Japan Society Presents COOKING UP 16th Installment Of Annual Play Reading Series

As part of its current Performing Arts Season, Fall 2021- Spring 2022, Japan Society presents a staged reading of Cooking Up by Japanese playwright Shoko Matsumura, led by Brooklyn-based director Jordana De La Cruz, taking place Monday, December 6 at 7:30 PM at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street).

Cooking Up marks the 16th installment of the Society's annual Play Reading Series: Contemporary Japanese Plays in English Translation, introducing topical plays from emerging playwrights from Japan to artists and audiences in the U.S.

The real and the surreal come together at a small French restaurant in Japan in Cooking Up, one of the 2018 finalists for Japan's most prestigious award for contemporary plays, the Kishida Kunio Drama Award. The play takes an unusual turn when the head chef's wife asks her husband's mistress to join their household, taking the place of their beloved house cat, who has gone missing. Jordana De La Cruz, Co-Director of the OBIE Award-winning performance venue JACK in Brooklyn, directs this absurd sojourn into the private lives of the restaurant's employees. Playwright Shoko Matsumura joins in a post-performance Q&A with the audience and director. Cooking Up (Japanese title: Koshiraeru) was translated by Amanda Waddell, Program Officer, and Japan Society's Performing Arts Department. Initially scheduled for March 30, 2020, this staged reading was postponed due to the COIVD-19 pandemic and is now part of our Fall 2021 season celebrating NYC-based women artists with deep ties to the culture of Japan.

Tickets are $15 / $10 Japan Society members. Tickets can be purchased online at www.japansociety.org or by calling the Box Office at 212-715-1258 (M-F 9:00am - 5:00pm). Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street, between First and Second Avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E at Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street).

In compliance with CDC, New York State, and New York City guidelines, visitors will be required to show proof of vaccination and wear a proper, secure-fitting mask at each performance. View our current visitor policies and safety protocols here. For more information, call 212-832-1155 or visit http://www.japansociety.org.

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