Japan Society & Chocolate Factory Theater Present Aya Ogawa's THE NOSEBLEED

Japan Society and the Chocolate Factory Theater present the full world premiere of The Nosebleed, written and directed by the Brooklyn-based theater-maker Aya Ogawa (she/they).

In this intimate autobiographical piece, playwright and director Aya Ogawa explores their fractured relationship with their long-deceased, enigmatic father. Through a series of turbulent, absurd and poignantly comic vignettes, Ogawa reveals the seemingly insurmountable cultural and generational gap between themself and their father, who was a typical Japanese corporate businessman, while delving into questions surrounding the playwright's own present-day experience of parenthood. In the form of a theatrical memorial and healing ritual for the audience, this darkly humorous, tender and inventive play considers how we inherit and bequeath failure, and what it takes to forgive.

This in-person production, for a limited audience of approximately 40 attendees per show, will have eight performances at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street), playing October 1 - 10.

Since the sold-out work-in-progress showings of The Nosebleed at Brooklyn Arts Exchange and The Public Theater's Under the Radar Incoming! Series, theatergoers have been anticipating the premiere of The Nosebleed.

The Nosebleed is written and directed by Aya Ogawa. This world premiere production features Drae Campbell, Haruna Lee, Peter Lettre, Aya Ogawa, Saori Tsukada and Kaili Turner, with Set and Costume Design by Jian Jung and Lighting Design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew. Production Stage Manager is Lenyn Hernandez Marcia. Assistant Director & Assistant Stage Manager is Julia Izumi. Presented by Japan Society and the Chocolate Factory Theater, this production by Hanaji LLC is Line Produced by John Del Gaudio.

Playwright/director Aya Ogawa shares, "The Nosebleed chronicles what I believe is one of the biggest failures of my life, which is that when my father died almost fifteen years ago, I failed to do anything to honor him or his life because of the nature of our relationship ... It is an autobiographical play that delves into my experience growing up in the U.S. as a Japanese immigrant, the seemingly insurmountable generational gap between me and my father, the questions I face now as I cultivate my children's relationship with their home country and mine, and my personal journey towards absolution." Ogawa continues, "[there are] four performers playing 'Aya,' representing different aspects or ages or inner lives of the character, while I myself play the roles of my five-year-old son and my father." Ogawa's work has been called "ambitious" and "beautifully conceived" by The New York Times, and New York Theatre Review affirms, "Ogawa's writing is enchanting and poetic, deeply in tune with the spirit of many different cultures." A live in-person Q&A with Aya Ogawa will take place on site following the October 7 performance.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.japansociety.org/arts-and-culture/performances/nosebleed or by calling the Box Office at 212-715-1258 (M-F 11:00am - 6:00pm). 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). For more information, call 212-832-1155 or visit http://www.japansociety.org

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