As a 10-year-old girl, Alice Shikina learned about 222 young schoolgirls in Okinawa who were recruited to nurse wounded Japanese soldiers in caves on the island as they fought American troops in what became the bloodiest battle of the Pacific during World War II.
As an American university student, she felt the impact of their words as she read journals displayed at a museum dedicated to the Himeyuri Student Corps.
"When I returned as an adult, the stories stayed with me and I wanted to learn more about who these girls were and what kind of experiences they all had," Shikina said, explaining that a lack of English materials on the subject frustrated her, leading her to write a play to educate audiences.