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Friday, March 14
A staged reading of
In the Shadow of Mt. Fuji
About the play
This modern adaptation of a Japanese folktale and supernatural mystery follows one man’s journey through love and loss. Born into a society steeped in ancient traditions and ultra-modern culture, Isamu, a lonely, unmarried man, is an outlier. His loving and exasperated mother does not let him forget it. A horrific event years ago leads him deeper into isolation. He starts to write a manga, a graphic novel. But he cannot finish it. What is he writing about? And what does Mt. Fuji have to do with any of this?
View the digital program for In the Shadow of Mt. Fuji here.
Cathy Midori Stonie,
Playwright
Cathy Midori Stonie is a senior playwright, writing since 2016. Her inspirations come from foreign journeys and observing ordinary people living their extraordinary lives. Cathy is from Los Angeles, and now lives in San Jose with her husband for 26 years.
Stagebridge, the adult theatrical and performance school in Oakland, introduced Cathy to acting and playwriting. She continues to take playwriting class with playwright and instructor, Anthony Clarvoe.
She is a member of Theatre Bay Area, and Board member of Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco (PCSF) since March 2020. In 2020, her full-length play, A Rose by Any Other Name, about Tokyo Rose, had a virtual reading. Her short play, Pandemic in Love, was included in Smith and Kraus anthology, “Laughter is the Best Medicine: Forty-five 5-minute plays in the time of coronavirus,” published in 2021. She had a developmental reading of You’ll Never Look at Mt. Fuji the Same Again, in 2021. In the summer of 2022, Cathy co-produced a virtual “BIPOC Showcase of Short Plays” for PCSF, to promote a more diverse membership at PCSF.
Stagebridge, the adult theatrical and performance school in Oakland, introduced Cathy to acting and playwriting. She continues to take playwriting class with playwright and instructor, Anthony Clarvoe.
She is a member of Theatre Bay Area, and Board member of Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco (PCSF) since March 2020. In 2020, her full-length play, A Rose by Any Other Name, about Tokyo Rose, had a virtual reading. Her short play, Pandemic in Love, was included in Smith and Kraus anthology, “Laughter is the Best Medicine: Forty-five 5-minute plays in the time of coronavirus,” published in 2021. She had a developmental reading of You’ll Never Look at Mt. Fuji the Same Again, in 2021. In the summer of 2022, Cathy co-produced a virtual “BIPOC Showcase of Short Plays” for PCSF, to promote a more diverse membership at PCSF.
Keiko Carreiro, Director
Keiko Shimosato Carreiro is a Collective Member, actor, designer, co-writer, and director with the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe. She has performed at American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory, The Magic Theater, San Jose Stage, The Aurora Theater, Word for Word, Oakland Theater Project, Center Rep., and Marin Shakespeare Company. In 2020 Keiko Co-founded Kunoichi Productions (Female Ninja productions) innovative, multidisciplinary theater combining Eastern and Western Theater Traditions.Most recently, she Co-Directed an Immersive Production of A Strange Library by Haruki Murakami for Word for Word at Z-Below.
Nick Ishimaru, Choreographer
Nick Ishimaru is a San Francisco-based director, actor, and singer. He recently served as the Artistic Director of Theatre of Yugen from 2016 to 2020. His work combines Western and Asian performance techniques to create original productions. He has trained in noh and kyōgen for over 10 years with Theatre of Yugen, Theatre Nohgaku, and Kita school noh master Oshima Teruhisa in Tokyo. Ishimaru has also studied kabuki, jingju (Beijing Opera), and nihon buyō (traditional Japanese dance). Directing work at Theatre of Yugen includes The Red Demon (2016), A Noh Christmas Carol (2017, 2018, 2019), and Seen/By Everyone (2018). Performances with Theatre of Yugen including Minor Cycle (San Francisco and Philadelphia 2012), This Lingering Life (2014), Mystical Abyss (Denver 2015), Yugen in Action (Iquique, Chile, 2019) and a plethora of kyōgen performances at festivals across the country. He was most recently on stage at Theatre of Yugen in Puppets & Poe (2019) and A Noh Christmas Carol (2019). BA Colorado State University, MA San Francisco State University.
Cast
Randy Lee as
Isamu
Randy Lee is a Bay Area actor, musician, and Realtor®️. He has appeared as Fred Obermuller in Pickpocket (Musical Cafe), Neville Landless in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Lamplighters Musical Theatre), The Mate in Elixir of Love (San Francisco Opera), Mr. Wormwood in Matilda (Palo Alto Players), Minli in Baked! The Musical (Faultline Theater), Toad in A Year with Frog and Toad (Bay Area Children’s Theater). He has also covered roles in Waitress (SF Playhouse), Madama Butterfly (San Francisco Opera), The Great Comet of 1812 (Shotgun Players), and The Great Wave (Berkeley Rep Theater). Follow him on Instagram @randomlee_randy
Miyoko Sakatani as Okasan
Miyoko Sakatani is a Sag-Aftra-e screen and stage actor, singer, writer, and producer. Miyoko has performed on many SF Bay Area regional and community theatre stages over many years, including writing and performing her own solo plays. Film credits include the award winning Samuel Goldwyn film “East Side Sushi” (IMDb.com/Miyoko Sakatani). As founding director of Playland Productions, Miyoko has produced and co-directed films and stage plays. She is an ongoing volunteer for ocean and city clean up, food pantry projects for various service organization including the Bay Area Rotary Clubs. Endless love and deepest gratitude to Richard, Shanti and dearest friends.
Zoe Chien as Mariko
Zoe Chien is an actor, casting director, and arts administrator with a BFA in Theater from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Zoe is the Casting and Producing Director of 3Girls Theatre Company, and is a PlayGround Associate Producer and Company Member. She feels lucky to be in this industry in a time when so much art is being made in response to our social and political climate, and is proud to represent her mixed-race Taiwanese and Italian-American community. zoechien.com @thezoechien
Sakura Nakahara as Voices / Spirit / Mrs Ubate
Sakura Nakahara is a San Francisco Bay Area based actor, voice actor, improviser, and teaching artist with dabblings in many things artistic and/or adventurous. Recent on-stage performances include Aya in the premiere 'Apertures of Love in Times of War' (PlayGround SF), Emmy Lou in 'The Confession of Lily Dare' (New Conservatory Theatre Center), Sugar in 'Tiny Beautiful Things' (Plethos Productions); Frances in 'Melancholy Play' (Theater Lunatico), and Eurydice, Lucina, et al. in 'Metamorphoses' (The Pear Theatre). Sakura also performs as a voice actor, recently portraying the role of Parker in the Student BAFTA-nominated virtual reality mystery game, Penrose Station. Follow whatever new adventure Sakura may be pursuing via IG @cheeryblissoms
Joseph Alvarado as Voices / Porter / Grocer
Joseph Alvarado is honored to be among the phenomenally talented cast and production team of In the Shadow of Mt. Fuji. Before receiving his not-so-golden handshake, he played the role of ‘worker’ for a gigantic financial services firm while moonlighting on stages throughout the bay area. Most recently, he appeared as ‘The Men’ in A Noh Christmas Carol (Theatre of Yugen). And among his most cherished experiences are playing ‘Jack’ in Aunt Jack (New Conservatory Theatre Center), ‘Chin’ in Flower Drum Song (Palo Alto Players) and ‘Bobby’ in Company (City College of San Francisco). He was born, raised and is still living in San Francisco and shares his home with his 18-year old cat, Malcolm.
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