ONU 2013 International Play Festival: JAPAN featuring the world premiere of a new English translation of

PROUD SON by SHU MATSUI

Translated by: Andy Bragen and Kyoko Yoshida Directed by: Desdemona Chiang Dramaturg: Joan Robbins
Performance Dates: April 25-28 (7:30 p.m. Thurs -Sat, 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday)
*note: discussion with the playwright and company after Friday night and Sunday afternoon performances.

Link: http://www.freedcenter.com

ABOUT THE PLAY:
A darkly comic, whimsical reflection of contemporary Japanese society. A reclusive man named Tadashi chooses to hide away from society by creating an imaginary kingdom in his apartment. His mother boasts of her son's ingenuity and goes in search of him; a brother and sister who have heard of Tadashi's nation/kingdom also join him, along with a quirky neighbor who lives next door. They are aided by a narrator/tour guide.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT:
Shu Matsui (born Tokyo, 1972) has been heralded in Japan as one of the country's most significant young directors and playwrights. He began in the theatre as an actor, but eventually turned to writing, and founded his own theatre company, Sample, in 2007. The play ONU will produce in translation (Japanese title, Jiman no Musoko) won the prestigious Kishida Drama Award in 2010. Matsui will come to ONU for the performance week of this year's International Festival.

Link to Flyer

ABOUT ONU'S INTERNATIONAL PLAY FESTIVAL:
Now in its tenth year, Ohio Northern's International Play Festival has staged world premieres of plays from around the globe, and brought together professional theatre artists from surprising places, such as Iceland, Estonia, Cuba, Chile, and Israel, to name just a few. Professional international theatre artists have come to Ohio and joined with undergraduate theatre students to produce theatre from sixteen countries, and plays translated from no less then seven languages. The primary goals of the festival are twofold: to promote new work for the international stage, and to expand the horizons of ONU students by creating an innovative, intercultural theatre experience. This year's play, Proud Son, will be performed by actors in ONU's undergraduate theatre program.