FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Performers Plan to “Dis-Orient” the Audience at Saint Mary’s College
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579 (desk)
March 30, 2011 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Most of us have gone through some kind of orientation, whether it is for school or a new job. On Thursday, April 7 the public is invited to experience a “disorientation” with a theatrical performance by three Asian-American women properly titled, Dis-Oriented. The Saint Mary's College Office of Multicultural Services and Student Programs, MSSP, will host the event as part of Asian History month. The performance will be held in Little Theatre of the Moreau Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
“The one thing I appreciate the most regarding the Dis-Oriented performance is that it shows varying Asian perspectives. Most people regard Asian History Month from a Chinese perspective, however the Dis-Oriented trio features performances by people of Japanese-, Vietnamese- and Middle Eastern-American backgrounds. I think this dynamic alone will be extremely beneficial to the campus audience,” said Stephanie Steward-Bridges, MSSP’s director.
The performance will feature three performers: Coke Nakamoto, Thao P. Nguyen and Zahra Noorbakhsh. The show will consist of three solo pieces, with short vignettes, comic sketches, audience improvisational games and contemporary dance in between each performer’s piece. The first solo performance, entitled, “Secret Agent Bucket” is written and performed by Coke Nakamoto, who is Japanese/Okinawan-American. Nakamoto is a writer, dancer and performer who has been recognized for her solo work in the San Francisco Theatre Festival. Her previous one-woman show, Psalms for Endangered Species, was also sold out in Los Angeles.
The second piece is called, “Fortunate Daughter”, and is written and performed by Thao P. Nguyen, who is a Vietnamese-American. Nguyen joined the Solo Performance Workshop in 2007 and has been writing and performing in solo shows ever since. In addition to being the producer of Dis-Oriented, she has also produced the shows Words First, See Mom I Didn’t Forget and Best Feeding.
The final piece, All Atheists Are Muslim, is written and performed by Zahra Noorbakhsh, who is Iranian-American. Noorbakhsh is not only a solo writer and performer, but she is also a stand-up comedian. She has performed beside famous comedians such as Shazia Mirza of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Her newest, full-length version of All Atheists Are Muslim debuted in November 2010. Her work can be found at www.zahracomedy.com, for more information.
Dis-Oriented aims to disorient the audience, as well as the performers, from external stereotypes and internal expectations. Throughout the show, the performers question whether or not “cultural indigestion”, color-blindness and inter-ethnic vertigo, can be cured.
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” in the U.S. News & World Report 2011 College Guide. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.