Xenophobia: noun
I remember asking my mother the meaning of the word when I
was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I found the definition shocking. Why would you despise people just
because they come from a different place or have a different skin color? I grew up in an extremely integrated
community and had friends of every race and color growing up. My parents were
part of a group that hosted international visitors and we often had foreign
guests in our home. I didn't
realize until I moved away how unique an upbringing that was.
War Bride takes place in Merced, California in the fall of
1945; right after the War in the Pacific has ended. People are still scared and
unsure about what happens next.
Japanese American citizens remain interned at Manzanar and at other
camps throughout the Western United States (The last camp did not close until
March of 1946). Our title
character walks into a world in which she is automatically feared and hated.
Japanese books, literature; really any study of the culture at all are
considered contraband and the possession of such things can result in
incarceration or worse. She also
has a secret and needs an ally. The journey that she needs to travel, both
physically and metaphorically, is tremendous. The journey that Catherine makes in trying to understand her
is no less arduous.
I was drawn to this project on numerous levels. First and foremost is the story, which
I shall not spoil for you by sharing, but I will tell you that it is original
and told in a unique voice, something that is sadly lacking in theater today.
Women are also missing in much of American Theater. We are a small minority of
the directors, playwrights, choreographers, producers, and yes, of the actors
on stage. Any project that brings
us together and focuses on the female experience is one that I am very
interested in being a part of!
Finally, the Asian American story is one that needs to be
told. The Japanese experience, especially during and immediately after World
War Two is an enormous facet of it.
Approximately 46, 000 Japanese war brides came to the United States
following the War in The Pacific. Our treatment of Japanese American citizens
during the war is one of the darkest hours of our recent collective history,
yet is repeated, in different degrees, whenever we as a nation feel threatened.
I feel that whenever we can examine ourselves, as a people, through art, we
have the opportunity to evolve.
Authenticity is an enormous element of this and I am proud of the fact
we have roles for Asian actors that we have cast with Asian actors. I fully
support color-blind casting when race is not central to the story. When it is,
I think that every effort should be made to find actors of the representative
group and am so thrilled with our group of Asian and specifically Japanese
actors.
This play has been a wonderful collaborative experience and
I am so thrilled to have been a part of it. I am especially grateful to
Samantha Macher for writing it and to Heidi Hostetler for being my right
hand.
To buy tickets, click here.
