DENISE IKETANI

Denise Iketani is an actor, teaching artist and writer. She is a core member of the comedy troupe Cold Tofu Improv. Onstage, Denise has worked extensively with the East West Players. She has sung, danced and acted her way though shows like Follies, Cabaret, Into The Woods, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, And the Soul Shall Dance, Merrily We Roll Along and Pacific Overtures. She received a Theater LA Ovation Nomination for her portrayal of Tamate in Pacific Overtures. Selected TV appearances include Frasier, General Hospital, Sunset Beach and The Division. With Cold Tofu, she was also featured in NBC’s Sketch Comedy Showdown.

As a writer, Denise’s play "The Nisei Widows Club" was produced at East West Players. Denise is a dedicated Arts Educator and advocate, and has worked in schools for over fifteen years. She has written and taught curriculum for We Tell Stories, Americorps’ Tell Me A Story program, the Los Angeles County Migrant Education Fine Arts Academy and Cyber Camps, East West Players PEAC Partnership, The Cerritos Performing Arts Center, and The Music Center. Denise is a longtime member of the children’s theater company We Tell Stories (WTS) and toured with them as Chinese dancer Alice Lo for over 11 years for The Music Center On Tour. Denise is a fourth generation Japanese American and a native Southern Californian. She speaks fluent Spanish and received her degree in Political Science from UCLA. She also attended the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain as part of UCLA’s Education Abroad Program.

PROGRAMS