Jacob Hirdwall’s Emperor Fukushima to Be Presented as Part of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan
On Sunday, March 11, as part of the Fukushima anniversary initiative, Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, Scandinavian American Theater Company and Ping Chong & Company will co-present a reading of a play written in response to the disaster: Swedish playwright Jacob Hirdwall’s Emperor Fukushima. The reading will take place at the La MaMa space at 47 Great Jones Street at 7pm.
Written just two weeks after the earthquake, Hirdwall’s play juxtaposes the story of the wife of a worker at the Fukushima power plant with the story of a Russian tourist and former worker at Chernobyl, who narrowly escaped being killed in that disaster. The play explores issues surrounding nuclear power, also drawing on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
At this event, Tuomas Hiltunen and actress Dawn Saito, directed by Kristina Golmohammadi, will read a translation by Rochelle Wright. The reading will be accompanied by original music by Fredrik Söderberg.
Admission requires a $10 donation at the door; the Japan Playwrights Association will disburse proceeds to the Japanese theater community affected by the disaster.
