Tradewind Arts and The Coterie Theatre will partner
on the NEA Award winning project,
Justice at War, by Mimi Jo Katano, Wendy Lement, and Jordan Winer
in the fall of 2023.
Directed by Tradewind Arts Producing Artistic Director, Andi Meyer, we are seeking submissions from AEA and Non-AEA actors 18+ who identify as Asian, Asian American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, South and Southeast Asian, with particular interest in actors of Japanese descent. Roles will be cast inclusively.
Instructions:
1. Please submit your headshot and resume for consideration using the following form: Justice at War submissions
2. Send a letter of interest to Andi Meyer at tradewindartsaaa@gmail.com by March 6th to be contacted for an appointment.
*Please note that The Coterie Theatre is a fully vaccinated company.*
Auditions will be held Tuesday, March 13th from 5-8 PM
Potential callbacks will be March 14th from 6-8 PM
Location:
Coterie Theatre, Crown Center
2450 Grand Blvd, Suite 144
Kansas City, MO
64108-2520
Justice at War, by Mimi Jo Katano, Wendy Lement, and Jordan Winer
Producer–Andi Meyer, Jonathan Thomas, and Heidi Van (through July 31)
Director–Andi Meyer
Workshop–May 15-20, 2023
First Rehearsal–August 29, 2023
Opening–September 22, 2023
Closing–October 15, 2023
Contract–TYA
SUMMARY:
Justice At War–Through a TIE (Theatre in Education) framework, the cast will enact the Supreme Court case of Mitsuye Endo vs the United States, one of the three Supreme Court cases which challenged the legitimacy of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. The interactive play format follows the presentation of the evidence by the attorneys and witnesses, some diabolical and some sincere in their wish for justice.
Characters:
Bailiff–Officiously dispatches their job.
General Dewitt–Commonly viewed as one of the key villains who played a major part in the rounding up of tens of thousands of Japanese Americans and placing them into brutal conditions in remote locations across the continent.
James Purcell–An attorney passionately invested in justice, diligently working his entire career on criminal law, civil defense, unions, and the Japanese American community over his career.
General Fahy–Over his career, General Fahey prepared and argued all four cases of Japanese Americans vs the United States. During this trial, he does his best to be seen as level headed and fair, and over his career, General Fahey became a Judge and even had a hand in forming the United Nations Years later his more unjust methods have come to light. One year after his death, it was found to have suppressed evidence on those cases. That suppression of evidence was the deciding factor in three key cases of the incarceration of Japanese Americans (Hirabayashi, Yasui, and Korematsu), which were eventually vacated.
Chief Justice Stone–A fair and thoughtful Judge, Chief Justice Stone works through the presentations with deep investment. Holding the attorneys and witnesses accountable he pushes them to make their cases. He holds the courtroom to the highest justice.
Mitsuye Endo–Deemed “concertedly loyal” and the perfect person for the case against the United States. She was born and raised in California and subsequently fired from her job with the California State Department of Employment in the weeks following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Mitsuye tries not to make waves, but will stand up for the truth.