I will be joining the cast for a reading of Meet Murasaki Shikibu Followed by Book-Signing, and Other Things by Julia Izumi, in the role of “A Person,” which will be presented by Avant Bard Theatre as part of their Scripts in Play Festival of their 30th season. On the tails of last summer’s American Spies, this piece will be my first time performing a role predominantly written in Japanese. The reading, directed by Dan Westbrook, will take place at Theatre on the Run in Arlington, VA, on Friday, December 13, 2019, at 7:30pm, with a feedback session to follow. More info on the reading here. Learn more about Avant Bard here.
She’s finally doing it. After a millennium, countless translations, and a well-earned place in the literary canon, she’s… going on a book tour. Who? Oh, only Murasaki Shikibu, the semi-anonymous author of, oh, only the first novel in the history of the world, The Tale of Genji. In this sharp satire, a timeless Lady Murasaki visits your favorite small, independent bookstore. She speaks on important historical subjects like juice cleanses, Taylor Swift, the extremely overrated Sei Shonagon, and, when she feels like it, her very important book. Along the way, she’ll touch on a millennia of cultural change, what it means to lose one’s language, and what it feels like to be forgotten before you’re ever properly remembered.
