Rachael Perry of Uncasville Part of Eastern's "The Island" Production Staff

2011 Nov 8

The Theatre Program and Drama Society in the Department of Performing Arts at Eastern Connecticut State University presented "The Island," their first major production for the 2011-12 season, from Oct. 27 to 30 and Nov. 1 and 2. Rachael Perry '14 of Uncasville was the sound board operator. Perry majors in Environmental Earth Science.

"The Island" was written by Japanese playwright Hotta Kiyomi; translated by David Goodman; and directed by David Pellegrini, associate professor of theatre history and chair of Eastern's Performing Arts Department.

"The Island" focuses on an extended family affected by the atomic bomb that lives on an island near Hiroshima toward the end of the Korean War. The harsh realities it depicts make the play a statement about the dangers of a nuclearized age.

"Kiyomi's 1955 Kishida Prize-winning play was the first drama about the atomic bomb to receive national attention in Japan," said Pellegrini. "Set on an island in the Inland Sea near Hiroshima toward the end of the Korean War, the play presents a social microcosm of Japan in the post-war era. It also is an intimate portrait of the struggles of an extended family and a shattered community to rebuild their lives. Not only does the play provide a powerful portrait of hope and courage of Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb, it is a timely statement about the dangers of a nuclearized age."

Eastern Connecticut State University is part of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) and is the state's public liberal arts university. Eastern serves more than 5,600 students each year on its Willimantic campus.