ASIA to present Sisters Matsumoto

Is there truth to the saying `You can't go home again'? Find out in Asian Stories In America (ASIA) Theatre's production of Sisters Matsumoto by Philip Kan Gotanda. The play's Washington, D.C. premiere runs Fridays through Saturdays from October 4 to November 19 at The Clark Street Playhouse.

Sisters Matsumoto portrays a Japanese-American family's bittersweet homecoming from World War II internment camps. ASIA Artistic Director Edu. Bernardino directs this touching tale of strength and survival. The three Matsumoto sisters (Grace, the practical oldest one; Chiz, the rebellious middle one; and Rose, the hopeful youngest one) discover secrets, lost opportunities, and new beginnings as they return to their past and rebuild their lives. This naturalistic family drama explores the meaning of racial identity (Japanese-American, American, Japanese) in relationships and in an ever-changing society.

Acclaimed playwright Philip Kan Gotanda is best known for tackling social themes with humor, candor, and cultural authenticity. Other well-known plays by Gotanda include Yankee Dawg You Die, Fish Head Soup, and The Wash. His works have been produced by many prestigious theater groups, including the New York Shakespeare Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, East West Players, Pan Asian Repertory, and Playwrights Horizons. Locally, his works have been staged by The Studio Theatre and Horizons Theatre. As a film artist, Gotanda has screened his works at the Sundance Film Festival and various international film festivals. Gotanda is also a poet and a musician.

Featured in Sisters Matsumoto are ASIA Company Members Judy W. Chen (Rose), John D. Guzman (Henry), and Josef Villanasco (Bola). Rounding out the cast are Bryan Cassidy (Mr. Hersham), Franklin Dam (Hideo), Marissa Quintos (Chiz), and Ruth Yamamoto (Grace).

Sisters Matsumoto reunites the production team that mounted ASIA's hit last year, Big Hunk O' Burnin' Love. Helen Hayes nominee Ayun Fedorcha designed the lighting, ASIA Artistic Associate Ron Oshima composed original music and designed the sound, and Laura Moody designed the properties. Director Bernardino designed the set and costumes.

Founded in 1998, ASIA Theatre is devoted to presenting modern Asian Pacific American drama in innovative productions that showcase the best in Asian American theatre artists in the region. In addition to this past summer's Flipzoids (by Ralph Peña, directed by Bernardino), and Big Hunk O' Burnin' Love (by Prince Gomolvilas), ASIA has mounted staged readings of Genny Lim's classic Paper Angels and Janet Neipris' A Small Delegation (directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner), which was co-produced and presented at The Studio Theatre Secondstage. More recently, ASIA presented a series of off-night staged readings of new works by young and rising playwrights. The series included The Superfriends of Flushing Queens by Ji Hyun Lee, The Poet of Columbus Avenue by Dennis Escobedo, Debunking Love by Prince Gomolvilas, and Karaoke Stories by Euijoon Kim, the last two of which were directed by Mr. Bernardino.