Ren Kobayashi-Smith and the Magic Pillow that May or May Not Fix Her Life

by Emily Yuko Walborn

Production History:
2025 IATI Theater - Staged Reading
2025 Pork Filled Productions: Unleashed - Finalist
2025 IATI Theater - Cimientos Play Development Program
2022 - Box of Tricks Theatre - Rehearsed Reading

An adaptation of the Japanese Noh play ‘Kantan’
Ren Kobayashi-Smith's life is a complete mess. She's been passed up for a promotion, her boyfriend is a weeb who fetishizes her, and she feels too white for...

Production History:
2025 IATI Theater - Staged Reading
2025 Pork Filled Productions: Unleashed - Finalist
2025 IATI Theater - Cimientos Play Development Program
2022 - Box of Tricks Theatre - Rehearsed Reading

An adaptation of the Japanese Noh play ‘Kantan’
Ren Kobayashi-Smith's life is a complete mess. She's been passed up for a promotion, her boyfriend is a weeb who fetishizes her, and she feels too white for her Asian friends and too Asian for her white friends. She floats between two worlds, unable to find where she belongs. She resolves to fix her identity crisis with a family heirloom - a generations-old magic pillow that shows you the best version of your life. Surely, this has to be the solution she's been looking for.

Fusing the music, dance, and visual elements of Noh theatre with contemporary themes, Ren Kobayashi-Smith and the Magic Pillow that May or May Not Fix Her Life is an exploration of racial identity.

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Ren Kobayashi-Smith and the Magic Pillow that May or May Not Fix Her Life

Character Information

2 F, 1 M

The entire cast is East Asian.
Alex should play Michael as well. Ideally, that actor is also the Assistant, White Art Buyer,
and White Man.
Similarly, Sandra is also Mitsuki. That actor should play White Woman and White Coworker
as well.
  • Ren
    20s
    Asian -- East Asian
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Sandra
    Also plays Mitsuki and White Coworker
    30s-40s
    Asian -- East Asian
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Alex
    Also plays Assistant, White Art Buyer, and White Man
    30s
    Asian -- East Asian
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man

Development History

  • Reading, IATI Theater - Cimientos Play Development Program, 2025
  • Workshop, Box of Tricks, 2022

Awards

  • Pork Filled Productions: Unleashed
    Pork Filled Productions
    Finalist
    2025