Decade1970s
Year(s)1979
Chapter / SubheadingTheater
Production / Project / ActivityAnd The Soul Shall Dance
Name of Theatre / Venue / VehicleLa Mama Etc./Pan Asian Repertory Theater Company
CityNew York City
Function / Type of JobActor
RoleMurata
PlaywrightWakako Yamauchi
DirectorTisa Chang
Notes / Anecdotes

This second job I landed with Pan Asian Repertory Theater was more difficult because the character, Murata, was a more substantial supporting role. At the American Conservatory Theater I found that extensive script work helped distract me from the words and lines that were going to give me problems. For this character I broke down all of my scenes into beats and I gave my him an objective and obstacle for each beat and I also wrote an extensive biography for him from birth to death. However, I did have difficulty with three lines in the play and I overcame them by putting a pause in one and slightly changing the word order in the other two. Apparently people liked what I did in the play because I got a talent manager and invitations to audition after we closed.

I've always felt that this play is one of the classic Japanese-American plays of the Japanese immigrant experience or any immigrant experience for that matter. I wish I had been further along in finding my voice when I worked on this play because I know I would have enjoyed it from many more dimensions. The cast: Anne Miyamoto, Arlene Miyazaki, Raul Aranas, Kitty Mei-Mei Chen and Miho

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