VC REPORTER

MADE IN AMERICA

by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

“AMERICA NEVER LET ME DIE”

With her beaming smile, sweet voice, heart-shaped glasses and endearing dog Titi, Tokyo native Teruko Nakajima cuts a sunny, playful figure that is the very embodiment of Japanese kawaii (cute or adorable). But there’s so much more to this internationally trained dancer, artist and actress than meets the eye.

Teruko Nakajima wrote and stars in Made in America.
“I am not a character!” Nakajima exclaims. “Whenever I do some stuff, they say, ‘oh, she’s imitating Japanese accent. She must be American.’ No, I’m the real person — that’s the original reason I wanted to do the one-person show.”

Made in America, taking place Saturday, July 9, at 8:30 p.m., details her journey from tortured soul trying to survive a childhood marked by domestic violence and sexual abuse to her “escape” to the United States, where she discovers herself and an unquenchable lust for life.

“Six years ago, I was in a suicide ward,” she explains. “I wanted to end everything. And America never let me die.”

She credits her team of psychiatric and medical professionals as well as friends and social workers for giving her “a chance to live again.” After being discharged, on the suggestion of her doctor, who felt she needed art in her life, she joined the comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB).

“I felt so accepted and alive!” she exclaims. “And after six years, I am completely out of medication. I’ve got my dog. I really, really wanted to create something.”

Even so, the raw honesty of the piece was painful for her.

“This is my whole life, so it is definitely tough to be revealed. I felt naked. I felt completely vulnerable,” Nakajima says. “I never told anything about my history, because it’s so depressing. But then, every time, when I share, people understand. People actually came back to me and said, ‘It happened to me, too. And it helped me that you shared.’ So that’s the reason I started writing. It’s not easy, but it’s almost like a thank you letter to America.”

She found a great source of support in her director, John Flynn, also of UCB, whom she describes as “the finest gentleman.”

“He understands my voice with great empathy and compassion . . . I almost felt like he was another therapist.”

Despite the dark subject matter, Made in America ultimately is a tale of survival, hope and optimism, told by a woman who is happy to be alive and considers herself “your biggest cheerleader on Earth.”

“So it’s not too sad, I hope not,” Nakajima says. “Because I am actually a cheeky person. Don’t assume it’s going to be all sad and teary.”

Original Article:
https://vcreporter.com/2022/07/fringe-benefits-three-hollywood-fringe-gems-come-to-namba-for-the-womens-voices-festival/