Stacy Makishi is a

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an-born

performance artist Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

, physical theatre and live art specialist. Her work often involves combining autobiographical experience and comedy with inspiration from fictional sources, such as

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

movies or novels. She has been identified by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' as part of a new generation of artists making 'innovative shows

. . . The ellipsis (, also known informally as dot dot dot) is a series of dots that indicates an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning. The plural is ellipses. The term origin ...

with and by young people'.

Biography

Makishi was born in

,Jason S. Price (2016), ''Modern Popular Theatre'', Macmillan, pp. 166–167, . and graduated from the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. She appeared in stage and TV productions there, including plays by Hawaiian playwright Edward Sakamoto and a TV series based on '' Pidgin to Da Max''. Makishi moved to California, and worked at the

Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy S ...

as a stand-up comic. She moved to London after working with

Split Britches Split Britches is an American performance troupe, which has been producing work internationally since 1980. Academic Sue Ellen Case says "their work has defined the issues and terms of academic writing on lesbian theater, butch-femme role playing, ...

theatre company in New York. in 2019 she became the second recipient of the

Live Art Development Agency Live Art Development Agency, also commonly known by its acronym LADA, is a publicly funded arts organisation and registered charity founded in London in 1999 by Lois Keidan and Catherine Ugwu. LADA provides professional advice for artists as we ...

's Arthole award, which provides artists with £10,000 to undertake a research and artistic development programme of their own design. Upon receiving the award, Makishi noted that making

Live Art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

Like living inside a hole. An ass hole. An art hole. Yes. Art is in that hole. With this Arthole, I will have time and resources to: make it, avoid it, study it, wrestle it, do it, explore it, hate it and love it. I hope to learn a lot while I’m down in my hole … and look forward to share whatever I learn with you.

Productions

''Tongue in Sheets'' (1994) premiered at the WOW Cafe, in July 1994. The one-woman show served as Makishi's debut in New York City. ''Salad of the Bad Café'' (1999) is a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

written by Makishi, Peggy Shaw, and

Lois Weaver Lois Weaver (born 1949, Roanoke, Virginia) is a Guggenheim-winning artist, activist, writer, director, and Professor of Contemporary Performance at Queen Mary University of London. She is currently a Wellcome Trust Fellow in Engaging Science. H ...

. It uses the lives of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

and

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...

as inspiration to explore themes around race, gender and regional stereotypes.

Carson McCullers Carson McCullers (February 19, 1917 – September 29, 1967) was an American novelist, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Her first novel, '' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940), explores the spiritual isolation of misfits ...

' 1951 novella '' The Ballad of the Sad Café'' is a key area of inspiration for the piece. ''Love Letters to Francis'' (2009) with Nick Parish, was commissioned by the

TATE Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

and B3 Media. The piece was inspired by the painter

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

. ''The Making of Bull: The True Story'' (2010–2013) is based upon the

Coen Brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

' film Fargo (1996). She created a solo show which centred around the film, telling the story through themes of deceit versus truth with comedy and pranks. The performance toured the UK, New York, Turkey, Amsterdam, Vienna and Slovenia. Makishi created a large scale audio walk called ''And The Stars Down So Close'' that took place in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

in 2012. The walk refers to

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

's novel '' Grapes of Wrath'', using immersive multi-media and installation. This piece was in collaboration with artists Vick Ryder, Lisa Asagi and Will Munroe. ''The Falsettos'' (2013) by Makishi uses the HBO series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

''’ fictional character

Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano is a fictional character and the antihero protagonist in the HBO television drama series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), portrayed by James Gandolfini. Soprano is a member of the Italian-American Mafia and, especially late ...

to tell her experience with

menopause Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...

. She collaborated with Peggy Shaw, Joshua Sofaer,

and Vick Ryder. ''

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, d ...

'' and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

are both further influences for the solo piece. It premièred at the

Chelsea Theatre Chelsea Theatre is a studio theatre located on the Kings Road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, ...

and toured across the UK and BRUT in Vienna. The performance works alongside Claire Nolan's documentary ''The Making of The Falsettos''. ''Under The Covers'' (2015) is a performance directed by Makishi with Nathaniel J Hall and Nathan Crosson-Smith and produced by Contact. It explores the attitudes of young people towards sex, "questioning myths and breaking down taboos." The piece was supported by

Wellcome Collection Wellcome Collection is a museum and library based at 183 Euston Road, London, displaying a mixture of medical artefacts and original artworks exploring "ideas about the connections between medicine, life and art". Founded in 2007, the Wellcome C ...

as it toured the UK as part of SICK! Festival. References to the 1851 novel ''

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler, whaling ship ''Pequod (Moby- ...

'' by

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...

are seen in her solo performance ''Vesper Time'' (2015–2017). The piece tackles mourning and paternal absence through the use of pop songs and religious imagery. The piece was supported by the

National Theatre Studio The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. In ...

and was funded by the National Lottery through the Arts Council. It was commissioned by Chelsea Theatre and Colchester Arts Centre. ''The Comforter'' (2017–2018) draws inspiration from American Drama series

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...

and '80s and '90s pop culture in her solo piece. It was funded by the National Lottery through the

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

and commissioned by The Yard Theatre, Marlborough Theatre,

Norwich Arts Centre Norwich Arts Centre is a live music venue, theatre and art gallery located in St Benedict's Street in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It has a capacity of 260 for standing music concerts and 120 for seated events. In November 2014, it was named "Brita ...

and Colchester Arts Centre.

Awards

, Arthole Artists Award (2019) **'The Award supports groundbreaking and inspirational UK-based artists working in Live Art with £10,000 to undertake a self determined research and artistic development programme'. *ICA Attached Artist Award *Millennium Fellowship Award *Franklin Furnace Award (1999) **'new technology commission for a live worldwide netcast called "Suicide for Beginners" (1999) which included animation, video, text, music and performance'.

Publications

* "Italics" by Makishi, S., 2010, ''Studies in Theatre & Performance'', vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 63–66. * "Stay!" by Vicky Ryder, Lisa Asagi and Stacy Makishi, in ''Animal Acts: performing species today'' * ''Writing Space: The First Project'' collaboratively with Emma Bennett, Sarah Dickenson, Claire MacDonald, Michael Pinchbeck, Tanya Ronder, Cathy Turner and Steve Waters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makishi, Stacy Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women artists American women performance artists American performance artists Artists from Hawaii University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni