"What I find most impressive about Tokyo International Players is that the organization has been active for 108 years, and is run completely by volunteers," said Karen Sieg. "When the international community is so transient, it is amazing to me that a small group of people with love of theater has continually renewed itself and kept TIP going."

When Karen accepted the position of treasurer for TIP, she had no real experience with theater. "I was hesitant at first, but the TIP board is a wonderful group of people who assured me I could learn as I went along." Now, a few years later, she says that although the treasurer's job is important, she feels the real fun is being involved in the theatrical productions.

This kind of involvement is one she, self-effacing and undramatic, had never anticipated. From her home in Rochester, N.Y., Karen decided to leave the snow and cold behind her when she entered college in Atlanta. "Just to be practical" and to prepare herself for a good job, she studied mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. After she received her degree, as an engineer she found employment with IBM. She stayed with the company for eight years.