Sadako stage-performance director offers 1,000 paper cranes for peace from U.S.
Nov. 25, 2019
by Minami Yamashita, Staff Writer
Hilary Cohen, 72, an artistic director from the U.S. state of Michigan who directs a stage performance about Sadako Sasaki, visited the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. Sadako Sasaki died of leukemia 10 years after the Hiroshima atomic bombing at the age of 12. Ms. Cohen dedicated 1,000 paper cranes to the Children’s Peace Monument that were folded by her theater audiences.
The Wild Swan, Ms. Cohen’s theater company, performed the play “A Thousand Cranes—Sadako’s Story” for the first time in 1998. Since then, the company has performed the play around 30 times at dedicated theaters and junior and senior high schools throughout Michigan. During performances last year, Ms. Cohen called on children and students in her audiences to fold paper cranes. On her visit to the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, Ms. Cohen renewed her determination for peace by bringing with her about 1,000 of the paper cranes.
The Wild Swan has put on stage performances designed for children and families for about 40 years. Through its performance of the story of Sadako’s life, the company started conveying the horror of nuclear weapons and the preciousness of peace. “I’m very delighted to be able to offer the paper cranes that children made with all their heart,” Ms. Cohen said. “I hope that the children will be able to visit Hiroshima in the future.”
(Originally published on November 25, 2019)
Hilary Cohen, 72, an artistic director from the U.S. state of Michigan who directs a stage performance about Sadako Sasaki, visited the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward. Sadako Sasaki died of leukemia 10 years after the Hiroshima atomic bombing at the age of 12. Ms. Cohen dedicated 1,000 paper cranes to the Children’s Peace Monument that were folded by her theater audiences.
The Wild Swan, Ms. Cohen’s theater company, performed the play “A Thousand Cranes—Sadako’s Story” for the first time in 1998. Since then, the company has performed the play around 30 times at dedicated theaters and junior and senior high schools throughout Michigan. During performances last year, Ms. Cohen called on children and students in her audiences to fold paper cranes. On her visit to the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, Ms. Cohen renewed her determination for peace by bringing with her about 1,000 of the paper cranes.
The Wild Swan has put on stage performances designed for children and families for about 40 years. Through its performance of the story of Sadako’s life, the company started conveying the horror of nuclear weapons and the preciousness of peace. “I’m very delighted to be able to offer the paper cranes that children made with all their heart,” Ms. Cohen said. “I hope that the children will be able to visit Hiroshima in the future.”
(Originally published on November 25, 2019)
