R.A. Shiomi Headshot

R.A. Shiomi

Birth Place: Toronto

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R.A. Shiomi BIO

As a playwright and director, Rick Shiomi (R.A. Shiomi) has been one of the leading figures of the Asian American theater movement since the early 1980s. Relocating to Minnesota in the 1990s, he was one of the founders of Theater Mu and is presently the Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts. Shiomi's plays include the award winning Yellow Fever, Rosie's Cafe, Uncle Tadao, Play Ball, Mask Dance, The Tale of the Dancing Crane, and Song of the Pipa. He also co-authored the book for Walleye Kid: The Musical. Yellow Fever has been produced off-Broadway, in Japanese in Tokyo, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Shiomi has had his plays produced by: Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco, Pan Asian Repertory in New York, and East West Players in Los Angeles. Yellow Fever has also been published in the U.S. and Canada, and Mask Dance appears in Bold Words: A Century of Asian American Writing, published by Rutgers University in 2001. He has written screenplays for film and television including the Canadian award winning dramatic series ENG. Shiomi's directing credits include Theater Mu's first full-length production, Mask Dance, Into The Woods, The Walleye Kid, Yellow Face, Song of the Pipa, Maui and the Soul of the Sun, and Flower Drum Song. He has also directed at the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco and at Interact Theater in Philadelphia. He is the 2007 recipient of the Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Vision and a 2012 recipient of the Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement. Shiomi is a co-editor of the anthology Asian American Plays for a New Generation published by Temple University Press in 2011, and a founding member of the national network CAATA, the Consortium for Asian American Theaters and Artists. In 2011, the Library of Congress created a collection in Shiomi's name in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection, which will also serve as a repository for the archives of Mu Performing Arts.

R.A. Shiomi News


Pan Asian Repertory Theatre to Present Two Readings to Kick Off 47th Season


Get all the details on Pan Asian Repertory Theatre's 47th season. Find out the dates and locations for the two readings happening as part of the opening festivities. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the incredible talent of Pan Asian Repertory Theatre.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre to Present NuWORKS 2023 Featuring New Work by Asian-American Artists


Pan Asian Repertory Theatre will present NuWorks 2023, the annual experimental series of self-created work from innovative and diverse artists exploring an eclectic range of genres and techniques using poetry, text, dance, and music.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre to Conclude 46th Season With YELLOW FEVER Reading & New Play Festival


To commemorate Asian Heritage Month in May, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre will wrap up its 46th milestone season with two noteworthy events.

Pan Asian Rep & Poetic Theater to Host Post Performance Conversation With Veteran Poets at MEMORIAL


Pan Asian Repertory and Poetic Theater Productions will host a conversation with Armed Service Veteran poets following the matinee performance of Memorial, by Livian Yeh, on Sunday, January 29th, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.

Review: FIRE IN THE NEW WORLD at Full Circle Theater Company


What did our critic think of FIRE IN THE NEW WORLD at Full Circle Theater Company?

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Announces 46th Season Featuring the World Premiere of MEMORIAL & More


Pan Asian Repertory Theatre has announced the lineup of its 46 th Milestone Season beginning in the new year with the world premiere of the new play Memorial by Livian Yeh, followed by celebrating Asian Heritage Month in May and closing the season with the return of the annual play festival NuWorks 2023.

Interview: Gregory Yang of FIRE IN THE NEW WORLD at Park Square Theatre


Don't miss this savvy detective caper that's smart and fun with a dash of social commentary and plenty of sly intrigue! Sam Shikaze, hard-boiled private eye, fights crime in Vancouver's Japantown in the years after WWII. This time he's up against a big time developer intent on bulldozing the community and the New World Hotel. But when the developer's beautiful Japanese American wife goes missing, it's up to Sam to fi

Interview: Joe Allen of FIRE IN THE NEW WORLD at Park Square Theatre


Don't miss this savvy detective caper that's smart and fun with a dash of social commentary and plenty of sly intrigue! Sam Shikaze, hard-boiled private eye, fights crime in Vancouver's Japantown in the years after WWII. This time he's up against a big time developer intent on bulldozing the community and the New World Hotel. But when the developer's beautiful Japanese American wife goes missing, it's up to Sam to find her!

Interview: Anna Hashizume of FIRE IN THE NEW WORLD at Park Square Theatre


Don't miss this savvy detective caper that's smart and fun with a dash of social commentary and plenty of sly intrigue! Sam Shikaze, hard-boiled private eye, fights crime in Vancouver's Japantown in the years after WWII. This time he's up against a big time developer intent on bulldozing the community and the New World Hotel. But when the developer's beautiful Japanese American wife goes missing, it's up to Sam to find her!

Primary Stages to Present PEERLESS Events and Creative Access Grant Readings


PRIMARY STAGES will present additional programming for their Fall 2022 season, including readings, panels and talkbacks for their fall production peerless and the Creative Access Grant Recipients Reading Series.  

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Announces Passing of Founding Member Ernest Abuba


Pan Asian Repertory Theatre announced today the passing of founding member and company senior artist Ernest Abuba, the award-winning actor, playwright, screenwriter, and director on stage, film, and television, following a brief illness.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Announces NUWORKS 2022 Experimental Series


Pan Asian Repertory Theatre will present NuWorks 2022, the annual experimental series of self-created work from innovative and diverse artists exploring an eclectic range of genres and techniques using poetry, text, dance and music.

Firehall Arts Centre Presents YELLOW FEVER, May 28- June 12


The Firehall Arts Centre closes its 2021-2022 Reunion Season with the presentation of its production, Yellow Fever, from Saturday, May 28 to Sunday, June 12.

The Firehall Arts Centre Announces Its 2021-22 Season


The Firehall Arts Centre has announced its 39th season, and Artistic Producer Donna Spencer has proudly programmed it as a Reunion Season.

The Firehall Arts Centre Announces 2021-22 Reunion Season


The Firehall Arts Centre has announced its 39th season, and Artistic Producer Donna Spencer has proudly programmed it as a Reunion Season. The Firehall’s 2021-22 Reunion Season opens with the world premiere of Raven Spirit Dance’s Chapter 21 from September 29 to October 3.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre's 43rd Art & Auction Gala Dinner Set For October 10


Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Artistic Producing Director) will host a one-night only special event celebrating the upcoming season with the 43rd Art & Action Gala Dinner on Thursday evening, October 10, 2019 at The Golden Unicorn Restaurant in Chinatown (18 East Broadway at Catherine Street). Erin Quill and Henry Yuk return as Master of Ceremonies.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Salutes Ernest Abuba, Cheryl Ikemiya And George Fischoff At 2018 Arts & Action Gala


Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Artistic Producing Director) will host a one-night only special event celebrating the upcoming season with the 2018 Arts & Action Gala Dinner on Thursday evening, October 18, 2018 at The Golden Unicorn Restaurant in Chinatown (18 East Broadway at Catherine Street).

A Noise Within Presents a Reading of HAYAVADANA, 6/16


A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, in partnership with East West Players presents a FREE reading of Hayavadana by Girish Karnad, directed by Snehal Desai on Monday, June 16 at 7:30 PM.

The Guthrie Announces Cast for Mu Performing Arts' YELLOW FEVER


The Guthrie Theater today announced casting for the Mu Performing Arts production of Yellow Fever. Written by R.A. Shiomi, the play is a groundbreaking noir comedy in the Asian American theatrical canon told through the eyes of Sam Shikaze, a nisei (second generation Japanese) Canadian detective that explores themes of political deception and cultural assimilation. Yellow Fever will be performed in Guthrie's Dowling Studio from March 8-24, 2013 and directed by Rick Shiomi.

Pauletta Pearson Washington & Roscoe Orman Lead Revival Reading of POWER PLAY, 10/18


Dynamic producing duo Executive Producer, Mr. Voza Rivers' New Heritage Theater and Ms. Debra Ann Byrd's Take Wing and Soar will team up to bring Pauletta Pearson Washington and Roscoe Orman to the New York stage for a revival production of Lorey Hayes' POWER PLAY, a story about politics, passion and the power of God.

R.A. Shiomi FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many shows has R.A. Shiomi written?

R.A. Shiomi has written 1 shows including Prime Time (Bookwriter).

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