theatre


real food until a certain moment in the play and this is part of what makes the job harder. They have to really understand and imagine and learn how to be a sushi chef before they can mime it. Is there a character you most identify with in Tokyo Fish Story? I identify with the son, because the father reminds


TOKYO FISH STORY: CAUGHT BY THE OLD GLOBE


by lisa lipsey Written by Kimber Lee,Tokyo Fish Story takes us


to the heart of a Sushi Restaurant in Japan. Master chef Koji built his successful career on respect: for tradition, fine ingredients and the legends who came before him. But now his restaurant is losing its customers to newer places. Koji’s protégé Takashi might know how to save the restaurant, if only he could find a way to tell his mentor. As the story unfolds, Lee’s play takes audiences into the mind of the chef-as-artist and the art of perfection.


The Rage Monthly caught


up with Director May Adrales, a first generation Filipina American to discuss the play. Among many other accolades and her vast directing experi- ence, Adrales is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and currently serves as a faculty member. Tell me about intimacy and quiet moments in Tokyo Fish Story.


me so much of my own. The respect he has for his father and how he works so hard to gain his approval...That is so palpable for me. Men like my father and Koji are authoritative, they don’t show affection often. For a brief time, I was working for my father’s surgical practice, during high school and college and my parents assumed I would go into the medical field. Then I went into the arts. The summer after my graduation, my father and


director may


adrales (center) with the cast of tokyo fish story: (from left) tina chilip, raymond lee, james saito,


tim chiou and jon norman scheider. photo by jim cox


I love the poetry, magic and intimacy of this


show, so much is spoken without words. My first step as a director is to understand the complexity of each character and the relationship each has with the other. I work to craft a journey for the actors, to help them understand what is at stake, the power of the silences and what meaning they are communicating. This play’s focus is on tradi- tional sushi making. How do you ensure it looks authentic? It has been a very long, tedious


and difficult process. There is source material Kimber used in the play and she cites a book Story of Sushi. I started there and in my process I helped the cast understand the dance in the sushi kitchen. We have watched videos on how to make rolls,


how to work with the ingredients, how they crack an egg, use chopsticks and grease the pan. Where they set each bowl, pan and tray on the counter space and how they keep dishes from burning. We do not use


I went for a bike ride, just the two of us. At that point, I wasn’t sure what the future had in store for me and he turned to me and said, “It is good you went and did what you love.” In that moment, he gave me permission to be myself and he gave me acceptance. That meant so much. We didn’t speak further about it and we never spoke of it again. There is not a lot of emotion in my family, but when he said that, I lagged behind on my bike, crying with joy and relief. What a lovely story. That makes my heart glad. Aside from tradition and generations, I understand this play addresses gender roles in the professional kitchen? Yes! I was shocked at the discrimination toward women chefs. They are very rarely accepted in professional culinary school. I didn’t know that until I started investigating. While I was in Japan, I went to a sushi bar and I was made to feel unwelcome. They first refused to serve me and only waited on the men. I was shocked at that. The anger of Ama, [the female chef in the play], is well justified. Is there a director’s thought you would like the audience to know before seeing the show? This show is about creation, craft and detail.


It shares the technique and skill needed to make anything—a wooden chair, a theatre show, or sushi. It showcases the training and dedication to artistry. Sushi happens to be the product, but the play is about the act of creating and sacrifice.


Kimber Lee’sTokyo Fish Story runsthrough Sunday, June 26 at The Old Globe Theatre. For tickets and more information, call 619.234.5623, or go totheoldglobe.org


JUNE 2016 | RAGE monthly 55


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