONY-Award winner for Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga), whose bond is tested after they choose opposing paths to save their family. Their journeys take them from the rich California heartland, to the wind swept wastelands of Wyoming, to the battlefields of war-torn Europe.
Framed by an American war hero (played by me) recounting his family’s experience,
Allegiance offers a rare and personal look into a time in our history when everyday citizens became heroes.
George Takei in Allegiance. Photo courtesy of Henry DiRocco
Allegiance is the reason I first took to the Internet, knowing that I’d need to build an audience for this untold story. Today, I am grateful to connect daily with millions of inspiring, funny, passionate individuals who prove what I have long known to be true - that our world is a better place when we all participate. I invite you to join me on a special endeavor to ensure that our vital work continues for generations to come.
The Dynamic Dollar
Typically, a show gets to Broadway with funding by a group of producers and investors.
Allegiance’s producers have accepted my call to action for crowdfunding, with a minimum goal of $250,000, but with the potential for much more.
The contributions here will be used to defray some of the costs of the Broadway production. And, if and when the Broadway production earns profits, it will forever contribute a share of those profits to the museum creating a source of funding for JANM in perpetuity. The higher the amount crowdfunded, the higher the percentage of profits that will be given to JANM, in a proportion equal to the profits that would have been earned by investing the same amount in the production.
Located in the heart of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, the JANM promotes understanding and appreciation of America's ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. I am Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees and a founding member of the museum. It was here that I married my husband, the love of my life, Brad Takei.
The museum, Allegiance, and I share the same mission: to tell stories that educate and ensure that we never forget, and never repeat, the tragedy of the Japanese American internment. By giving today, your dollar is helping Allegiance get to Broadway this fall and helping create a new endowment for the museum, a permanent source of revenue for this wonderful institution.
The Power of One
Small things can have great impact. As we say in Allegiance, “A mountain can be moved, stone by stone.” While no contribution is too large, neither is any too small. Indeed, a single dollar is a meaningful gift when we give together for a common purpose.
Art, in any form, has the power to transform minds and hearts, and creates the possibility that fear and prejudice will cease to spark injustice. Everyone who contributes, regardless of amount, will have their name added to my virtual wall of fame on the show’s website, allegiancemusical.com.
If a contribution is not possible at this moment, your voice is still valuable. Take but a minute to share this campaign with your friends, using the power of social media, and show them that stories like this continue to matter.
You might be asking, “George, you’re a celebrity, why do you need my help?” I would never ask anyone to do something I would not do myself. I have already personally invested in the production, though I recognize our mission is bigger than any one person. Your participation is also your advocacy. It produces a Broadway show, creates an endowment for a museum, and brings us together as voices for justice and change. It is the best of all possible worlds, a legacy you help me pass on. This torch I have carried, I now pass to all of you.
I hope you will be inspired to support and share this campaign. Together, we can do this. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
-- "
Uncle" George Takei