{"id":16032,"date":"2022-02-01T22:23:40","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T22:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/?page_id=16032"},"modified":"2022-03-10T21:07:37","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T21:07:37","slug":"aya-ogawa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bretadamsltd.net\/content\/client\/directors\/aya-ogawa\/","title":{"rendered":"Aya Ogawa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

AYA OGAWA\u00a0<\/strong>is a Brooklyn-based playwright, director, performer and translator whose work reflects an international viewpoint and utilizes the stage as a space for exploring cultural identity, displacement and other facets of the immigrant experience. Cumulatively, all aspects of their artistic practice synthesize their work as an artistic and cultural ambassador, building bridges across cultures to create meaningful exchange amongst artists, theaters and audiences both in the U.S. and in Asia.\u00a0 They challenge traditional notions of the American aesthetic and identity by creating performances infused with a multiplicity of perspectives and languages, and by incorporating influences from outside the U.S. \u2013 of style, form, and content. As a theater-maker, they frequently uses a collaborative creative process with performers and designers and pushes the form with an eye not only on spoken text, but physicality, musicality, and interactivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As playwright\/director in New York City, Ogawa\u2019s 2003 A GIRL OF 16<\/a> (Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center) was hailed by The New York Times<\/em> for its \u201cstunning visual sense.\u201d Their 2008 OPH3LIA<\/a> (HERE) was called \u201criotously alive\u2026great theater\u201d by The New York Times<\/em>. Their ARTIFACT<\/a> was featured in CUNY\u2019s 2007 Prelude Festival and the 2009 Performance Mix Festival (Joyce Soho). They were commissioned by The Foundry Theatre to create a work in collaboration with Adhikaar, a human rights organization serving the US Nepali community. The resulting piece, JOURNEY TO THE OCEAN<\/a>, was presented by The Rubin Museum in 2011.  Their play LUDIC PROXY<\/a> commissioned by The Play Company, explored humankind\u2019s relationship to technology (from nuclear power to VR and video games) through the events of Chernobyl, Fukushima, and into the future. Its 2015 premiere at WalkerSpace was described as \u201cbeautifully conceived\u201d by the NYTimes.  They were a playwright in residence at The New Museum for X:ID a research-driven pop-up repertory theater designed to examine the shifting ethical boundaries surrounding intercultural cross-play on contemporary American stages. Most recently, they wrote, directed and performed in the 6-person cast for her play THE NOSEBLEED (formerly titled Failure Sandwich)<\/a> at the Incoming! Series at the Public Theater\u2019s Under the Radar Festival 2019 and directed Haruna Lee\u2019s play SUICIDE FOREST <\/a>in its world premiere production at The Bushwick Starr in 2019 and its off-Broadway remount with Ma-Yi in 2020. They also created a digital version of the second act of LUDIC PROXY: FUKUSHIMA<\/a> during the pandemic, presented by Japan Society. THE NOSEBLEED<\/a> premiered at Japan Society, co-presented with The Chocolate Factory in October 2021; 9000 Paper Balloons<\/a> (co-created by Spencer Lott and Maiko Kikuchi) was released as a puppet performance film by HERE in November 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a translator, they have been commissioned to translate numerous Japanese plays<\/a> into English that have been produced in the U.S. and London, including over a dozen plays by Toshiki Okada, writer\/director of chelfitsch theater company. Time Out<\/em> called their rendition of Okada\u2019s ENJOY<\/a> (Play Company at 59E59, 2010; published by Samuel French) an \u201ceffortless, idiomatic translation\u201d; The Village Voice<\/em> hailed their translation of Okada\u2019s FIVE DAYS IN MARCH<\/a> (Witness Relocation at LaMama, 2010) as \u201ca miracle of transposed idiom.\u201d Their translation of Okada\u2019s ZERO COST HOUSE<\/a> was presented at Philly Live Arts 2012, Under the Radar Festival 2013 and Yokohama, Japan. They serve on the selection committee for the Japan Playwrights Association\u2019s new publication series Japanese plays in English translation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aya has performed nationally and internationally.  She originated and performed numerous roles with the International WOW Company including JR Oppenheimer in The Bomb <\/em>and the title role in Alice\u2019s Evidence<\/em>. Time Out NY hailed their performance as Chomsky in The Loneliness of Noam Chomsky<\/em><\/a> by the Butane Group. International credits include their role in the world premiere of the award-winning Emperor and Kiss<\/em> with Rinko-Gun Company, Tokyo; they were selected as part of the artist team representing the U.S. at the International Theater Institute\u2019s 2006 Congress in Manila and 2008 Congress in Madrid for which they co-created and performed in the resulting collaborative pieces; and the European premiere of Young Jean Lee\u2019s Songs of the Dragon Flying to Heaven <\/em>at the Vienna Festival. Most recently they performed in the first season of Shaina Feinberg\u2019s web series Dinette<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are the recipient of the MAP Fund grant; President\u2019s Award for Performing Arts, WorkSpace grant and three Swing Space grants from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council; an Artistic Fellowship at New York Theater Workshop (where they are now a Usual Suspect); the Van Lier Fellowship and 2017-2024 Resident Playwright at New Dramatists; a HERE Artist Residency; Artist in Residence 2017-2019, Parent Artist Space Grantee and Space Grantee at Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX); recipient of support from NYSCA and the Urban Artist Initiative, and The Women’s Film, TV and Theatre Fund by the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME). They were named one of 6 finalists for the SDCF\u2019s 2021 inaugural Barbara Whitman Award<\/a>. They have been a guest artist\/lecturer at UT Austin, Brown University, Mount Holyoke College, Yale School of Drama, University of Maryland, University of Pittsburgh, New York University, University of Puget Sound, and Stony Brook University, as well as a mentor at The Orchard Project and Clubbed Thumb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website: www.ayaogawa.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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