CALL FOR ACTORS
Kamioroshi, the Descent of the Gods
A Staged Reading
Seeking actors for a staged reading of Kamioroshi: The Descent of the Gods which will occur on March 1, 2013 from 4-5:30pm in the Tsai Auditorium at Harvard University.
The reading is sponsored by the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and the Du Bois Institute for African American and African Research both at Harvard and the School of Theater and the Global Theater Project at Boston University.
The play is set in Japan during the so-called “opening of Japan” by the US and the western powers from 1853. Most importantly it concerns an African American women fugitive slave and a Shawnee Indian who travel to Asia during this period in search of allies in their struggle for freedom against “the Americans.” They discover surprising intellectual and spiritual commonalities with Japanese peasants struggling with the impositions of the Tokugawa regime and the coming oppressions of the Meiji restoration. The play is conceived as a poetic journey across cultural worlds in search of alliances and spiritual world renewal.
The following characters will be cast:
A Shawnee Indian man
An African American woman
Three Japanese men
Three Japanese women
Theywould like to cast an African American female as the fugitive slave woman and Asians as the Japanese; however, they are committed to colorblind casting and will cast actors regardless of their ethnicity.
The performance will run for an hour and a half followed by a reception. There will be two rehearsals (on February 25 and 27th) before the performance.
This reading is a step towards a full staged production of the play with movement and music.
EMAIL your headshot/resume/interest/availability to
Boston University Professor Ron Richardson at: [email protected]
