Dukesbay Productions to Stage GOD SAID THIS by Leah Nanako Winkler

Dukesbay Productions is set to present God Said This by Leah Nanako Winkler. The play will run from March 18 - April 3, 2022 at The Dukesbay Theater, 508 Sixth Ave. #10, Tacoma, WA 98402. Shows will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are $15 for general admission and can be purchased here. The production is directed by Randy Clark and features a multiracial cast that includes Jim Winkler as James, Aya Hashiguchi as Masako, Jasmine Jaqua as Sophie, Anamaria Guerzon as Hiro, and Jacob Tice as John.

When Masako is hospitalized with cancer, her estranged family is forced into an uneasy reunion. Can they take care of her and their sense of family too? Hiro, her elder daughter, travels from New York to be with her mother, but finds her own personal struggles getting in the way. Sophie, the younger daughter, relies on her Christian faith to cope, but her calm veneer may be cracking. James, Masako's husband, is a recovering alcoholic, and tries to be supportive, but doesn't know how. John, an old friend of Hiro's, seeks to leave a meaningful legacy as a single father to a young son.

James and Masako Rose are a Japanese-American couple living in Kentucky. When Masako is diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer, her family is forced into an uneasy reunion to take care of her. Forced together in a time of need, five estranged people come face to face with their own mortality. A compelling drama with unexpected moments of humor, GOD SAID THIS is "a script written with wry, honest wit under extraordinary personal circumstances."

Dukesbay Productions was founded in 2011 by Tacoma theatre artists Randy Clark and Aya Hashiguchi Clark. Randy has been active in the Tacoma theatre scene as an actor and director since the 1970s. His work has been seen at Lakewood Playhouse, Tacoma Little Theatre and Theatre NW. Aya has appeared at several Seattle/Tacoma theaters, and served as producer for 8 plays and a Playwrights Festival for Burien Actors Theatre. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Tacoma Little Theatre.

Dukesbay Productions' mission is to promote independent theatre in Tacoma and to showcase the works of theatre artists of all ethnicities. The playwright, Leah Nanako Winkler, is a Japanese American playwright from Kamakura, Japan and Lexington, Kentucky. Her play God Said This won the 2018 Yale Drama Series Prize. Her play Two Mile Hollow was awarded the Francesca Primus Prize. She is a recipient of a 2020 Steinberg Prize in Distinguished Playwrighting.

COVID Protocols will be in place for all performances of GOD SAID THIS. This includes proof of vaccinations for all audience members as well as mandatory mask use while seated in the theater. For more information, email info@dukesbay.org, visit the Dukesbay Production website, or call 253-350-7680.

Photo Credits: Jason Ganwich

Pictured: Jim Winkler, Aya Hashiguchi