Rick Shiomi
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Rick Shiomi (born May 25, 1947)Biography and Genealogy Master Index. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, Cengage Learning. 1980- 2009. is an internationally recognized, award-winning Japanese
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
,
stage director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...
,
artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...
and
taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...
artist, and a major player in the Asian American/Canadian theatre movement. He is best known for his groundbreaking play ''
Yellow Fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
,'' which earned him the Bay Area Theater Circle Critics Award and “Bernie” Award. Over the last couple decades, Shiomi has also become a notable artistic and stage director. He directed the world premiere of the play ''Caught'' by Christopher Chen for which he received the Philadelphia Barrymore Award Nomination for Outstanding Direction. He is currently the Co-Artistic Director of Full Circle Theater Company.


Career

Shiomi's ''Yellow Fever'' premiered at the Asian American Theater Company in 1982, winning awards, and leading to Pan Asian Repertory Theatre's New York production, garnering rave reviews in the ''New York Times'' and ''New Yorker''. ''Yellow Fever'' is now considered a mainstay of the Asian American playwriting canon, and Shiomi is now the author of over twenty plays. As a stage director, he has discovered remarkable new plays and re-imagined classics in the context of the Asian American experience. He directed the world premiere of ''Caught'', by Christopher Chen, at InterAct Theatre for which he received a Barrymore Award Nomination for Outstanding Direction and the play received the Outstanding New Play Award. (''Caught'' went on to many other productions across the country, winning several awards including the 2013 Obie for Best New Play for its NYC production.) Shiomi's re-imagining of ''The Mikado'', reset in Edwardian England, attracted considerable national interest and press coverage, with Asian American actors playing many English lead characters, wiping out all the problematic Asian stereotypes. Shiomi has staged over forty productions for theater companies across North America, and he will re-stage ''Caught'' for Full Circle Theater at the Guthrie Theater's Dowling Studio in May/June 2019. Shiomi has had a strong impact on Asian American theater in other significant ways. A co-founder of Mu Performing Arts in Minnesota in 1992, he was artistic director from 1993 to 2013, developing Mu into a major Asian American theater company in the US. At Mu he mentored hundreds of artists, and produced scores of world premieres as well as Asian American classics. Shiomi was a founding member of CAATA, the Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists, the national service organization for Asian American theaters and artists. Recognition for his work includes the McKnight Distinguished Artist Award, the Ivey Award For Lifetime Achievement, and the Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Vision. Since leaving Mu in 2014 to pursue other artistic interests, he has directed for InterAct Theater in Philadelphia, and co-founded Full Circle Theater Company in Minneapolis/St. Paul, where he serves as Co-Artistic Director and continues to expand his artistic horizons with Full Circle's mission of multiracial theater focusing on equity, diversity, and inclusion.  And in 2018, he completed a multi-year Doris Duke Charitable Foundation project in Philadelphia in its Building Demand for the Arts program (implementation round) working closely with InterAct Theatre to build an Asian American theater presence in Philadelphia. His new play, ''Fire In The New World'', will be work-shopped in Tokyo in 2019.  


Playwright

Rick Shiomi began his theater career in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
at the
Asian American Theater Company The Asian American Theater Company (AATC) is a non-profit theatre performance company based in San Francisco. Its stated mission is "To connect people to Asian American culture through theatre". Background The Asian American Theater Company was es ...
where his first play ''
Yellow Fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
'' was produced in 1982, for which he received the 1982 Bay Area Theater Circle Critics Award and a “Bernie” for new play from the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
''. He later moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
where the play was produced by the
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre The Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is a New York City-based theatre group that explores the Asian-American experience and provides professional opportunities for Asian-American artists to collaborate. Pan-Asian was founded by Tisa Chang and Ernest A ...
and then had a successful off-Broadway run. The Pan Asian Repertory Theatre produced several of his plays, including a prequel to ''Yellow Fever'' titled ''Rosie's Cafe'' and a sequel, ''Once is Never Enough'', co-authored with Marc Hayashi and Lane Kiyomi Nishikawa. ''Yellow Fever'' remains a classic in the canon of the Asian American/Canadian theatre movement. His other important early works include ''Rosie's Cafe'', ''Play Ball,'' and ''Uncle Tadao.'' ''Play Ball'' was produced at Pan Asian Repertory and ''Uncle Tadao'' was produced at both East West Players in Los Angeles and the Asian American Theater Company. ''Rosie's Cafe'' has been toured across Canada and the United States. Both ''Rosie’s Cafe'' and ''Yellow Fever'' have been produced in Japanese (translations by Toyoshi Yoshihara) in Tokyo, Japan. From 1993 to 2013 Shiomi wrote a number of plays for Mu Performing Arts while he was Artistic Director there. The first of these was ''Mask Dance'', based upon the stories of young Korean adoptees who were early participants in the company. ''Mask Dance'' incorporated a traditional performance form, Korean mask dance, into a contemporary Asian American story. Other plays written in this style were ''Song of the Pipa'' and ''The Tale of the Dancing Crane''. Shiomi works almost entirely behind the scenes, or behind a taiko drum, but with the play ''The Tale of the Dancing Crane'', he took center stage as an actor. He shared a traditional Japanese story of losing one precious thing to find something better and combined it with his own story of discovering
taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...
. Shiomi co-wrote the play ''The Walleye Kid'' with Sundraya Kase, which he adapted from a traditional Japanese fable titled ''Peach Boy'', and the play was produced in 1999. The original story tells of a Japanese child who is found inside a peach and adopted by the old couple that discovered him. In ''The Walleye Kid'', Shiomi has moved the setting from the warmer climate of Japan to the icy winters of Minnesota where the baby emerges from a giant Walleye. In this play, he explores what Asian, specifically
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
, adoptees have experienced as they adapt to life in America. ''Walleye Kid, The Musical'', which Shiomi adapted from the play, was most recently produced in 2008 by
Mu Performing Arts Theater Mu, (Formerly Mu Performing Arts), located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is an Asian American arts organization in the Midwest, the second largest in the country. According to Mu's website, the company name "Mu" is "the Korean pronunciation ...
at the McKnight Theatre of the
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, hosts a variety of performing arts, such as touring Broadway musicals, orchestra, opera, and cultural performers, and produces local musicals. It is home to several lo ...
. In 2002, he co-authored ''Hmong Tiger Tales'' with Cha Yang, which was co-produced at the Weyerhaueser Auditorium by Mu Performing Arts and St. Paul's Steppingstone Theatre For Youth.


Mu Performing Arts

While in
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
as a visiting lecturer, Shiomi found an emerging Asian American community and a well-developed general theater scene. He also met his future wife Martha Johnson who, along with others, helped him co-found Theater Mu.Lin, Lynda. “Rick Shiomi helms the fourth largest APA theater company in the U.S. in a state where ice fishing is a favorite pastime. Pacific Citizen. February 1, 2008. He served as the Artistic Director there for twenty years. During that time he developed the company from an annual budget of $20,000 to over $500,000 and was involved in the development of many emerging Asian American theater artists. He selected and produced the early plays of such prominent national playwrights as Lauren Yee, Julia Cho and Michael Golamco and local writers as
Katie Ka Vang Katie Ka Vang is a Hmong American performance artist, poet and playwright. She has created and written several performance pieces and plays. These include ''wtf'', ''Hmong Bollywood'', ''Meaning of Freedom''; ''Use of Sharpening'', ''Youth In S ...
, Sun Mee Chomet, Katie Hae Leo and May Lee Yang. He also oversaw the development of many actors such as Eric Sharp,  Sherwin Resurreccion, Katie Bradley, Sara Ochas and Kurt Kwan who now work regularly at theaters in the Twin Cities. In 1997 Shiomi founded Mu Daiko, and was the artistic director, lead instructor, composer and player through 2010. The taiko group was so successful that in early 2000s the name Theater Mu was changed to Mu Performing Arts to recognize the fact of the two performing groups within the one company. Shiomi retired from active taiko performing in 2010, and the leadership of Mu Daiko was taken over by Iris Shiraishi, one of Shiomi's first students, and then in 2015 by Jennifer Weir. In 2017 the two groups, Theater Mu and Mu Daiko, officially separated, and Mu Daiko became a new entity, Ensō Daiko part of TaikoArts Midwest under the leadership of Jennifer Weir.


Stage director

Shiomi began to develop his unique directorial approach during his first decade as artistic director of Mu Performing Arts when he directed several new, experimental works derived from deep personal narratives of the Asian American experience that were combined with traditional dance, music, or theater methods from related root Asian cultures. He used this unique directing approach with such original works as ''Mask Dance'' (1993), combining personal stories of Korean adoptees in America with traditional Korean mask dance; or in ''Song of the Pipa'' (2000), combining master Chinese pipa player Gao Hong's wrenching immigrant story with her magnificent live performance as a musician. This work as stage director at Mu moved forward when Shiomi expanded this approach with his re-imagining of classic western works from an Asian American perspective. This began in 2006 with his acclaimed re-envisioning of Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night’s Dream'' set in 19th Century Japan and featuring a mostly Asian American cast. For the production all characters in the fairy world performed in Korean mask dance style, wearing traditional Korean costume. Shiomi has continued with this innovative approach of re-envisioning western classics from an Asian American perspective. In 2012 he directed Sondheim's musical ''Into The Woods'' setting it in Japanese, Korean, Hmong, and Filipino magical folk tale worlds. In 2013 he directed a revolutionary version of Gilbert and Sullivan's ''The Mikado'' (co-produced by Skylark Opera), setting it in Edwardian England instead of Japan, and casting Asian American actors (as English men/women) in most of the lead roles, turning the racist depiction of Japanese on its head and receiving national coverage. In 2014 he directed Sondheim's ''A Little Night Music'', using color conscious casting to reframe the musical with an Asian American cast. And he has directed two David Henry Hwang plays, ''Yellow Face'' and Hwang's revision of ''Flower Drum Song'' by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Since leaving Mu Performing Arts in 2014, Shiomi has continued his important work as a director:  In 2014 he directed the world premiere of ''Caught'' by Christopher Chen, at InterAct Theatre, Philadelphia, for which he received the Philadelphia Barrymore Award Nomination for Outstanding Direction.  In 2015/16, Shiomi directed ''Theater: A Sacred Passage'' for the new theater company he has co-founded, Full Circle Theater. This original/devised performance piece presents the powerful personal narratives of five racially diverse Full Circle theater artists and how they discovered their passion to pursue theater as a profession. In 2017 Shiomi directed: ''You For Me For You'' by Mia Chung, at InterAct Theatre, Philadelphia.  In 2017 he co-directed ''365 Days/365 Plays'' by Suzan Lori Parks for Full Circle, which received year-end accolades from several media reviewers. Shiomi has also directed at the
Asian American Theater Company The Asian American Theater Company (AATC) is a non-profit theatre performance company based in San Francisco. Its stated mission is "To connect people to Asian American culture through theatre". Background The Asian American Theater Company was es ...
in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, InterAct Theatre in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, The Bloomington Civic Theatre in
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, St. Paul's SteppingStone Theatre for Youth, and Theatre Esprit Asia in Denver.


Taiko artist and Mu Daiko

Shiomi is also an award-winning
taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...
artist, who began playing in 1979 as a member of Katari Taiko in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. In the 1980s, he studied with Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo, performing with several groups, including Soh Daiko of New York (as a guest artist) and Wasabi Taiko in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. In 1997, at the behest of actors at Mu Performing Arts, he began teaching taiko, forming Mu Daiko, a
taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...
drumming ensemble, that same year. Under his leadership, Mu Daiko evolved into a regular troupe, performing one mainstage production a season, and over the years developed an extensive outreach and educational program with over a hundred engagements annually. In 2005, Mu Daiko performed at the mainstage performance, ''Taiko Jam'', at the National Taiko Conference in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. As lead player and composer for Mu Daiko for more than ten years, Shiomi garnered numerous awards including a 1998 MN State Arts Board Cultural Collaborations Award for taiko, a drumming collaboration with Ragamala Music and Dance Theater; a 2002 Paddle and Drum Composition Award for "Chrysanthemum Dawn"; and a 2004 Paddle and Drum Composition Award for "Kiyomizu Cascade". In 2010, he retired from regular participation in the Mu Daiko, which is now led by Jennifer Weir.


Recently published work

As artistic director of Mu Performing Arts, Shiomi oversaw the development of new plays including ''Ching Chong Chinaman'' by Lauren Yee, ''Cowboy Versus Samurai'' by Michael Golamco, ''Happy Valley'' by Aurorae Khoo, ''Bahala Na'' by Clarence Coo, ''Asiamesia'' by Sun Mee Chomet, and ''WTF'' by Katie Ka Vang. He is a co-editor of ''Asian American Plays for a New Generation''''Asian American Plays for a New Generation''
/ref> published by
Temple University Press Temple University Press is a university press founded in 1969 that is part of Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, a global library consortium approach t ...
in June 2011. In this anthology of new plays by Asian American playwrights, Mu Performing Arts developed and produced the world premiere of six of the seven featured.


Awards and honors

2017 Philadelphia Barrymore Award Recommendation, Stage Director
For ''You For Me For You'', by Mia Chung 2017 Western Literary Association, Distinguished Achievement Award 2016 Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Building Demand For The Arts, Implementation Round Grant
To develop Asian American theater artists and audiences in Philadelphia. Grant ran through June 2018. 2015 McKnight Foundation Distinguished Artist Award
Recognizes individual Minnesota artists who have made significant contributions to the quality of the state's cultural life. Included a $50,000 cash award. 2015 Philadelphia Barrymore Award Nomination for Outstanding Direction
For the world premiere production of ''Caught'' by Christopher Chen, October 2014 2014 Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Building Demand For The Arts, Exploration Round Grant
To develop Asian American theater artists and audiences in Philadelphia. 2012 Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement
Twin Cities professional theater award honoring lifetime achievement 2010 Opening Panelist Speaker for Genesis
The First Asian Canadian Theater Conference, Toronto, Canada 2007 Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Vision
Awarded by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in recognition of work with Mu Performing Arts 2002 MN State Council for Asian Pacific Minnesotans Award for Leadership
An award honoring outstanding Asian Pacific heritage individuals who have given generously of their time and energy to serving and improving the Asian Pacific Minnesotan community 1990 Ruby Schaar Yoshino Playwriting Award
Awarded for ''Uncle Tadao'' 1983 Bay Area Theater Circle Critics Award and “Bernie” Award
For world premiere of ''Yellow Fever'' in March, 1982 Selected play productions ''Yellow Fever'' 2018 Haisho Theatre Company Tokyo Japan (March 2018) 2013 Mu Performing Arts, at Dowling Studio of Guthrie Theater 2004 Ryuzanji Theatre Company, Tokyo Japan 1995 Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, NYC (revival) 1982/83 Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, NYC (Off-Broadway) 1983 CanAsian Artists, at Canadian Stage, Toronto, Canada 1983 East West Players, LA 1982 Asian American Theater Company, San Francisco ''Rosie's Cafe'' 2011 Haisho Theatre Company in Tokyo, Japan 1989 Firehall Theatre, Vancouver, Canada 1988 Asian American Theater Company, San Francisco 1987 Pan Asian Repertory Company, NYC ''Mask Dance'' 1995 Theater Mu at Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN 1993 Theater Mu at Southern Theater, Minneapolis MN ''Walleye Kid'' ''(co-authored with Sundraya Kase)'' 2008 Mu Performing Arts at the McKnight Theater, Ordway Center For The Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN ''Walley Kid The Musical'' Mu Performing Arts at the McKnight Theater, Ordway Center For The Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN ''Song of the Pipa'' 2000 Theater Mu, The Southern Theater, Minneapolis, MN ''Play Ball'' 1988 Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Company, NYC ''Uncle Tadao'' 1992 East West Players, Los Angeles & Asian American Theater Company, San Francisco


Early life

Shiomi's parents were among the many
Canadians Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
of Japanese descent who were forced into
internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
camps during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. They had previously lived in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. They moved to
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
after their release where their son, Rickey Allan Shiomi, was born in 1947. Shiomi was raised in Toronto and graduated from the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
with a degree in history in 1970.An inventory of his papers in The Library of the University of British Columbia Special Collections Division. After graduation he continued his education in
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, receiving a teaching diploma from
Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...
. He then went on to travel the world, teaching in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
for one year before returning home to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
where he became a prominent member of the
Japanese Canadian are Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of British Columbia, which hosts the largest Japanese community in the country with the majority of them living ...
community. One of the projects he was involved with was organizing the Powell Street Festival. He also edited a film titled ''The First 100 Years'' which was based on a slide show, and designed to teach children about
Japanese Canadian are Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of British Columbia, which hosts the largest Japanese community in the country with the majority of them living ...
history. An active member of the
Japanese Canadian are Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of British Columbia, which hosts the largest Japanese community in the country with the majority of them living ...
Citizen's Association, Shiomi was an editor of ''Inalienable Rice: A Chinese & Japanese Canadian Anthology.'' During his time in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, Shiomi met up with playwrights
David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yellow ...
and
Philip Kan Gotanda Philip Kan Gotanda (born December 17, 1951) is an American playwright and filmmaker and a third generation Japanese American. Much of his work deals with Asian American issues and experiences. Biography Over the last three decades Gotanda h ...
.Royce, Graydon. "Theater Mu fishes for bigger things; 'The Walleye Kid' represents a watershed moment for an Asian-American troupe that is growing in size and influence.(ENTERTAINMENT)." Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) (Jan 13, 2008): 01F. General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Gotanda read one of Shiomi's short stories about a
Japanese Canadian are Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of British Columbia, which hosts the largest Japanese community in the country with the majority of them living ...
detective and suggested he submit the story for adaptation to the stage to the Asian American Theater Workshop in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. Shiomi followed Gotanda's advice and wrote ''Yellow Fever''.


Bibliography


Plays

* 1982 ''
Yellow Fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
'' * 1984 ''Once is Never Enough'' * 1987 ''Rosie's Cafe'' * 1988 ''Play Ball'' * 1992 ''Uncle Tadao'' * 1998 ''The Walleye Kid'' * 1999 ''Tales of the Starfruit Tree'' * 1999 ''Tales of the Dancing Crane'' * 2000 ''Song of the Pipa'' * 2002 ''Tiger Tales'' (with Cha Yang) * 2006 ''Filipino Hearts'' * 2018 ''Fire In The New World'' (in development)


Multimedia credits

Story editor and staff writer for Canadian television series ''
E.N.G. ''E.N.G.'' is a Canadian television drama, following the staff of a fictional Toronto television news station. The show aired on CTV from 1989 to 1994. The series ran for 96 episodes, produced by the Alliance Entertainment Corporation. Plot ...
'', produced by Alliance on CTV * ''Images of the First Hundred Years'', Powell Street Revue, 1980 (documentary, 11 min.) * ''Dance to Remember'' (as writer), CBC, Inside Stories, 1991 (30 min.)


Other

* Garrick Chu, Sean Gunn, Paul Yee, Ken Shikaze, Linda Uyehara Hoffman, Rick Shiomi, eds.; ''Inalienable Rice: A Chinese & Japanese Canadian Anthology'' Powell Street Revue & The Chinese Canadian Writers Workshop. 83 pp. * Srikanth, Rajini and Esther Yae Iwanaga; ''Bold words: a century of Asian American writing'',
Rutgers University Press Rutgers University Press (RUP) is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in New Brunswick, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University. History Rutgers University Press, a nonprofit academic publishing house operating in New B ...
, 2001, * Josephine Lee, Don Eitel and R.A. Shiomi, eds.
''Asian American Plays for a New Generation''
Temple University Press Temple University Press is a university press founded in 1969 that is part of Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It is one of thirteen publishers to participate in the Knowledge Unlatched pilot, a global library consortium approach t ...
, 2011,


References


External links


Mu Performing Arts
official site
Full Circle Theater
official site
Rick Shiomi
official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Shiomi, Rick 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian people of Japanese descent Canadian theatre directors 1947 births Living people Canadian writers of Asian descent Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Writers from Toronto 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Taiko players