SUPPOSED HOME by Sam Hamashima

Rated PG. Shiyoko left the Japanese American Concentration Camps a long time ago , or so she thought. Faced with questions from a curious grandson, Shiyoko's world becomes both what had happened and what was wanted. Past and present become one landscape for this anime adventure as enemies are revealed, companions are found, trauma is unpacked, and what was only thought becomes (un)spoken word. A poetic...
Rated PG. Shiyoko left the Japanese American Concentration Camps a long time ago , or so she thought. Faced with questions from a curious grandson, Shiyoko's world becomes both what had happened and what was wanted. Past and present become one landscape for this anime adventure as enemies are revealed, companions are found, trauma is unpacked, and what was only thought becomes (un)spoken word. A poetic impression from the Yonsei perspective, Supposed Home brings a new piece of the puzzle that is the Japanese American experience.
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SUPPOSED HOME

Recommended by

  • Wenke Coco Huang:
    20 Aug. 2022
    “ A fantastical, cut-throat interrogation of Japanese Americans' identity formation. Plentiful alienation devices heighten multiple dualities: trauma vs its aftermath, memory vs amnesia, fantasy vs reality, American vs Japanese...These dichotomies concentrate on the central character of Grandma. While magical and heartening, the adventure of her younger self (who is also the doppelgänger of Grandson) is fundamentally fragile and cathartic. The fantastical past intertwines with and accentuates the futility and anguish in reality. I also appreciate the play's generous and specific use of Japanese language, unveiling the exquisite tunes of Japanese culture that resist Americanization and transmute the hero's journey! ”
  • Jordan Ramirez Puckett:
    28 Sep. 2021
    “ I have loved SUPPOSED HOME from the moment I first read it and my adoration for it only grew when I saw the virtual stage reading at the 2021 Bay Area Playwrights Festival. The legacy of Japanese Concentration Camps is pervasive to this day and Hamashima manages to tell a powerful and personal story about this time through a wholly theatrical lens. This play will make you laugh and cry and demands to be told on stage in front of a live audience as soon as possible. ”
  • Nick Malakhow:
    14 Jun. 2021
    “ A genre-defying, fabulistic piece that navigates a variety of theatrical styles and motifs, and issues both micro and macro level in such a compelling and engaging way. Sam Hamashima creates a distinct theatrical world and their skill in bringing together a variety of threads into a cohesive, aesthetic whole is supreme. I loved the dual narrative focus, as well, on this humorous, heightened fable-like tale from the past and a grandmother and grandson's more immediate and intimate journey through the results of generational, cultural, and familial trauma. This play begs to be staged and soon I hope! ”
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Character Information

See script for doubling and requirements

  • YOUNG SHIYOKO
    10-12,
    Japanese American
    ,
    Cisgender Female
    Nissei. Creative and strong. Shoujo Magical Girl qualities. Hopeful to a degree. Japanese American.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Child, Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • OLD SHIYOKO
    60s-80s,
    Japanese American
    ,
    Cisgender Female
    Nissei. Strong-willed. Carries with her a wide range of experiences and opinions. Japanese American.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • GRANDSON
    15-20,
    Japanese American
    ,
    Cisgender Male
    Yonsei. Pursus knowledge from the previous generations. Naive and, at times, daring. Japanese American.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • TANUKI
    Timeless,
    Japanese American
    ,
    Cisgender Male
    A scrappy yokai focused on surviving. Comedic. Drunk. Anime Sidekick. Japanese American.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • THE CACTUS
    Two (in plant years),
    Japanese American
    ,
    Any (but probably Female)
    Joins SHIYOKO to save TANUKI. Comedic. Anime Sidekick. Japanese American.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • THE RATTLESNAKE / UWABAMI
    unknown, Array,
    No gender
    Shakes its tail to sound like washing rice. Enemy. Was once a yokai like TANUKI, but shed too many skins. Not much is known about this monster.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • MRS. SUWA
    30s-40s,
    Japanese American
    ,
    Cisgender Female
    Issei. Japanese American. Sometimes a Cardboard Cutout.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • MR. SUWA
    30s-50s,
    Japanese American
    ,
    Cisgender Male
    Issei. Sometimes a cardboard cutout. Japanese American.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • THE GUARD
    15-25,
    White
    ,
    Cisgender Male
    Guard of the camp. Ensures that nobody leaves. Wears a Grecian Mask. His talk is always muffled so he relies on gestures/miming.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary

Development History

Awards

Finalist
,
Seven Devils Playwrights Conference
,
2020