Mahalo!

Thank you to our fabulous, talented cast for performing a memorable reading of SHIKATAGANAI (IT CAN'T BE HELPED) at the 2011 Hawai'i International Conference on Arts and Humanities.  After this second round of staged reading and development, the show is ready for a full production!  Setting sights on 2011 as we start promoting the work.  Stay tuned for a short documentary about our journey to O'ahu to follow later this month.

Cast and Playwright Post-Show

During the Application for Leave Clearance!

Spotlight On... Futoshi Terashita!

Welcome Futoshi Terashita to the cast!  Futoshi will play the role of "Peter Kagawa."  We finished casting just in time to start rehearsals early morning tomorrow!

Futoshi was born and raised in Japan.  He was the first in his family to come to the United States at age 18.  He received a BA in Theatre with a Performance Emphasis at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana and an MFA Theatre (Asian Performance) from University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Honolulu.  Futoshi has an extensive film and theatre resume.  He has performed for Kennedy Theatre, Kumu Kahua Theatre, Earl Ernsl Lab, Venutre Theatre and Billings Studio Theatre.  He first caught the attention of director/playwright Kendra Arimoto in the english-language premiere of The Judith of Shimoda as "Kito." Special skills include a Black Belt in Taekwondo.


Q.  Why acting?
A.  To let East meet West.

Q.  How did you get involved with Shikataganai?
A.  I received an audition notice from All the World's a Stage Theatre Company.

Q.  What is your favorite word?
A.  Dedication

Futoshi as "Kito" in Judith of Shimoda.

Q.  What is your least favorite word?
A.  Hatred

Q.  What turns you on?
A.  Stimulation

Q.  What turns you off?
A.  Tiredness

Q.  What sound or noise do you love?
A.  Nature sounds

Q.  What sound or noise do you hate?
A.  Loud car stereos

Q.   What is your favorite curse word?
A.  Damn

Q.  What do you plan to do with your life?
A.  Acting

Q.  What profession would you NOT like to do?
A.  The profession of arms

Q.  Why is theatre necessary?
A.  It is necessary because theatre is an outlet to something you might not experience otherwise.

Spotlight on... Dann Seki!

We would like to welcome Dann Seki to the cast!  

Dann will take over the role of "Katsumi Nakamura."  Dann is a stage and screen actor and storyteller. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. He has appeared in numerous plays on the stages of most of the theatres in Honolulu. His TV and film credits include many productions filmed in Hawaii including “Hawaii Five-0”, “Lychee Thieves”, “The Informant”, “Max’s Special Delivery”, “Lost”, “Hawaii”, “North Shore”, “Baywatch Hawaii”, “Magnum, P.I.”, “Crowfoot”, “And the Sea Will Tell”, “Savage Beach”, and numerous local commercials. Developing as a storyteller since 1994, he has performed at various venues on Oahu and the Neighbor Islands. A graduate of Aiea High School, Dann has degrees in Audiology and Health Services Administration from the University of Hawaii. He is retired from his position as an Audiologist at Pearl Harbor (1979-2005) and from the Army Reserve (1979-2006) after spending 8 years on active duty with the Army. He was also on the air at KUMU-FM for 15 years.

Why acting?  
Fun, safe way to be someone else and do things that you would not normally do.

How did you get involved with Shikataganai?  
Referred by Director of play that I'm currently involved with.

What is your favorite word?  
Free.

What is your least favorite word?  
No problem (guess that's two, but it's usually said as though it's one word, usually in response to "thank you").

What turns you on?
Bright, sunny days.

What turns you off?  
Workers who act like they don't want to be there.

What sound or noise do you love?
Waves breaking on the beach.

What sound or noise do you hate? 
None at the moment.

What is your favorite curse word?
Sh*t

What do you plan to do with your life?
Wake up everyday and perform as much as possible.

What profession would you NOT like to do?
None at the moment.

Why is theatre necessary?  
Tells stories that need to be told - lessons from the past, visions of the future (good and bad).

Spotlight on . . . Bill Peterson!

         I am a faculty member in the psychology department at Smith College.  I played the part of Katsumi in the first staged reading of Shikataganai on our campus.  In this spotlight I’ll keep my professorial prose in check, but I must begin with a scholarly reference.  Sometime in the 1920s the psychoanalyst Carl Jung described what he called synchronicity.  Synchronicity occurs when someone experiences at least two events that are psychologically linked for the individual but causally unrelated.   For example, you might be thinking of your best friend when she suddenly calls you on your cell phone.  Kendra’s offer for me to play the part of Katsumi completed a short cycle of synchronic events for me that I would like to describe.

        Event #1:  I read comic books, and a little over a year ago DC Comics published a 6-issue mini-series titled Sgt. Rock:  The Lost Battalion.  This comic should be enjoyable for most comic book fans, especially those who have fond memories of 1970s DC war comics.  In the mini-series, Sgt. Rock (“Make war no more”) is trapped behind enemy lines in the Vosges Mountains.  The comic depicts the rescue of Sgt. Rock and the men of Easy Company by the Japanese American 442^nd infantry regiment.  Billy Tucci, the writer/artist of the comic, did an historically accurate job of showcasing the experiences of several Japanese American soldiers.  The individual issues of the comic have been bound together and published as:  Sgt. Rock:  The Lost Battalion HC.  Among other places, it’s available at your finer graphic novel stores.  One of the reasons I enjoyed reading the comic was because it portrayed racism under war time conditions in a way sympathetic to the Japanese American soldiers.

National Japanese American Memorial
in Washington DC (Photo by Bill Peterson).

        Event #2:  At some point while reading the comic I went on-line to find out more information about the Fighting 442^nd.  While on-line I discovered that there exists a National Japanese American Memorial in Washington DC.  It just so happened, in a moment of synchronicity, that my spouse and I had just made plans to spend a week in DC with our 3 boys.  I decided to take my oldest two on a pilgrimage to view the memorial.  My boys are 25% Japanese on their grandmother’s side (my mother), and I wanted them to understand the experiences of other Japanese Americans in the U.S.  So, while on vacation, after a long day at the National Gallery, my wife took my youngest back to the hotel room and I set out with Duncan and Nick to see the internment memorial.  It was not hard to find; the memorial is about 2 blocks north of the Capitol Building.  It’s a bit off the beaten path from the National Mall, but not a disrespectful distance.  The centerpiece of the Memorial is a statue of a crane trapped in barbed wire.  The statue is surrounded by 10 walls made of heavy stone inscribed with the 10 interment locations and the number of internees who lived in each camp.  Other walls contained the names of Japanese Americans killed during World War II.  Yet other walls provided words of wisdom from prominent Japanese American citizens (e.g., a quotation by Senator Inouye from Hawaii).  There are other features of the memorial such as a reflecting pool, but I will let you visit the site to discover its virtues on your own.  It is a moving memorial; in fact, last semester my oldest son was inspired enough to write a 7^th grade English essay on the internment.  

Photo by Bill Peterson.

        Event #3:  The third event of synchronicity, of course, was Kendra’s post that she needed actors to read her new play, Shikataganai.  The call arrived 2 months after my trip to DC.  The setting of Shikataganai is an internment camp.  In the climax of the play, two of the characters must decide whether to enlist in the army to fight for the country that has imprisoned them.  Do these two young characters in the play answer “yes-yes” or “no-no” to Items 27 and 28 on the loyalty questionnaire?  You’ll have to watch the play to find out.  Regardless of their answers, the lives of Nisei men who said “yes-yes” to the actual survey and enrolled in the U.S. army during World War II are fictionalized in Sgt. Rock:  The Lost Battalion and memorialized in stone next to our U.S. Capitol Building. 

        I wish the cast of Shikataganai the best of fortune as they prepare to present the play in Hawaii.  Perhaps Shikataganai will spark further experiences of unexpected synchronicity in the audience.

Spotlight on... Lacey Chu!

We're pleased to add Honolulu native, Lacey Chu, to the cast.  Lacey will take over the role of "Narrator." We're getting to know Lacey along with you.

Lacey Chu (Center) on the set of Lychee Thieves
in the role of  "Lady Yang."

Why acting?
Acting is a way of exploring all of those emotions and aspects of one's personality that aren't really allowed to be shown in 'real life.'  For me, it's also a way to share my enthusiasm for the text and/or character with an audience, and hopefully make it come alive for them.  

How did you get involved with Shikataganai?
I spotted the casting notice online for a play reading and was immediately interested; I love reading aloud, especially new plays.

What is your favorite word?
Cake

Lacey Chu as "Amelia" in Vanity Fair at
Bristol Old Vic Studio.

What is your least favorite word?
Stupid

What turns you on?
Really good writing

What turns you off?
Cheese

What sound or noise do you love?
Cats purring

What sound or noise do you hate?
The sound of me dropping and breaking something (an all too frequent occurrence, unfortunately)

What is your favorite curse word?
I like the phrase 'a pox on it!' though I can't say I've ever used it

What do you plan to do with your life?
I'd like to keep pursuing acting and voice coaching, and keep practicing yoga

What profession would you NOT like to do?
Anything requiring an ugly uniform

Why is theatre necessary?
I think the fact that it's happening live is really exciting; unlike a film or other art forms where the viewer just sees the finished product, in the theatre, the audience's reactions can really contribute to the overall performance.  And when everything goes right--when the actors are really listening to each other and to the audience, and vice versa--it can be magical and there's nothing else quite like it.    

Aloha! Kendra SFO --> HNL

Kendra is headed to HNL to finish up casting before the Smithies arrive.

We're also excited to welcome Honolulu native and actress, Lacey Chu, to the cast.  Lacey will perform as the Narrator and we're excited to work with her!  Look for Lacey's Spotlight in the next few days.

Spotlight on... Alicia Cho!

Alicia Cho (center on throne) as "Dido" in the Five College Opera
production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at Mt. Holyoke College's
Rooke Theatre in Spring 2009.

Why acting?

Acting is cathartic for me. I love analyzing the script to discover the character’s motives and emotions. This creative and collaborative art form allows me to not only understand and empathize with people’s emotions, but also challenges me to grow emotionally as a person. For example, I grew up learning that I was not allowed to cry, unless I was at a funeral. I found a love for theatre when acting as a character allowed me to access and portray my vulnerable emotions without any judgment.

How did you get involved with Shikataganai?

During my internship at the New Century Theatre, Ed Cho (my older brother) sent me the email about the audition. I’m not sure how he found out about the auditions… but thanks to him, I became involved with the play!

What is your favorite word?

“Shiitake mushrooms.” Technically, these are two words. Does that still count? If not, then “kismet” is my favorite word. It’s one of those words that I had to memorize for the SAT. Whenever I hear that word, I think of the phrase, “Kiss me! It’s kismet!”

What is your least favorite word?

Screech. I keep thinking about nails clawing down a chalkboard whenever I hear that word.

What turns you on?

Intellectual and emotional connection as well as a sense of humor.

What turns you off?

Lack of integrity.

What sound or noise do you love?

The singing voice of a man trying to woo a woman. Let’s just say, a guy singing and playing the guitar (or any other instrument) at the same time wins the path to my heart.

What sound or noise do you hate?

Any noise that disturbs my sleep. Please leave me to my dreams.

What do you plan to do with your life?

Even though I have a passion for music and theatre, I would love to pursue the field of medicine. I strive to be like Anton Chekhov, who claimed, “Medicine is my lawful wife and literature my mistress; when I get tired of one, I spend the night with the other.”

Why is theatre necessary?

Theatre is necessary because it provides a social outlet for people to bond and temporarily escape from the stress of reality. More importantly, it provides a fresh perspective and challenges the audience members to question their previously established beliefs, especially when the play deals with a controversial topic. The more I dive deeper into theatre, the more I realize that entertainment (in the form of music, film, and theatre) strongly influences the psychology of society; the audience’s perception of character interaction on stage impacts society’s expectations of gender and racial roles.

Alicia Cho (bottom left) as "Witch #2" in
Smith College's MacBeth in Fall 2010.

Alicia Cho (Kei Matsumoto) is a skilled singer and actress with extensive experience in musical theatre, opera, and straight plays. Raised in East Brunswick, New Jersey, Alicia will graduate as a Theatre Major and pre-med student from Smith College in the Spring of 2011. She has been trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) for the Spring 2010 Classical Acting Program. Past experiences include Dido in Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas,” Nora in Vaughan Williams’ “Riders to the Sea,” Ophelia and the Priest in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” and Mistress Trickwell in Mary Pix’s “The Beau Defeated.” She has also been involved with the technical aspects of the New Century Theatre Internship during the Summer of 2010. Recently, she has been involved with the Smith College production of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” in which she played the roles of Witch #2, Donalbain, and Seyton. Her upcoming role is Kathy in the Amherst College J-term musical production of Sondheim’s “Company.” When she is not performing on stage, she loves traveling and exploring other cultures. Besides studying abroad in London, she has studied abroad in Ewha University for the Summer of 2008; she has also performed with the American Music Abroad Choir in Europe (Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France, and Austria) in the Summer of 2006. While she loves to act, sing, and write plays, she hopes to pursue the field of medicine. Email acho2011@gmail.comfor casting inquiries.

Spotlight on... Hana Kadoyama!

Hana Kadoyama in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's
Summer Seminar (1996). 

Why acting?
For me the question isn't so much "why acting?" as it is "why theatre," or just, "why make art?" Making art, making theatre connects me to other people and to some big spirit out there in the universe: the force of CREATING and being ALIVE and putting cool stuff into the world. And anything that makes me feel like I can do that is a good thing in my book.


How did you get involved with Shikataganai?
Months ago, Kendra told me that she had written a new play and would I be in it? I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Kendra and excited to be working on a play that is so much about my family's history (I have two grandparents who were in the internment camps). And then we ended up here!


What is your favorite word?

Hana Kadoyama with Thin Man Theatre's
Hallie Flanagan Project (March 2010).

strašný- it means "terrible" or "terribly" in Czech

What turns you on?
Making cool stuff with cool people.

What turns you off?
Negativity.

What sound or noise do you love?
My sister's laugh.

What sound or noise do you hate?
The clips of people cutting their nails.

What is your favorite curse word?
FUCK! (said with gumption, used with discretion)

What do you plan to do with your life?
Stage manage, make some cool stuff, live.

What profession would you NOT like to do?
Work for Wal-Mart.

Why is theatre necessary?
Anything that gives humans a positive, creative way to connect and communicate with other humans is necessary.

Spotlight on... Anne Yukie Watanabe!

Anne (R) in Kyoto with obasan Yuko
and ojiichan Matsumoto Iwasaki.

Why acting?
I love how it involves your body, your voice, your emotions... it's such a holistic and engaging artistic experience, and really about being in the moment. It's also so interpersonal and community-oriented.

How did you get involved with Shikataganai?
I was at a time in my life when I wanted to try out acting but was very intimidated about the fact that I had no experience in theatre at all. And then I saw Kendra's ad on [Smith College’s] eDigest calling for Asian American actors/actresses, with a specific interest in Japanese-Americans, and no experience necessary. I felt like the ad had been written for me, it was really exciting. And the subject matter made it even more so, as a history major and someone whose family was incarcerated during World War II. It was the perfect gateway into theatre.

What is your favorite word?
Resonate.

What is your least favorite word?
I'm not sure. I've never really thought about this.

What turns you on?
Complexity and connection.

What turns you off?
The inability to listen.

What sound or noise do you love?
The sound of an approaching subway train.

What sound or noise do you hate?
A condescending tone of voice.

What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck. It's versatile, passionate and has nice consonants.

Anne kneading dough at home on the East Coast.

What do you plan to do with your life?
Social justice organizing of some sort. I haven't figured out the specifics, but I'm really interested in local community organizing and anti-violence activism.

What profession would you NOT like to do?
Most of them. I'm very picky.

Why is theatre necessary?
To remind people of the power of being physically present when art is being created, when so much of art is being distributed in a really digital, centralized way. And to cherish the moment, because each performance is different and is interpreted in all kinds of ways by different actors, directors, etc. It's beautiful to see human experiences represented in the insightful and dynamic ways that theatre does.