East West Players and the Japanese American National Museum present a Writers Gallery reading of “Takarazuka!!!” by Susan Soon He Stanton, directed by Leslie Ishii, on Thursday, March 27, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Tateuchi Democracy Forum at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, 111 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo.
A black comedy that is part ghost story, part love story and part “Black Swan,” “Takarazuka!!!” tracks the career sunset of Yuko, the star of the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female Japanese performance troupe that has put on melodramatic spectacles for nearly a hundred years.
When Yuko is forced to retire, she trades the spotlight for a life in the country, and in the process falls under the spell of a mysterious ghost.
Originally from Hawaii, Stanton has an MFA in playwriting from Yale University and resides in New York City. Her plays include “Seek,” “Cygnus,” “Furball,” “the things are against us,” and “The Underneath.” Her work has been produced or developed at Clubbed Thumb, Playwrights Horizons, Joe’s Pub, Lark, Kennedy Center, Terra Nova, Flea, and others.
Stanton was Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s resident playwright for its 2010-11 season; is a member of MaYi Playwrights Lab; was a member of the Public Emerging Writer’s Group 2012-13 and SoHo Rep Writer-Director Lab 2011; and was the 2011 Van Lier Fellow at the Lark.
This event is free and open to the public. RSVP required. Email rsvp@janm.org or call (213) 625-0414 at least 48 hours prior to the event. Include the name, date, and time of the program, as well as your name and the total in your party.
For more information, visit www.janm.org/events/collab.