In Shikataganai (It Can't Be Helped), a curious fellow incarcerates an 11-year-old daschund impersonator, a dancing grandma, a procreating couple, and a secretive father/son farming duo. But, why? For how long? And what else will come through the red door?
Playwright Kendra Arimoto injects American history with the intensity and passion of live theatre to give an unexpected artistic twist on an important historical subject.
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| "Within the play's complexity, Arimoto uses surrealism and alienation to simultaneously enthrall and terrify her audience." -Cerstin Johnson, Playwright |
PRODUCTION HISTORY
JANUARY 2011
Next up... most of the October 2010 cast will join playwright/director Kendra Arimoto in O'ahu for presentation of Shikataganai (It Can't Be Helped) at the 2011 Hawai'i International Conference on Arts and Humanities.
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| In 2010, the conference hosted 700+ attendees representing 34 countries. Looking forward to presenting Shikataganai (It Can't Be Helped) to an international community. |
OCTOBER 2010
Shikataganai (It Can't Be Helped) received a developmental staged reading at Smith College's New Play Reading Series on October 14, 2010 in Earle Recital Hall.
Hamlet Eve Mugar
Tetsu Nakamura Anne Yukie Watanabe
Una Kagawa Emily Brown
Kei Matsumoto Alicia Cho
Sir Pablo Hana Kadoyama
Peter Kagawa Roth Empire
Katsumi Nakamura Bill Peterson
Stage Directions Jessica Magyar
The casting presented a Japanese American core of actors but also reflected the diversity of America and, therefore, suggested a collective American versus solely Japanese/Japanese American history. In a full production, Hamlet should be played by a White/Caucasian male and the Japanese American characters played by Japanese American actors.
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| Pre-show warm-up. October 14, 2010. Pictured: Jessica Magyar, Alicia Cho, Bill Peterson, Eve Mugar, Emily Brown, Roth Empire, Anne Yukie Watanabe, and Hana Kadoyama. |
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| Packed audience! October 14, 2010. Pictured L-R: Emily Brown, Alicia Cho, Eve Mugar, Bill Peterson, Anne Yukie Watanabe, and Roth Empire. |
MARCH 2010
Following workshop development with playwright Marcus Gardley, Shikataganai (It Can't Be Helped) received the 2010 James Baldwin Fund Prize for Multi-cultural Playwriting and an excerpted reading at the Five College WORD! Festival at Mount Holyoke. The excerpted reading was directed by Emma Weinstein.
