Missed the debut performance of Kate Lucchese’s original play about our church’s role in the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII? No worries, it was recorded! You can watch it here, or forward to interested others.
Notes from the director, Kate:
“To quote my friend Joy Goto, a long-time member of Berkeley Methodist United Church, this play brings ‘the beautiful, honorable, and long relationship First Congregational Church has had with the Berkeley JA community to light. It is an inspirational tale of how, with God’s grace, compassion prevails.’ Based on the daily diaries of Church Secretary Eleanor Breed and folding in contemporary letters, speeches, and interviews, the play wrestles with what it means to be an ally in the face of fear and bigotry and ultimately what it means to be both an American and a Christian. Performed by volunteers from FCCB and members of the local JA community after just three rehearsals, it is a dramatic reading of what could be a fully-staged production.
Here is the cast list of A Cup of Cold Water in order of appearance:
Doris Lynch as Shirley Q. Henderson; Alice Clark as Ruth Kingman; Carmelle Knudsen as Eleanor Breed; Leonard Ash as Dr. Vere Loper; Rod MacKenzie as Announcer Voice #1, Dr. Raul Aurenheimer, Man’s Voice; Bruce Stangeland as Announcer Voice #2, Council Member, Soldier; Kara Korbel Chinula as Marjorie Walker, Richard Allen; Charles Taylor as Sgt. Wilkins; Lee Heuermann as Women’s Assn Member, Marion Rosen, Leslie, Kind Old Woman; Susan Webb as Mrs. Hadden, Ruth Price, Second Quaker, Ida Boitano; Nathan Hood as The Berkeley Gazette, Ron Dellums, First Quaker; Robert Lucchese as Julean Arnold, Mr. Jensen, Walter; Mary Ann Wight as Grace Kajiwara, Miné Okubo, Ensemble, Barbara Takahashi, Nikkei Mother; Gary Tominaga as Jim Kajiwara, Ensemble, Hiro Kitayama, Mr. Sato, Dr. Henry Takahashi, Lo Jung-Pang, Fred Korematsu; Kate Lucchese as Helper, Woman’s Voice, Mrs. Boitano; Greg Suzuki as Ensemble, Young Nikkei Man, Rev. Lester Suzuki, Chiura Obata. Slides expert: Jacqueline Dennis. Tech booth: Luca Capponi and Zach Miley. Special thanks to Rev. Molly Baskette, who sacrificed her much-deserved post-Easter week off to assist in this play’s production.”