Arima became the first Asian Canadian to direct a musical on
Broadway when
Allegiance opened on November 8, 2015 at the
Longacre Theatre starring
George Takei and
Lea Salonga. Most recently he directed
Forgiveness adapted by
Hiro Kanagawa based on
Mark Sakamoto’s memoir at the
Stratford Shakespeare Festival where he was awarded the Tyrone Guthrie Derek F. Mitchell Artistic Director Award for Best Director; and the musical
Bhangra Nation at the
Birmingham Rep in the UK. He directed the "revisal" of the musical,
Carrie, with a book by
Lawrence D. Cohen, music by
Michael Gore and lyrics by
Dean Pitchford, for the
MCC Theater. The production opened
Off-Broadway in March 2012 and was nominated for a
Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical. Arima directed the critically acclaimed musical
Altar Boyz, which opened Off-Broadway at New World Stages/ Stage IV in March 2005. The musical received the 2005 Best Off-Broadway Musical
Outer Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Drama League Award as Outstanding Musical. Other work includes the
West End premiere of the
Stephen Flaherty and
Lynn Ahrens musical
Ragtime, which was recognized in 2004 with eight
Olivier Award nominations including Best Director and Best Musical; concert-productions of
The Secret Garden which was presented at Lincoln Center in 2016, and the 25th Anniversary reunion production of
Ragtime, at the
Minskoff Theatre (2023); ''Bhangin' It
(La Jolla Playhouse), The Secret Garden
(Toho, Japan); Two Class Acts
by A.R. Gurney (The Flea Theater); Bare: A Pop Opera (by Jon Hartmere and Damon Intrabartolo); Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' (
Stratford Shakespeare Festival);
Roundabout Theatre Company's production of
The Tin Pan Alley Rag;
Saturday Night (musical) (
York Theatre Company);
The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea (
San Diego Rep.);
The New World (
Bucks County Playhouse);
Bowfire (
PBS television special/world tour);
Leonard Bernstein’s
Candide (
San Francisco Symphony);
Poster Boy (
Williamstown Theatre Festival);
Ace (
Old Globe, CA);
Red Velvet (
Old Globe, CA); “A Tribute to
Stephen Sondheim” (
Boston Pops); Paul Scott Goodman's
Bright Lights, Big City (
Prince Music Theater);
Guys and Dolls (
Paper Mill Playhouse);
Abyssinia (
Goodspeed Musicals);
Chef’s Theater (The Supper Club, New York City);
Rags - In Concert (
Nokia Theatre Times Square, New York City);
Christopher Hampton’s
Total Eclipse (Toronto); and ''
Children's Letters to God (Off-Broadway); and Forgiveness;Billy Elliot; A Christmas Carol and Mary & Max - A New Musical'' at
Theatre Calgary. Arima served as associate director for the
Broadway productions of
A Class Act (2001) and
Seussical (2000). In addition to Arima’s directing work, he is a faculty member of
Broadway Dreams and an adjunct professor at
UC Davis where he was awarded the 2013 "Granada Artists-in-Residence." ==References==