"We are Samurai" a Critic's Pick / Best Play with DC Metro

‘We Are Samurai’ at Venus Theatre

By

Michael Poandl

-

September 8, 2014

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Experiencing Venus Theatre’s production of Daria Miyeko Marinelli’s We Are Samurai feels something like when your dad threw you into the deep end so you could learn to swim. At first, it is scary and a bit overwhelming; but when you begin to find your rhythm and get the hang of what’s going on in Deborah Randall’s hallucinatory production, it is pure floating bliss.

Elias (Cathryn Benson) is a kimono-clad psychic who can sniff out her one true love, Regan (Daven Ralston). Photo by Curtis Jordan.

It is difficult to distance yourself from this unusual, evocative piece of theatre, because you’re literally in the middle of the action. We Are Samurai is staged “promenade style” meaning that the audience itself moves through the space of Venus’ “Play Shack” in Laurel, Maryland. As you move through the different arenas (“The Worship”, “The Void”, “The Living Room”, “The Kitchen, “The Garden”), a narrative begins to emerge. You stitch together what is happening by absorbing a piece of dialogue here, a snatch of monologue there, a flash of music or a moment of physical action. The result is, by its nature, fragmented, and because there is no specified path for the audience to move through the space, it is inevitable that you will not get the whole story.

But truthfully, the “story” of We Are Samurai, such as it is, is not really the most important thing about the show. Sure, you’ll want to pay attention to the death of two beloved housecats, a young man’s unhealthy obsession with his iPhone, and the danger of a powerful love-inducing perfume – not to mention the silent samurai floating around the space.

But the most evocative moments of the show aren’t found in the arc of the story, but in the twists and turns that the characters’ relationships move through. Elias (Cathryn Benson) is a kimono-clad psychic who can sniff out her one true love, Regan (Daven Ralston), whom she assures has been her destined companion over hundreds of reincarnations throughout history. Meanwhile, Regan’s brother, Rocky (Patrick Gorirossi) insists that nothing is really real until it exists on the Internet, and when he is separated from his beloved smart phone, he demands to know if he still exists. Finally, Rocky’s girlfriend Josephine (Ann Fraistat) is a Donna Reed style domestic whose kitchen is plastered with pictures of her cats, and lays out cucumber sandwiches that the audience can actually eat (I must have indulged in a half dozen). It is the death of Josephine’s poor kitties that sets off a chain of events that, while ultimately tragic, includes moments of absurd comedy along the way.

Josephine. Photo by Curtis Jordan.

If it sounds like an Ionesco sushi roll stuffed with Kafka and sprinkled with patchouli oil, you’re in the ballpark. But despite the occasionally incomprehensible bits of narrative, the show is ultimately a pleasure to experience, because however crazy the world of the play becomes, the actors commit to it wholeheartedly.

The chaos of We Are Samurai is belied by the tight, well-rehearsed performances of the cast. Director Deborah Randall extracts sincere feelings of love, jealousy, rage, and grief from underneath the stylized staging. The absurdity of the characters transforming from squatting, singing samurai (yes, singing) into writhing cats is juxtaposed with an earnest, almost severe realism. When Josephine brews tea or Regan cooks rice, there is such a natural, matter-of-fact quality to the action that you almost feel like a voyeur. It is this tension between the everyday and the fantastical that makes We Are Samurai fascinating.

It is much more difficult, and expensive, to see theatre than it is to switch on the TV or plop down in front of some Netflix. The relative inaccessibility of live theatre makes me crave to see something new on stage. So when I come across a show like We Are Samurai, it makes me want to shout from the rooftops that everyone should go see it. Because no matter what you think of the Lynchian surrealism that is Daria Miyeko Marinelli’s play, you can rest assured that you’ve never experienced anything quite like it.

Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.

We Are Samurai plays through September 28, 2014 at Venus Theatre— 21 C Street in  Laurel, MD. For tickets call the box office at (202) 236-4078, or purchase them online.

https://dctheaterarts.org/2014/09/08/samurai-venus-theatre/

This Week in Theatre: Samurai and Search Parties.

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This Week in Theatre:

Saw: We Are Samurai. September 26-28th. A drive down to Laurel, MD to see an indoor/outdoor/walk-around version of We Are Samurai, directed by the lovely Deborah Randall. AMAZING. What great work. Big post to follow. 

Saw: A reading of Stefan Hartmann's Search Party. September 28th. Snakes eating tails. 

Read: Nocturama. By Annie Baker. September 29th. Dance.

Deb Randall on We are Samurai in Theatre Bloom

Director Deborah Randall talks on We Are Samurai to Theatre Bloom: 

Can you tell us a little bit about this production We Are Samurai?

Deb: There are two ways to really talk about it. One is the convention of the play which is that it takes place in five different locations at one time, sometimes simultaneously. So that’s really fascinating, that drew my interests. The other thing to look at is that it’s written by one of my youngest playwrights, she just turned 26. She studied under Erik Ehn and she sort of gives permission in this new way to experience theatre.

I feel like when we’re raised with libraries and Dewy Decimal systems for reading novels it’s very different from people of the younger generation who grew up with the internet, who were constantly exposed to information. I think that sort of wires the brain in a different way and it makes you look at things differently if you’re from the newer generation where everything is always happening all at once. That’s the rhythm and tempo of this play; somebody who is thinking of a lot of different things all at once.

It gives you a lot of permission to reinterpret the experience of theatre. For eight years I’ve been in this location, shutting the doors, just wanting to do the work. Sort of like Virginia Woolf, in a room of one’s own. So Daria (playwright Daria Marinelli) has sort of challenged me to fling the doors open and invite everybody in and tell them to leave their cell phones on and have them talk to my actors and break every rule that I’ve fought to maintain. I’m challenged by that.

 

How do you think this show in particular speaks to the mission statement of your company?

Deb: Like I said, the writer is so young and so brave. I feel like we’re giving her an opportunity that she might not otherwise have. Then we’re pulling in two extra women where before there were three and now there are five. The sexuality between the women is really empowering in a way. After the last production here, Light of Night, it was so dark and sexual in a scary way. For me it was these people in isolation desperately needing to make contact and that’s where the sensuality and sexuality was grounded in that show. But I think for these young women it’s empowering to them to stand in who they are in their sensuality and sexuality without being objectified. That this is just an extension of their expression; to me it’s almost like a moving painting. It’s something that’s really beautiful that flows through them.

 

Read the full article here. 

Or go see the show! Tickets here. 

We are Samurai Opens at Venus to Rave Reviews!

We are Samurai has opened at Venus Theater in Laurel, MD. 

Here's what the critics are saying:

The experience is incredible; unlike anything you will experience this season anywhere in Washington. -Amanda Gunther, Theatre Bloom

If it sounds like an Ionesco SUSHI roll stuffed with Kafka and sprinkled with patchouli oil, you’re in the ballpark. The chaos of We Are Samuraiis belied by the tight, well-rehearsed performances of the cast. Director Deborah Randall extracts sincere feelings of love, jealousy, rage, and grief from underneath the stylized staging. - Michael Poandl, DC Metro Theatre Arts 

Between moving among the scenes and the inquisitiveness that the mystery requires, We Are Samurai is not for audience members who want to be ensconced in darkness and enveloped by the play's plot. This play is for gamers, choose-your-own-adventure enthusiasts, and people who never stopped poking things with a stick when they were children. -Alan Katz, Broadway World

But there are fractals of meaning scattered throughout. An eye for an eye and whatnot. How flimsy justifications can provoke rash, unusual actions. INDEED, the meaning loops back around on the experience itself—how a person’s choice of what to witness actually shapes the play she sees. -Jennifer Clements, 

If you're anywhere near Laurel, DC friends, I'm looking at you! Go check it out!
You can buy your tickets here. 

We are Samurai at Venus: Two Weeks Left to Fundraise!

Theater can be spectacular, moving, immersive, awe inspiring, and full out mind blowing. But theater needs money. (As you know.)

Venus Theater, one of the oldest women's theaters in the country, is doing We are Samurai in ways I find truly amazing, thrilling, and exciting. And then need a bit of money. The actors are amazing. (I've never laughed so hard hearing my work.) The director, Deborah Randall, is genius. This show is going to rock. But it needs YOU. 

Anything you can give, I thank you. 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/venus50

Photo courtesy of Adam S. Lowe. His amazing We are Samurai gallery can be found here. 

We are Samurai at Venus Theater!

Took the long drive down to Laurel, MD to meet with Deborah Randall, Artistic Director and Director of We Are Samurai at Venus Theater. Great dinner and chatting, amazing first read-through, fun with photobooth and some great movement work to top it off. Amazing actors. I was laughing so hard I was crying. I can't wait to see the final product in September!

If you're anywhere near anything in Maryland, come check it out!
Tickets here. 

http://www.venustheatre.org/

We are Samurai: Thank You

4 Samurai Actors. 1 Dynamite Director-Playwright-SM Combo. 8 Talented Designers. 12 Shows. 133rd Street Arts Center. 1 Outreach Show. 15 Students from The Equity Project. 7 Nights. Over 225 Tickets Sold. 99 Donors. $6490 Raised. 3 Exciting Reviews. A 4th of July Kick Off to Start. A Donor Brunch to Thank. A Cast-Crew Party to End. 

Thank You. We couldn’t have done this without you. 

You Are Samurai. We Are All Samurai. 

We are Samurai Outreach Show

We Are Samurai Outreach Show

On October 2nd, Marrow’s Edge was honored and thrilled to welcome The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School for an outreach show of We Are Samurai. For an action-packed hour, the 7th and 8th Graders from Mr. Corey Emerson’s Drama Club raced from space to space, meditated with Elias, mourned with Josephine, and plotted with Rocky and Regan. Their visit was part of The Equity Project’s extended day program, where all students select a teacher-led activity from 3:00-4:00 pm. Along with their after-school learning, field trips are an essential part of their growth and enrichment. 

Marrow’s Edge was very excited to welcome these 15 promising young women to the space to see the show and have a quick talk-back  discussion both pre and post show. Their energy, spirit, and enthusiasm was unparlleled and it was a great honor to offer our work to them. Of Elias, one student, Yuberly said, “I felt really connected to the super spiritual character. I felt like I could understand her.” The TEP student’s visit energized our team and helped us all remember what joy and exuberance can be found while seeing theater.

For more pictures, click here. 

We are Samurai Opens Today!

And we couldn’t be more excited. 

Get your ticket today! Shows are selling out fast. For real. 

Please note, if a show is sold out, we cannot guarantee admission if you show up sans ticket! Even if we really really like you. And this breaks our heart, but we want to make sure there’s enough space for everyone to enjoy the show. Without a ticket at a sold out show, we’ll put your name on the waiting list and if there unclaimed tickets, YES! But if not, we’ll all be SUPER SAD.  We want you to see the show and we want you to be happy- so buy your tickets in advance! 

Just do it. It takes a minute! And then you’re in. And we’re all happy. 

wearesamurai.brownpapertickets.com

We Did It!

Our campaign on USA Projects ended this weekend! 

All in all we raised: $6,665 Dollars. 

THANK YOU. 

Our Donors Are: 

Mary Nishimura, Amy & Alan Starling · Paul & Mary Case, Adam DeGarmo, Mary & Robert Fortuna, Constance Haslett & Scott Nammacher, Amy & Richard Lipton, Lara London, Peter Marinelli, Mufalda & Philip Marinelli, Denise Womack · John & Judith Avitabile, Therese Avitabile, Marie Case & Peter DiLullo, Cary Fuller, Mark Haber & Chiyo Moriuchi, Donna & Matthew Hearle, Patricia & Bob Hunt, David Lynch, Dave & Sarah Marinelli, Mauro Marinelli, Louise Marin, Ted & Carol Matsumoto, Robert Mustacchi, Joseph Sands, Noah Stephens-Davidowitz, John & Laura Winkler · Jessica Case, Lucian Cohen, Eric DiLullo & Jenn Plakias, Lianna Lipton & Jonathan Spector, Sanjay Naik & Nandini Anandu, Stephen Nishimura, Bree Vetere & Tom Case, Charly Simpson, Danny Paolucci, Yu Mei Lin, Julie Stranberg, Marc Ortiz, Matt & Jessica Case, Monica Huang, Sandra & Julio Gomez, Scott Geller, Sofia Pellon, Victoria Fortuna & Hugo Alejandro Granja Flores, Linda Thompson Zumbach· Jessie Bear, Arik Beatty, Spencer Brody, Kelly Carroll, Ashley Cromwell, Lucy Curran, Orrin Getz, Susannah Gilbert, David Gluck, Caitlin Ho, Joyce Kanyuk, Karen Kohlhaas, Laura Lee, Emily Madoff & Barry Wohl, Katherine Nammacher, Piper Nilsson, Richard Pike, Elliot Quick, Eric Rudisaile, Claudia Sersanti, Ellen Shadburn, Sally Watkins, Rebecca Wohl, James Yeara,  Sarah Zanolli· Jacqueline Avitabile, Michael Braudy, Amos Budde, Sarah Cocuzzo, Brian Cross, Estefania Fadul, Laura Florescu,  Christian Germano, Aleksandr Golovnev, Brad Greenburg,  Samuel Kim, Stefanie Koenig, Mariagrazia LaFauci, Patricia Leo, Annie Levy, Alex Lubensky, Jubilith Moore, Michael Morgenstern, Celina Pedrosa, Nikhil Sharma, Robbie Thompson, Sara Wilf, Elizabeth Weisman, Sharon Zugg

You are all Samurai.

We’ll see you at the show. 

wearesamurai.brownpapertickets.com