MediaRites‘ Theatre Diaspora presents the Oregon premiere of After the War Blues by award-winning playwright Philip Kan Gotanda, directed by Bobby Bermea and Jamie Rea.
Two staged-reading performances will be at 1:30pm on Saturday, June 4, 2016, and at 1:30pm on Sunday, June 5, 2016. Both at Portland State University’s Lincoln Hall Studio Theatre (1620 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97201) with the playwright attending the performances and post-show audience talkbacks.
Tickets are $10 each for general seating and $5 each for students and Oregon Trail cardholders. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning May 1, 2016, at www.theatrediaspora.org and Brown Paper Tickets.
After the War Blues takes place in the aftermath of World War II in San Francisco’s Western Addition District where some Japanese Americans returned from internment camps. African Americans who came to San Francisco were seeking work, white Southern migrants were looking for economic opportunity, and Russian Jews were arriving to start new lives. All the characters struggle to get along with limited resources while trying to find their place in this mix of cultures. Central character Chet Monkawa is a jazz trumpeter who returns to his family’s rooming house after the internment, but his old neighborhood isn’t the same. The rooming house is now filled with new transplants, and Chet and his fellow boarders must find a new harmony amidst uncertain times.
With generous support from Oregon Humanities to bring the playwright to Portland and for the post-show discussions following each performance, featuring the playwright on June 4th and community members on June 5th: Kara Carmosino (APANO), Michael Grice (Nothing But Quality education leader,) and Kimberly Moreland (author of African Americans in Portland.)
Master Class by Philip Kan Gotanda, Renowned Playwright
Philip Kan Gotanda will teach a playwriting master class at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2016, as part of The Dramatists Guild Fund’s Traveling Masters Program. This prestigious national outreach program brings prominent dramatists into communities across the country to lead master classes, workshops, talkbacks, and other public events. The class will be free to the public and will be at Portland Center Stage (128 NW 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97209), which donated the space for this event. To register for the class visit https://www.pcs.org/blog/playwriting-masterclass-with-philip-kan-gotanda.
Gotanda’s Portland visit and master class are made possible through The Dramatists Guild Fund’s Traveling Masters Program, the official Presenting Sponsor; Portland playwright and Dramatists Guild Regional Rep, Francesa Piantadosi; and Karin Magaldi, Head of the Theatre Program and Associate Director of the School of Theatre and Film, Portland State University. Theatre Diaspora also received venue support from Portland Center Stage for the master class as well as funding from Oregon Humanities to support travel and the two post-show talkbacks with Gotanda and community leaders. And generous support for our season from the Collins Foundation and the Oregon Community Foundation.
About Philip Kan Gotanda
Over the past 30 years, Philip Kan Gotanda’s plays and advocacy have been instrumental in bringing stories of Asians in the United States to mainstream American theatre, as well as to Europe and Asia. The creator of one of the largest bodies of Asian American themed work, Gotanda’s plays and films are studied and performed at universities and schools across the U.S. He is also a respected independent filmmaker, and his works are seen in film festivals worldwide. Gotanda’s extensive talents have garnered countless awards including the Guggenheim, Rockefeller, Lila Wallace, National Endowment for the Arts, PEN Center West Award, Asian American Theater Company Life Time Achievement, and NEA’s Theater Communications Playwriting Award. Full biography at www.philipkangotanda.com/bio
About The Dramatists Guild Fund
The Dramatists Guild Fund is the public charity arm of the Dramatists Guild of America. Its mission is to aid and nurture writers for the theater; to fund non-profit theaters producing contemporary American works; and to heighten awareness, appreciation, and support of theater across the country. Each year, DGF awards grants to non-profit theatrical organizations across the country that produce works by American writers, provides emergency aid to writers facing illness or other unforeseen circumstances, and supports numerous educational programs and writing development opportunities for dramatists.
For more information visit www.dgfund.org
