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In Loving Memory of John Ahern

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of John Ahern’s passing. ‘Big John’, as he was very affectionately known, was a physical force to be certain. But all I saw, every time I saw him, was a gigantic heart. Just having Big John in the room lifted spirits. With John around you knew there’d be some good natured shouting matches and a few rounds of impromptu karaoke. I can’t remember a single time he didn’t make me laugh. And even as I write these words now, thinking of John with tears in my eyes, there is a smile on my face.

John was a part of so many lives and communities in Nagoya that it is actually very hard to keep track of them all. I knew him first as an actor, but he was also a churchgoer, Boy Scout leader, volunteer for various charities, and the best damn Santa Japan has ever seen.

John and I first worked together on Nagoya Players’ Anger (2014) and the following year on Psychic (2015). He had immeasurable energy, an inspiring presence and a booming voice. Even in his small roles he commanded the stage. Doing a show with John was always an adventure. It was a bit of a challenge to keep him on script. He was in the habit of slipping into other characters from other shows and routinely broke into song. But once he was focused and in character, that’s where he’d stay. He was incredibly convincing in his roles and we practically had to force him to stop acting when the scene was done.

John was most recently cast in Nagoya Players’ production of Our Town. We’ve unfortunately had to delay the performance and so we’ll never get to see John become Belligerent Man and Old Farmer McCarty. It was truly a pleasure to watch him take on the characters. On his face was always a fierce look of concentration as he got ready to explode onto the stage. He was as fine a Belligerent Man as there ever was. It saddens me greatly that he’ll never get another chance to show everyone his brilliance as an actor. And though we will no longer able to perform Our Town with John, it is my hope that we can perform it for him. 

John’s passing has left a massive hole in all our hearts. A hole so big it may never be filled. That’s how much you meant to us, John. We will miss you. I’m sorry you never got your green M&Ms. They’re on the way….

Sincerely,

Shawn Mahler, Artistic Director Nagoya Players

Our Town Postponed•延期

Due to the announcement of the extended State of Emergency Nagoya Players will be postponing the performances of Our Town scheduled for June 12-13th. 

Unfortunately, the spread of COVID-19 has remained a largely unpredictable and difficult to manage problem in Japan. When we re-launched this production late last year, the information available at that time indicated that the virus would be more under control by our current point in time. News of vaccine development and distribution was very positive and with the upcoming Olympics (still scheduled for summer 2021), we felt confident enough to restart the production. However, we now find ourselves in a very troubling situation and by many measurements the virus situation has gotten worse. It was our sincere hope that the State of Emergency would be lifted in time for the show. But, given the current circumstances we now feel the right course of action is to postpone the show to a later date.

We have already begun the process of re-booking the show. We are targeting a date in 2022 when, by that time, we truly hope COVID-19 will no longer be a major concern. 

We sincerely thank all of our Show Supporters and theater patrons for their support during these very challenging times. Full refunds will be issued to everyone who has already purchased their tickets.

It saddens us greatly to disappoint our fans, followers, Cast and Crew. The show is in fact ready for stage, a testament to all the hard work and sacrifice the Cast and Crew have made. But for the benefit of everyone’s safety and enjoyment we will have to wait a little bit longer to present it to you.

Nagoya Players will remain active while new plans are being made for our 2022 season. We have a number of projects, events and shows in development. Please follow us on social media and check out our website for future updates.

Sincerely,

Shawn Mahler, Nagoya Players Artistic Director

名古屋プレイヤーズ主催英語劇「わが町」２０２１年６月１２日（土）１３日（日）公演予定は「緊急事態宣言」延長に伴ない、残念ながら延期することになりました。

新型コロナウイルス感染は予期せぬ方向に拡大してしまい、去年末にプロダクションの再活動を始めた時は感染拡大がここまで最悪な状況になるとは予想していませんでした。その時点では２０２１年のオリンピック開催に向けてワクチン供給はポジティブに報道されており、名古屋プレイヤーズも６月の公演を前向きに捉えていました。しかしながら、予想に反して状況は改善することはなく、どんどん悪くなる一方で「緊急事態宣言」も６月２０日まで延長されてしまったことを受け、公演を２０２０年に続き２０２１年も延期することが最善であるという結論に達しました。

私たちは既に来年の公演準備に取り掛かかりましたが、その時には新型コロナウイルスが終息していることを祈るばかりです。

そして、コロナ禍にも関わらず名古屋プレイヤーズをご支援いただきました方々には心より感謝いたします。購入済みのチケットの払い戻しも行っておりますので、スタッフ、キャストにお問い合わせくださいませ。

多くの時間を費やし既に舞台の準備も整い公演を間近に控えていましたが、観客の皆様に安心して楽しんでいただくためにはやむを得ない決断だ信じています。ファン、フォロワー、キャスト、スタッフなど多くの方々にご迷惑をおかけしてしまいましたことお詫び申し上げます。しかし、名古屋プレイヤーズは２０２２年に向けて再挑戦していきます。様々なプロジェクト、イベント、ショーなど企画中で、ソーシャルメディア、ウェブサイトに随時掲載していきますのでフォローしてください。

名古屋プレイヤーズ総監督　ショーン・マーラー

Interview with Our Town’s Masami Iwai

(Japanese with English Subtitles)

岩井氏は大学教授の傍、役者としても活躍する多彩な能力の持ち主。非常に高い芸術知識を有し、芸術鑑賞や教材読解だけではなく舞台俳優としても活躍しています。また、チャレンジ精神を絶やすことなく、そこにに楽しみを見出し、役柄を生き生きとさせる、しかも、英語と日本語でこなしてしまうという達人です。

そんな岩井氏が名古屋プレイヤーズのインタビューに答えてくれました。演劇指導や学習、演技など演劇界での同氏の生き方が伝わります。　次回公演「わが町」ではドクター　ギブス役として出演します。

英語劇「わが町」は２０２１年６月１２日（土）１３日（日）千種小劇場にて公演予定。チケットはチケットぴあ、The Rock, IPEアカデミーにて購入できます。

皆様のお越しを心よりお待ち申し上げます。

Professor Masami Iwai is the rare combination of theater academic and performer. His knowledge of the craft is vast. But he doesn’t limit himself to just watching shows and reading texts. He also takes the stage. He experiences firsthand the challenges, and the joys, of bringing the characters he plays to life. And what’s more, he can do it in English and Japanese.

Prof. Iwai was kind enough to sit down with us for a rapid-fire interview. He covers a range of topics from teaching, to studying, to performing. There’s a lot of interesting tidbits to hear about his life in theater.

Prof. Iwai will be playing the role of DR GIBBS in Nagoya Players’ upcoming production of Our Town.

Please join us June 12-13, 2021 at Chikusa Playhouse. Tickets available via TicketPia, The Rock and IPE Academy in Nagoya.

Heather L. Barksdale Interview with Artistic Director Shawn Mahler

Author Heather L. Barksdale recently posted a review of Chizawa Bay: As Ugly as I Am by Nagoya Players’ Artistic Director, Shawn Mahler.

Heather also put together an interesting interview with Shawn to discuss his approach to writing and the construction of the novel. In the interview Shawn also offers up some helpful advice to new and aspiring writers. Please give it a read to learn more about the madman leading our troupe;)

Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Shawn Mahler

And to read Heather’s review of Chizawa Bay please visit her website:

Heather’s Bookshelf: Chizawa Bay: As Ugly As I Am

Interview with Our Town’s Leona Cameron

日本語と英語の字幕 

Leona Cameron is a veteran stage performer. She started acting as a child in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia and has remained active in the performing arts ever since. 

Leona is one of Nagoya’s most well-respected and finest actors. She’s been performing in Japan since 1998 in productions of all sizes and shows of all genres.

We were very happy for the opportunity to sit down for a quick Q&A with Leona to learn more about her background and what makes her tick.

Leona will be playing the role of MRS. WEBB in Nagoya Players’ upcoming production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. She is such a special and powerful performer. You really don’t want to miss it.


Please join us June 12-13, 2021 at Chikusa Playhouse. Tickets available via TicketPia, The Rock and IPE Academy in Nagoya.

Interview with Our Town’s Joe Sichi

Joe Sichi definitely knows how to spin a yarn;) Nagoya Player’s Artistic Director, Shawn Mahler, sits down for an interview with Joe to discuss our upcoming production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.

Joe is the show’s director and plays a lead role as STAGE MANAGER. In this interview Joe recounts his life in LA, connections to the performing arts, his work in Japan and the meaning of Our Town.

It’s a long-form conversation and we let Joe go loose. A great listen filled with great stories and insights.
Please join us June 12-13, 2021 at Chikusa Playhouse. Tickets available via TicketPia, The Rock and IPE Academy in Nagoya.

Our Town Study Guide•「わが町」スタディガイド

(日本語は英語の下に続きます）

Nagoya Players’ English Education Initiative is back with our latest offering for our upcoming production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, June 12-13th, Chikusa Playhouse.

The Our Town Study Guide has been developed for intermediate English learners and is appropriate for ages 13+. The guide is flexible enough to be used in large group classes or in private lessons. And for stronger English speakers it can be self-studied.

The Our Town show and Study Guide have both received stamps of approval from Aichi Board of Education and the Nagoya City Board of Education.

The exercises can be done in sections or studied from cover to cover. Go at your own pace. We hope it can be used by teachers and students in order to prepare them for the show.

English-learners who complete the Study Guide, watch the performance and then return to the classroom for post-show analysis and critique will benefit greatly from the experience.

The guide is print-ready and completely free to use and distribute.

If you have questions about the guide, the show or our English Education Initiative please email us at Info@NagoyaPlayers.org.

We hope the guide can be of use to you and motivates your students to further pursue their English and Arts studies.

–English Education Initiative Team, Nagoya Players

—————————————————-

名古屋プレイヤーズ英語教育推進部は、6月12.13日に名古屋市千種文化小劇場にて公演のOur Town「わが町」をサポートしています。

この教材は、中学生以上の中級程度の英語学習者を対象に作成しました。
教室での大人数の授業でも、プライベートレッスンでも、授業形態に合わせてお使いいただけます。上級の英語話者の方であれば、自習教材としても最適です。

名古屋プレイヤーズ公演　Our Town 「わが町」及びこの教材の頒布に関しては、教育への有用性により愛知県教育委員会と名古屋市教育委員会より、後援を受けています。

短いセクションに分けて作成してありますので、生徒さん及び、先生のペースに合わせてお使いください。

先生方や生徒の皆さんが、公演にお越しになる前に作品に触れる機会としてお使いいただけたら幸いです。

この教材の学習を終えてから公演をご覧になり、そして観劇後に教室に戻り作品についての話し合いを持つことは、観劇の経験の最大の享受です。

このスタディガイドは無料です。どうぞご自由にお使いください。

この教材、公演、そして私たち英語教育推進部についてのご質問もご遠慮なくお申し付けください。
Info@NagoyaPlayers.org.

私たちはこの教材が、生徒さんの英語と芸術への意欲を高める一助となりますことを願っています。

名古屋プレイヤーズ　英語教育推進部

Interview with Our Town’s Emily & Shinsuke

日本語と英語の字幕

The young stars of NP’s production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town sit down for an interview to discuss the show. They talk about their characters EMILY WEBB and GEORGE GIBBS, the challenges of preparing for a show during a pandemic, the show’s themes of Life, Love and Death and much more.

This is Emily’s first leading role in Japan and Shinsuke’s English-acting debut! We’re so proud of them. They’ve been working for well over a year and have diligently studied their characters. It’s one of the best EMILY & GEORGE combinations we’ve ever seen.

Please join us June 12-13, 2021 at Chikusa Playhouse. Tickets available via TicketPia, The Rock and IPE Academy in Nagoya.

‘Our Town’ Tickets•「わが町」のチケット

Tickets are now available for Nagoya Players’ production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. We’ve been working on this show for over one year and finally we’ll be able to perform it for you June 12-13th at Chikusa Playhouse. Our Town is an American classic and a great show for theater lovers. Director Joe Sichi has also designed the show to weave in an important message about life during and after a pandemic. If you’re in the mood for live performance again please join us this summer!

Click Here to Buy Online

Tickets available from TicketPia, P-Code 505752 (online, Family Mart & 7-11) and Cast & Crew. Also available at Show Supporters The Rock in Shin Sakae and IPE Academy in Imaike. We will be following all guidelines for the prevention and control of viruses as recommended by the venue. This may result in reduced seating. Please get your tickets early in order to avoid an early sell out.

Priority seating and discounts available for large groups. Please email info@nagoyaplayers.org  for more detail.

As always we thank you for your support. We’re very happy to have the opportunity to perform again and we’re so excited to bring you this powerful and touching story.

いよいよ「わが町」公演のチケット販売を開始します。私たち名古屋プレイヤーズは１年以上に渡りこの公演の準備を進めてまいりました。６月１２日、１３日の２日間、千種文化小劇場にて上演できますことを本当に嬉しく思います。「わが町」はとても古典的なアメリカの舞台作品で、長く演劇界で愛されてきた作品です。そして今回、Joe Sichi氏の演出により、全世界的パンデミックを経験した私たちが今後どう生きていくのか、新しい価値を作品に加えています。そろそろ、生の舞台が恋しくなっていませんか？ぜひお越しください。お待ちしています。

Click Here to Buy Online

チケットはチケットぴあ、P-Code　505752（オンラインまたはファミリーマート、セブンイレブン）The Rock、IPEアカデミーでも直接お求めいただけます。キャストやスタッフからの個別販売も既に始まっています。千種文化小劇場のコロナウィルス感染症のガイドラインを遵守するため、今後の状況によってはチケットの販売数が減る可能性がございます。早期の完売も予想されますので、早めのご購入をどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

優先席や団体割引なども対応いたします。
詳しくは info@nagoyaplayers.org までお問い合わせください。

皆様の温かいご支援が私たちの活動の励みです。この公演が実現できることが本当にうれしく、皆様にこの思いが届けられることを出演者、スタッフ一同心待ちにしています。

Announcing the Cast of ‘Our Town’

Nagoya Players is very pleased to announce the cast for our 2021 production of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Our Town.

Due to the effects of COVID-19 we were forced to postpone our 2020 production. However, the cast and crew have remained committed and determined to put on the show. They have been working diligently on an updated version for well over a year now. We are so very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the show in these very challenging times. With the pandemic winding down, we are very happy to announce the show will take stage June 12-13th, 2021 at Chikusa Playhouse.

We have a few returning faces and a lot of new talent to showcase in this production. Nagoya theater veterans Joe Sichi, Leona Cameron, Allan Van Der and John Ahern are all familiar and beloved faces. They’ll be joined on stage by newcomers to the scene Emily Bailey, Holly McNamee, and Shinsuke Tsuda. We also have a family of youngsters joining us with the adorable Uta Tsuchida and her brothers Rintaro and Nikichi. And most exciting of all is our collaboration with Meijo University’s Faculty of Foreign Language. Several students from Meijo’s drama program, lead by Prof. Masami Iwai, will be making their English-acting debuts.

This show achieves so many of the goals we’ve set for our group. The Our Town production will bring in a new batch of young talent that will receive guidance, instruction and training from our experienced pool of actors and artists. Experience and youth working together on one of the true classics of the stage is a beautiful thing to see. We’re very excited to put this amazing show together for the city of Nagoya to enjoy.

Main Characters

  • Holly McNamee as MRS GIBBS
  • Masami Iwai as DR GIBBS
  • Leona Cameron as MRS WEBB
  • Allan Van Der as MR WEBB
  • Emily Bailey as EMILY WEBB
  • Shinsuke Tsuda as GEORGE GIBBS
  • Joe Sichi as STAGE MANAGER

Supporting Characters

Jun Takahashi
Amy Braun
Mayo Dei
Atsumi Yamamoto
Hiroshi Nakayama
Valeriya Takazato
Uta Tsuchida
Nikichi Tsuchida
Rintaro Tsuchida
John Ahern
Steph Patterson
Hirotaka Mimaki
Yuka Takatsu
Michael Kruse

as SIMON STIMSON
as CONSTABLE WARREN
as MRS NEWSOME
as MRS SOAMES
as JOE STODDARD
as SAMANTHA CRAIG
as REBECCA GIBBS
as JOE CROWELL JR
as SI CROWELL
as BELLIGERENT MAN
as AMONG THE DEAD
as AMONG THE DEAD
as OLDER REBECCA
as H. STAGE MANAGER

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