b'C E L E B R B TRYI O P O ITGLHI G HITN TI N R V REVWI WC E L E I TSYPS T L T E T E I EAlan Muraoka Actor/Producer/DirectorT he role of Alan on Sesame Street is what Alan Muraoka is best known for, but his talents and passions extend far beyond that avenue, having acted on Broadway and more.As a producer/director, he recently directed a viral YouTube video for the songI Am Here, promoting the fight against Asian hate in the wake of the pandemic.What did you learn from your Broadway experience, including your long stint as The Engineer inMiss Saigon? I moved to NYC in 1987 with a Broadway show that transferred from Los Angeles.Broadway is the pinnacle for a theatre actor, and I have had the privilege of being in seven Broadway productions. The biggest role for me was of course the Engineer in Miss Saigon.I played that role on and off for more than a year both on Broadway and on the nationaltour. The most important thing I learned during my Broadway years was consistency how to give the same energy and enthusiasm every night, which of course can be achallenge. Discipline, tenacity and training all play a part in that consistency, and tryingto create something slightly different every night rather than trying to repeat what youhave done before becomes important in the long run of a show. Broadway performersare athletes, and you have to maintain every part of you to sustain and succeed duringyour eight-shows-a-week schedule. That is the secret of every great Broadway performer: your body, your voice and your mind all play integral parts in this process. Above: Muraoka backstage on BroadwayHow did your role on change your life? YouveHow did you come to direct theI Am HereSesame Streetvideo?now been on the show for more than 20 years. Sesame Street has allowed me to have a platform for children I was doing the revival of The King and I and families to speak out against the recent skyrocketing ofon Broadway when I got a call for an audition to be the new owner of Hoopers Store on Sesameviolence against Asian Americans, but I wanted to do something Street. with my Broadway Asian American brothers and sisters to helpI grew up with the show and watched it as a child in Southern California, so I knew what an iconic program it was and is. I went to thesay, Enough is enough. A small group of us got together to first audition, and after two months of callbacks I was given the job. Thisbrainstorm ideas, and it was decided that an original song was back in 1998 and my first year on the show was Season 30. Cut tospeaking out against racism would be the best way for us to do February 2021 when we finished filming Season 52, which marked mysomething proactive. We brought on Asian American composer 23rd year on the show! Sesame Streetwas the result. Adam Gwon to write an anthem, and I Am Here has had such a huge impact on my life. To be a part of an educational show that teaches children howI was asked to direct it, and many of the top Broadway Asian to be smarter, stronger and kinder is something that I dont take lightly.American performers volunteered their time. I am so proud of I am so proud of the work that we have been doing recently on autism,what we created. What I love about the video is that it tells the the pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and Asian American racial injustice.story of the injustices of the past, the challenges of the present, I had the honor of co-directing a recent Sesame Street special calledand the refusal to be silent any longer moving forward. We end The Power of We, which dealt with standing up against racism. I wasthe video with a young girl singing the last line of the song to nominated for an NAACP Image Award for directing that show, and Irepresent the hope for the future.could not be more proud. Click here to watch the video ofI Am Here18 visionsSummer 2021 Sumitomo Corporation of Americas'