TOKYO FISH STORY Opens at The Old Globe Today

Kimber Lee's beautiful drama tokyo fish story, directed by May Adrales, opens today, June 2 at The Old Globe. The production runs through June 26, 2016, in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Tickets start at $29.

Master sushi chef Koji built his successful career on respect -- for tradition, fine ingredients, and the legends who came before him. But now his restaurant, considered one of the greatest in Tokyo, is losing its customers to newer and flashier places. It's time for a new generation to take over. Koji's brilliant protégé Takashi might know how to save the restaurant, if only he could find a way to tell his mentor. Kimber Lee's beautiful play will take audiences into the mind of the chef-as-artist and bring to vibrant life the sheer exhilaration of creating bite-sized masterpieces. tokyo fish story is a gorgeous meditation on work, legacy, and the art of perfection.

The cast of tokyo fish story includes Tina Chilip (Off Broadway's Golden Child, House Rules, A Dream Play) as Ama Miyuki and Woman; Tim Chiou (You Can't Take It with You at Geffen Playhouse, world premiere of Year Zero at Victory Gardens Theater) as Takashi; Raymond Lee (world premieres of Vietgone and Office Hour at South Coast Repertory) as Nobu; James Saito (The King and I and Golden Child on Broadway) as Koji; and Jon Norman Schneider (The Old Globe's The White Snake, Lincoln Center Theater's The Oldest Boy) as Tuna Dealer Apprentice, Oishi, Toru, Yuji, Daisuke, and Hirayama.

The creative team includes Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams (Scenic Design), David Israel Reynoso (Costume Design), Jiyoun Chang (Lighting Design), Nathan A. Roberts and Charles Coes (Sound Design and Original Music), David Huber (Vocal Coach), Caparelliotis Casting (Casting), and Jess Slocum (Production Stage Manager).

"Kimber Lee's insightful and sweetly engaging play tokyo fish story is as gentle and quiet as the lowercase letters in its title, and it's a wonderful way to close our spring season in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre," said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "A charming fable about the tension between art and commerce, the gap between mastery and hackwork, and the bittersweet joys of retirement, the play moves me greatly. It represents a culture all too rarely seen on American stages, and I am proud to bring it to San Diego audiences. I am also proud to welcome the talented May Adrales to the Globe for the first time. Her superb team of designers and actors will create a memorable evening of theatre."

Kimber Lee's (Playwright) plays include to the yellow house, tokyo fish story (South Coast Repertory, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), brownsville song (b-side for tray) (Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, LCT3 at Lincoln Center, Long Wharf Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Seattle Repertory Theatre, MOXIE Theatre), and different words for the same thing (Kirk Douglas Theatre at Center Theatre Group). Her work has also been presented by the New Voices Festival at The Old Globe, Lark Play Development Center, Page 73 Productions, Hedgebrook, Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Great Plains Theatre Conference, and Magic Theatre. She is under commission at LCT3, South Coast Repertory, Denver Center Theatre Company, Hartford Stage, Center Theatre Group, and Bush Theatre. Lee is a Lark Playwrights' Workshop Fellow; a Dramatists Guild Fellow; a member of Ma-Yi Writers Lab; a recipient of the Ruby Prize, PoNY Fellowship, Hartford Stage's Aetna New Voices Fellowship; and the inaugural 2015 PoNY/Bush Theatre Playwright Residency in London. She received her M.F.A. from The University of Texas at Austin.

May Adrales (Director) is a freelance theatre director, primarily working with new plays. She has directed at Lincoln Center Theater, Signature Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Portland Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Play House, Pioneer Theatre Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and Two River Theater. She is a Drama League Directing Fellow, Women's Project Theater Directors Lab member, Soho Repertory Theater Writer/Director Lab member, New York Theatre Workshop directing fellow, and recipient of the Theatre Communications Group New Generations Program grant, Denham Fellowship, and Paul Green Award. She proudly serves as an Associate Artist at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. She is the former Director of Onsite Programs at Lark Play Development Center and Artistic Associate at The Public Theater. She received her M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama. She has directed at New York University, Bard College, The Juilliard School, and Fordham University. She is currently on faculty at Yale School of Drama and Brown University.

tokyo fish story is supported in part through gifts from Production Sponsors Leonard Hirsch, in memory of Elaine Hirsch; Silvija and Brian Devine; Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky; and Union Bank.

Tickets to tokyo fish story are currently available by subscription only and will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 22 at 12 noon. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Performances begin on May 28 and continue through June 26. Performance times: Previews: Saturday, May 28 at 8:00 p.m., Sunday, May 29 at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 31 at 7:00 p.m., and Wednesday, June 1 at 7:00 p.m. Opening Night is Thursday, June 2 at 8:00 p.m. Regular Performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m., and Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. There will be a Wednesday matinee performance on June 15 at 2:00 p.m. and no matinee performance on Saturday, June 18. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors, military members, and groups of 10 or more.

Additional events taking place during the run of tokyo fish story include:

INSIGHTS SEMINAR: Tuesday May 31, at 5:30 p.m.

The seminar series features a panel selected from the current show. Reception at 5:00 p.m. FREE

SUBJECT MATTERS: Saturday, June 4.

Following the 2:00 p.m. performance, explore the ideas and issues raised by the production through brief, illuminating post-show discussions with local experts. FREE

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesdays, June 7 and 14, and Wednesday, June 22

Discuss the play with members of the cast and crew following the performance. FREE

ABOUT THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:

Tina Chilip (Ama Miyuki, Woman) was recently seen Off Broadway in the world premiere of House Rules (Ma-Yi Theater Company). Her other New York credits include Golden Child (Signature Theatre Company), A Dream Play (National Asian American Theatre Company), Flipzoids (Ma-Yi Theatre), and The Joy Luck Club (Pan Asian Repertory Theatre). Her regional credits include after all the terrible things I do (Huntington Theatre Company, IRNE Award nomination for Best Actress-Play), Our Town and Chinglish (Portland Center Stage), The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), M. Butterfly (Guthrie Theater), Yellow Face (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), and performances at Syracuse Stage, Trinity Repertory Company, and American Conservatory Theater. Internationally she was in Golden Child (Cultural Center of the Philippines). Her television appearances include "Royal Pains" and "The Mysteries of Laura".

Tim Chiou (Takashi) is thrilled to be making his debut at The Old Globe and to be a part of tokyo fish story after participating in its workshop at South Coast Repertory. His past theatre performances include Han in Michael Golamco's Year Zero (Victory Gardens Theater, The Colony Theatre Company), Kabuo in Snow Falling on Cedars (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), and The Lover in The North China Lover (Lookingglass Theatre Company). His recent television credits include "Chicago P.D.," "iZombie," "2 Broke Girls," and the NBC pilot "Tin Man."

Raymond Lee (Nobu) has appeared in South Coast Repertory's world premiere productions of Qui Nguyen's Vietgone, directed by May Adrales (also upcoming at Manhattan Theatre Club this fall) and Julia Cho's Office Hour, directed by Neel Keller. He is a member of the Los Angeles-based, internationally touring clown troupe Four Clowns. The company's inaugural show, also titled Four Clowns, toured the U.S. and took them to notable venues such as La MaMa, South Coast Repertory, Sacred Fools Theater Company, The Neo-Futurists, Chopin Theatre, and Gremlin Theatre, among others. Lee's television credits include "Scandal," "Modern Family," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "How I Met Your Mother," "Jessie," "Ben and Kate," "Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous," and "Hart of Dixie." His film credits include Farah Goes Bang (Tribeca Film Festival premiere and Nora Ephron Prize winner) and A Leading Man (Best Supporting Actor at Asians on Film Festival).

James Saito (Koji) has appeared on Broadway in Golden Child and The King and I. His Off Broadway and regional credits include Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center/, The Public Theater Durango (Obie Award for Durango), Playwrights Horizons, Roundabout Theatre Company, Vineyard Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Arena Stage, Guthrie Theater, Mark Taper Forum, Long Wharf Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, Edinburgh International Festival, and Singapore Repertory Theatre. Saito has appeared on television and film in "House of Cards," "The Deuce," Wilson, The Sea of Trees, Big Eyes, "Madam Secretary," While We're Young, Life of Pi, "Hawaii Five-0," "Person of Interest," "30 Rock," Too Big to Fail, "Blue Bloods," "Rubicon," "Eli Stone" (series regular), "The Unit," From the Rough, I Think I Love My Wife, Robot Stories, Pearl Harbor, The Thomas Crown Affair, Henry Fool, Home Alone 3, The Devil's Advocate, Die Hard: With a Vengeance, "Third Watch," "100 Centre Street," "Sex and the City," "Law & Order," "New York Undercover," "Star Trek: Voyager," and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Shredder.

Jon Norman Schneider (Tuna Dealer Apprentice, Oishi, Toru, Yuji, Daisuke, Hirayama) was last seen at the Globe in The White Snake. He has appeared in the New York productions of House Rules (Ma-Yi Theater Company), Awake and Sing! (National Asian American Theatre Company/The Public Theater), The Oldest Boy (Lincoln Center Theater), City Of (The Playwrights Realm), The Architecture of Becoming (Women's Project Theater), A Map of Virtue (13P), Queens Boulevard (the musical) (Signature Theatre Company), Durango (The Public Theater), and Ching Chong Chinaman (Pan Asian Repertory Theatre), among others. His international and regional credits include London's Paper Dolls (Tricycle Theatre), Tiger Style! (Alliance Theatre), The White Snake (Goodman Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center), Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them (Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival), Pool Boy (Barrington Stage Company), American Hwangap (Magic Theatre), Durango (Long Wharf Theatre), and Citizen 13559: The Journal of Ben Uchida (The Kennedy Center). Schneider's film and television appearances include roles in The Girl in the Book, The Normals, The Rebound, HBO's Angel Rodriguez, "Jessica Jones," "Veep," "The Electric Company," "30 Rock," and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams (Scenic Design) recently designed brownsville song (b-side for tray), The Glass Menagerie, The Brothers Size, and The Cook (Seattle Repertory Theatre), Abe Lincoln in Illinois and The Year of Magical Thinking (Intiman Theatre), The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Syracuse Stage). Adams's further work has been seen Off Broadway at Epic Theater Ensemble, INTAR Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Working Theater, and National Asian American Theatre Company. Her regional credits include Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Long Wharf Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cornerstone Theater Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Yale Repertory Theatre, and The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival, among others. She has designed internationally for Aichi Triennale, Kanagawa Prefectural Hall, Nissei Theatre, Tokyo Nikikai Opera Theatre, and Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre. As an associate scenic designer, her Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, The Bridges of Madison County, Golden Boy, That Championship Season, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Next Fall, and Joe Turner's Come and Gone, as well as the U.S., U.K., and Australian national tours of Lincoln Center Theater's production of South Pacific and the U.S. tour of The Bridges of Madison County and The King and I.

David Israel Reynoso (Costume Design) is a scenic and costume designer who recently designed the Globe's productions of Constellations, Twelfth Night, Arms and the Man, Water by the Spoonful, Time and the Conways, Double Indemnity, and Be a Good Little Widow. He also designed As You Like It for The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Reynoso is the Obie Award-winning costume designer of the Off Broadway hit Sleep No More (Punchdrunk/Emursive), and he is also a Helen Hayes Award nominee for Healing Wars (Arena Stage). He is also recognized locally for his designs of Healing Wars, The Darrell Hammond Project, Kingdom City, and the DNA New Work Series presentation of Chasing the Song (La Jolla Playhouse). His other work includes Futurity, Cabaret, The Snow Queen, Alice vs. Wonderland, Trojan Barbie, Copenhagen, No Man's Land, Hamletmachine, Ajax in Iraq, and Abigail's Party (American Repertory Theater), The Comedy of Errors and Othello (Commonwealth Shakespeare Company), The Woman in Black (Gloucester Stage Company), and Dead Man's Cell Phone (The Lyric Stage Company). Reynoso is also the recipient of the Elliot Norton Award, a Craig Noel Award nomination, and multiple IRNE and BroadwayWorld Award nominations.

Jiyoun Chang (Lighting Design) is making her Globe debut. She is the recipient of an Obie Award Special Citation in Lighting for The World is Round (Ripe Time). Her New York credits include Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout Underground), brownsville song (b-side for tray) (LCT3), Goldberg's Variations (Brooklyn Academy of Music's 2013 Next Wave Festival), The Dance and the Railroad (Signature Theatre Company), Sojourners (The Playwrights Realm), T.1912 and Peter & the Wolf (Guggenheim Museum), and Light Within (Carnegie Hall). Her other credits include Aubergine (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), The Unfortunates and Troilus and Cressida (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), and work with Triad Stage.

Charles Coes (Sound Design and Original Music) has previously designed shows at Yale Repertory Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company, ArtsEmerson, The Wilma Theater, Two River Theater, North Shore Music Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, HERE Arts Center, Ford's Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Huntington Theatre Company. His tour credits include Phoenix Entertainment and The Acting Company. He has also designed aerial and aquatic spectaculars for Royal Caribbean and for Queen of the Night, an immersive show at the Diamond Horseshoe. He has collaborated on installations with artists Ann Hamilton, Abelardo Morell, and Luis Roldán. He has also worked as an associate on more than 10 Broadway shows, including Peter and the Starcatcher (Tony Award-winning sound design); In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; and Fully Committed, currently at the Lyceum Theatre.

Nathan A. Roberts (Sound Design and Original Music) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, instrument-maker, and sound designer who specializes in creating original music and soundscapes for plays, often live onstage. His regional credits include Sense and Sensibility (Dallas Theater Center), In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Syracuse Stage), Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Yale Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre), The Widow Lincoln and Our Town (Ford's Theatre), Twelfth Night and The Tempest (Hartford Stage), The Servant of Two Masters (Seattle Repertory Theatre, Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre), Macbeth (The Acting Company/Guthrie Theater), It's a Wonderful Life (Long Wharf Theatre), and Third, On Borrowed Time, and Electric Baby (Two River Theater).

David Huber (Vocal Coach) previously worked on the Globe productions of Camp David, Constellations, Rain, The Last Match, The Metromaniacs, Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Arms and the Man, Buyer & Cellar, The Royale, Bright Star, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. His previous Old Globe acting credits include The Winter's Tale directed by Jack O'Brien, The Tempest, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and The Merchant of Venice, among several others. He has studied voice with Master Linklater Voice teacher David Smukler, Eric Armstrong, and Kate Burke. He is a graduate of the Graduate Voice Teacher Diploma Program at York University in Toronto. His regional theatre credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Pittsburgh Playhouse, PCPA Theaterfest, Texas Shakespeare Festival, Center REP Theatre, and Centennial Theater Festival, among many others. Huber coaches voice, speech, and acting locally, works on speech issues with special needs students, and is currently teaching at Actors Workshop Studios.

Caparelliotis Casting (Casting) has cast the Globe productions of Constellations, The Last Match, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Rich Girl, Arms and the Man, Buyer & Cellar, The White Snake, The Twenty-seventh Man, The Royale, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Water by the Spoonful, Time and the Conways, Bethany, The Winter's Tale, The Few, Double Indemnity, The Rainmaker, Other Desert Cities, Be a Good Little Widow, A Doll's House, The Brothers Size, Pygmalion, and Good People. Their Broadway casting credits include Blackbird, An Act of God, Airline Highway, Fish in the Dark, It's Only a Play, Disgraced, The Country House, Holler If Ya Hear Me, Casa Valentina, The Snow Geese, Lyle Kessler's Orphans, The Trip to Bountiful, Grace, Dead Accounts, The Other Place, Seminar, The Columnist, Stick Fly, Good People, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The House of Blue Leaves, Fences, Lend Me a Tenor, and The Royal Family. They also cast for Manhattan Theatre Club, Second Stage Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, LCT3, Ars Nova, Goodman Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, Arena Stage, and three seasons with Williamstown Theatre Festival. Their recent film and television credits include HairBrained with Brendan Fraser, "American Odyssey" (NBC), "How to Get Away with Murder" (ABC pilot), "Ironside" (NBC), and Steel Magnolias (Sony for Lifetime).

Jess Slocum (Production Stage Manager) previously worked at The Old Globe on The Metromaniacs, In Your Arms, Twelfth Night, Buyer & Cellar, Bright Star, Othello, Water by the Spoonful, The Winter's Tale, A Doll's House, Pygmalion, A Room with a View, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, the 2011-2013 Shakespeare Festivals, Rafta, Rafta..., Robin and the 7 Hoods, Alive and Well, Sammy, Cornelia, Since Africa, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and The Glass Menagerie. Her Broadway credits include In the Heights. Her regional credits include Indecent, Side Show, Ruined, The Third Story, Memphis, and Most Wanted (La Jolla Playhouse) and Post Office (Center Theatre Group). Her San Diego credits include Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company, North Coast Repertory Theatre, and Lamb's Players Theatre.

The Tony Award-winning Old Globe is one of the country's leading professional regional theatres and has stood as San Diego's flagship arts institution for over 80 years. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and Managing Director Michael G. Murphy, The Old Globe produces a year-round season of 15 productions of classic, contemporary, and new works on its three Balboa Park stages: the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the 600-seat Old Globe Theatre and the 250-seat Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, both part of The Old Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, and the 605-seat outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, home of its internationally renowned Shakespeare Festival. More than 250,000 people attend Globe productions annually and participate in the theatre's education and community programs. Numerous world premieres such as the 2014 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Bright Star, Allegiance, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and the annual holiday musical Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! have been developed at The Old Globe and have gone on to enjoy highly successful runs on Broadway and at regional theaters across the country.

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