Rapid Fire 10 Q

RAPID FIRE 10Q: Reisa Shimojima on Dancing Outside the Lines and Challenging Expectations; Shimojima’s KEDAGORO Dance Troupe at OZ Arts Nashville This Weekend

November 11, 2026 by Jonathan Pinkerton

KEDAGORO, a Japan-based contemporary dance company makes its highly anticipated Music City debut at OZ Arts Nashville on Saturday, November 14, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 15, at 5 p.m. These performances not only launch OZ Arts Nashville’s 14th season but also mark part of KEDAGORO’s first-ever U.S. performances, with the company’s three-city American tour traveling from New York to Greenville, South Carolina, before concluding in Nashville.

Founded by Reisa Shimojima, KEDAGORO has developed a reputation for fearless, thought-provoking work that explores the complexities of human behavior, historical memory, cultural identity and the often uncomfortable questions that shape our understanding of the world. As we discovered during our recent conversation with Shimojma for our latest Rapid Fire 10Q, KEDAGORO’s latest work, The Age is Yours, My Liege! (A Tale of Proto-Japan), ventures into the surreal territory of ancient Japanese culture, imperial mythology, power and national identity.

RAPID FIRE 10Q WITH KEDAGORO’s REISA SHIMOJIMA

JHPENTERTAINMENT: You were born in Kagoshima, Japan, and began dancing at just seven years old, studying everything from jazz to traditional Yosakoi. What first sparked your passion for dance, and did you always envision it becoming your life’s work?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: When I was seven years old, a friend from elementary school invited me to join her at a jazz dance class. At the time, I had absolutely no interest in dance. To be honest, I really didn’t want to take lessons at all. Ever since I was little, I had been fascinated by history. At home, I loved playing games like pretending to be prehistoric humans or acting out wars. However, Kagoshima, where I grew up, is a rural part of Japan with very small, close-knit communities. If you turned down an invitation from a friend, you could suddenly become a target for bullying or even be ostracized by the community. So, reluctantly, I started attending the jazz dance classes.

Then, one day, something rather unexpected happened. My jazz dance teacher started having an affair with the chairman of the Kagoshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Around that time, the chairman wanted to make Kagoshima a more vibrant place and came up with the idea of bringing YOSAKOI, a Japanese festival dance tradition that wasn’t particularly popular in Kagoshima at the time, to the region. And my dance teacher, wanting to win the chairman’s heart, decided to turn the entire jazz dance school into a YOSAKOI dance school! From then on, we spent almost every weekend traveling to YOSAKOI festivals in different parts of Japan, performing to promote Kagoshima. YOSAKOI festivals bring together all kinds of teams from across the country. But what I found fascinating wasn’t just the dancing. There were middle-aged men and women dancing while enjoying alcohol and cigarettes, complicated romantic affairs between members of different teams, and all sorts of messy, very human dramas. It was a world full of raw human behavior, desires, and tangled relationships. I became fascinated by all of it.

And eventually, I started to enjoy dancing. But to be precise, it wasn’t really dancing itself that I fell in love with. I loved using dance as an excuse to observe human behavior and the way people live their lives. Somehow, almost 30 years have passed, and I’ve kept dancing all this time. I never imagined that dance would actually become my profession. Even now, I don’t think dancing itself is my ultimate goal. I suppose I’m still enjoying the many aspects of human life and behavior through dance, using it as my excuse.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: You attended J. F. Oberlin University, where you studied theater and contemporary dance under acclaimed choreographer Kuniko Kisanuki. Your early university work included choreography, composition and directing. While you utilize all three aspects in your creativity, do you primarily consider yourself a choreographer and does your theatrical background influence the way you approach dance today?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: To be honest, I have never really thought of myself as a “choreographer.” What I mean is that I don’t consider myself a choreographer in the conventional sense of the word. My role as a choreographer is not to create choreography, but rather to bring out the errors that already exist within bodies that have been choreographed. What I mean by this is that I believe human beings are naturally choreographed throughout their lives by various environments and cultures. Through this process, our understanding of the body and the ways we use it are gradually shaped. I believe my role is to create various triggers that expose the history embedded in each person’s body, bringing it out into the open and making it visible on stage. I imagine this way of thinking has been influenced by my background in YOSAKOI and theater. But I have also learned a great deal from my dance mentor, Kuniko Kisanuki. She taught me not only about dance, but also about fundamental questions such as what it means to be human and how we should live as human beings.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Originally founded in 2013, KEDAGORO’s official website currently lists six core company members. Tell us a little about the company dynamic. How many performers are traveling with you on this American tour, and what makes this particular group of collaborators click?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: For this American tour, there are four KEDAGORO members, including myself. The other eight dancers were selected through auditions. When I was at university, before founding KEDAGORO, I had formed a dance group with some incredibly skilled dancers. However, relationships between dancers can be extremely complicated. I found myself caught in a dilemma: the higher our ambitions became, the harder it was to keep the group together. Eventually, the group fell apart.

At a time when I was completely at a loss about what to do next, I met the people who are now the core members of KEDAGORO at my university. They were students who didn’t really know what they wanted to do with their lives after graduation. They weren’t particularly enthusiastic about studying performing arts either. They were almost like ghosts, just drifting through university life. So, almost as a last resort, I asked them, “Why don’t we try forming a group and putting on just one performance together?” And somehow, before we knew it, we had been together for 13 years.

We’re a group of people with completely different personalities and interests, but somehow, being together feels very natural. Under the pretext of making work together, we can spend endless hours drinking and talking about all sorts of silly things. That’s the kind of team we are. Of course, that dynamic alone doesn’t always provide the balance we need, and that’s where the dancers selected through auditions come in. They support the group in ways that our core members cannot always provide.

I think dance companies can easily become trapped by certain preconceptions. There’s often an idea that working hard and performing well are the ultimate virtues. But I believe this is one of the most dangerous traps in dance. We also need to embrace the possibility of making mistakes and allow those errors to become fertile ground for creativity. I think the relationship between KEDAGORO’s core members and the audition-selected dancers creates a very delicate and interesting balance. It’s not that one group represents one particular way of thinking and the other represents something completely different. Rather, everyone constantly shifts their positions, changing the direction of the sails as we move forward together.

I also think of it this way: even if we’re all on the same boat, if everyone is looking in the same direction, we won’t notice what’s approaching from behind us. But in this group, although we’re all on the same boat, everyone is looking in a different direction — some looking forward, others backward, and others to the sides. I think that’s what makes KEDAGORO such an interesting team. We move forward together, but we don’t all look at the world from the same perspective.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: A quick Internet search reveals that KEDAGORO is a rather colorful name, reportedly translating to something along the lines of animal droppings on the ground in the Kagoshima dialect. That’s certainly one way to make a memorable first impression! What’s the story behind choosing the name, and have you ever had second thoughts about introducing your company to the world with it?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: As I mentioned earlier, KEDAGORO was originally formed for a one-time performance. So, to be honest, we weren’t particularly attached to the idea of having a company name. We simply wanted something unusual, a name that wouldn’t be used by many other people and would come up at the very top of the search results when someone looked it up online. That’s how we came up with “KEDAGORO.” Well, I suppose it was also a fitting name for a group of people who had been rolling around university like dog shit. We never imagined that we would still be using this name 13 years later. These days, we’ve adopted a slogan that goes something like this: “Even something as dirty and ugly as dog shit can be an essential source of nourishment for flies and other creatures. We want to become something like that for humanity, too.” I’ve never once regretted choosing this company name. If anything, I feel as though the people we were 13 years ago are still encouraging us from behind, saying: “Keep creating work that makes this name something to be proud of. Keep doing things that will never make you regret choosing it!”

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Your work doesn’t exactly shy away from controversial subject matter, tackling everything from the United Red Army incident and the Aum Shinrikyo cult to the Sewol ferry disaster and questions surrounding Japanese national identity. As an artist and choreographer, what excites you most about confronting difficult subjects through dance, and do you see provoking discussion as an essential part of your creative responsibility?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: Because I often deal with social and political themes in my work, people tend to describe my work as journalistic. But actually, I don’t really see it that way myself. I see historical events as important clues that can help us understand human beings. Rather than looking at these events through the information we receive from the media, I want to observe them on a much more cosmic scale through physical expression. I believe that memories dating back hundreds of millions, or even trillions, of years are engraved in our bodies. These memories go far beyond the limits of human thought and emotion. So, in my work, there is no question of taking sides, either for or against something. What exists is simply evidence of the fact that we are human beings.

When I use historical events as the subject of a work, audiences naturally try to find something in it. Depending on their age, gender, and personal life experiences, each person has a different relationship with the event. As a result, a wide range of opinions and reactions emerge. Contemporary dance often deals with abstract themes, but I believe that using specific events that are part of humanity’s collective memory can open up new possibilities for the audience’s imagination. And I myself sometimes discover entirely new interpretations of my own work through the opinions and reactions of the audience. What matters most to me is that the audience creates a world within the work that even the choreographer could never have imagined. I am fully prepared to accept every response from the audience, whether they love my work or absolutely hate it.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Let’s talk about The Age is Yours, My Liege! (A Tale of Proto-Japan). The production takes audiences into a surreal world of ancient Japanese culture, imperial mythology, power and national identity, complete with some rather unexpected theatrical imagery. In a few words, what can audiences expect when they enter this world, and what was the initial spark that inspired you to create this particular piece?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: I’m very curious to know what kind of experience each audience member will have when they see our work. After all, I imagine that Japanese and American audiences may find very different things in the same piece. In fact, even during our performances in New York, there were moments when the audience reacted in ways I hadn’t expected. For me, this is one of the great joys of performing in another country. It’s fascinating to discover how people from different cultural backgrounds respond to our work. I think there are many things about Japan that we become blind to simply because we live in Japan. Actually, what inspired me to create this piece was my experience over the past few years of creating work in various Asian countries. During that time, I encountered many traces and remnants of the period when Japan colonized other Asian countries. As I came across these histories, I found myself wondering: “What exactly is Japan?” That question became the starting point for this work. I would really love to hear your honest thoughts about what you, as American audiences, experience and feel when you watch it. My hope is that when people leave the theater after seeing our work, they feel that something has shifted, even just a little, in the way they see the world and other human beings.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: I understand this production marks Kedagoro’s North American debut, with a three-city American tour taking you from New York to Greenville, South Carolina, and ultimately to Music City at OZ Arts Nashville. What’s most exciting about bringing your creative vision to American audiences for the very first time, and is there anything in particular you’re curious to discover about how audiences here will respond?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: Japan and the United States have had deep historical ties, and that relationship continues to this day. How does this work look from the perspective of a country that decided to keep the Emperor on the throne after World War II? And how do Americans see the Japanese people? More than anything, I am looking forward to hearing your honest opinions. They don’t have to be positive ones.

My aim is to interpret the world through my work. I hope to hear discussions and discover perspectives that I could never have imagined myself. That, to me, is what makes a work come alive. It’s what gives it blood flowing through its veins. I hope that American audiences will breathe new life into this work and give it a new existence through their own perspectives and responses.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: You’ve remarked that KEDAGORO was built around your belief that “dance is a method for interpreting the world.” Now here you are presenting your latest piece to U.S. audiences. Any hopes of discovering future collaborators while here in the states?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: Yes! So far, I’ve had many opportunities to collaborate with artists from across Asia and Europe, and I would really love to meet potential collaborators here in the United States as well. I don’t necessarily want to focus directly on political issues between Japan and the United States. What I would really like to explore is the kind of chaos that might emerge when bodies from these two countries come into collision with one another. As long as I’m alive, I want to keep exploring the world. So, to everyone here in the United States, I sincerely hope we can connect and create something together. I look forward to meeting you!

JHPENTERTAINMENT: While researching our conversation, I came across a quote from you that I absolutely love: “After I decided to do dance seriously, I ‘bared my fangs’ and adopted an attitude that I would kick my heels up and do things no one expected!” I love that rebellious spirit! For the next generation of dancers and choreographers who might be afraid to take creative risks or march to the beat of their own drum, what advice would you offer?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: Of course, having your own passion and beliefs is important. But if you want to stay true to what you believe in and keep following your own path, you need people by your side. I want you to find people who believe in you and support you, people who will help protect your passion and your convictions. I think the reason I was able to make the decision to pursue dance seriously was because I had people around me. Taking artistic risks is never easy. There will inevitably be times when you get hurt, when you lose faith in yourself, and when you start to doubt everything. So, rather than focusing on creating good or interesting work, I want you to focus on finding your comrades — people who share your vision and are willing to walk alongside you. And work hard to put yourself out there and meet those people. I believe that truly interesting work begins there. The world is vast. There are absolutely people out there who will become your allies. Dancers and choreographers should believe that first and foremost. Don’t worry so much about your own artistic talent.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: And finally, after audiences experience The Age is Yours, My Liege! (A Tale of Proto-Japan), what do you hope the production sparks in their minds? What questions, conversations or perhaps even a little controversy would you like them to take with them when they leave the theater?

REISA SHIMOJIMA: I want you to feel both the foolishness of humanity and how deeply lovable we are. This may sound harsh, but I believe that as long as human beings remain human, war will never come to an end. However, I believe that if we can release some of our deepest, hidden human desires within the fictional world of performing arts, we may be able to reduce conflict, even if only a little, in the real world. That is precisely why I believe theaters and works of performing art exist: to bear the weight of the world’s distortions. In other words, I invite you, the audience, to become accomplices in this shared time and space. As accomplices, you have every right to question, challenge, criticize, or debate anything about this work. I sincerely hope you will share your thoughts and reactions with me. A work does not end when it is presented to an audience. In fact, that is where it begins. I look forward to beginning this journey with all of you, together with this work!

Shimojima’s answers offer a fascinating glimpse into an artist who sees dance as far more than movement, technique or choreography. Whether she’s recounting an unconventional introduction to the art form, explaining the rather memorable origins of her company’s name, or inviting audiences to become accomplices in an exploration of humanity’s contradictions, one thing is abundantly clear: KEDAGORO isn’t particularly interested in playing it safe. And perhaps that’s precisely the point. As Shimojima reminds us, a performance doesn’t end when the curtain comes down. That’s where the conversation begins.

Nashville audiences will have their opportunity to join that conversation when KEDAGORO presents The Age is Yours, My Liege! (A Tale of Proto-Japan) at OZ Arts Nashville on Saturday, November 14, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 15, at 5 p.m. The performances open OZ Arts Nashville’s 14th season and are part of the dance company’s historic first U.S. tour. Come with an open mind, bring your curiosity and don’t be afraid to have an opinion. Reisa Shimojima and KEDAGORO are ready to hear it.

Ticket options include:

Artist & Creative Community (discounted, no code required) $25
General Admission $35
Generous Admission (I love this one!) $45

CLICK HERE for tickets.

Next up at OZ Arts Nashville as Season 14 continues its New York-based hip hop spoken word artist Dahlak Brathwaite‘s Try/Step/Trip Friday and Saturday, December 4 & 5 at 8pm. CLICK HERE for more info or to purchase tickets. To keep up with all things OZ Arts, find them HERE or follow them on Facebook, X, YouTube and Insta.

For all things KEDAGORO, CLICK HEREor follow them on Insta, Facebook, X and YouTube.

As always, If you want to read our latest on Music, Movies, Performing or Visual Arts, please check out JHPEntertainment online or socials at Facebook, Insta, X and Threads. Till then…. #GoSeeTheShow!

Rapid Fire 10Q with Vegard Wikne, lead vocalist of Norway’s Dobbeltgjenger; new single ‘F.M.L.’ available on all platforms Friday, January 12

January 13, 2024 by Jonathan Pinkerton

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of F.M. L., the newest single from Norwegian rockers Dobbeltgjenger. One listen is all it took. With the Friday, January 12 release of their latest single serving as an introduction to North American audiences courtesy a streaming distribution partnership with newly formed Soundcrest Music Group, I knew I needed to know more about the band. To that end, I chatted with lead singer Vegard Wikne for the latest installment of my recurring interview feature, Rapid Fire.

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JHPENTERTAINMENT: As we begin, I have to tell you I love the name of the band. In fact, I have long said that doppelgänger, the 19th century spelling, is my favorite word. What went into deciding to name the band Dobbeltgjenger?

DOBBELTGJENGER’s VEGARD WIKNE: Thank you! Well, we were actually called Doppelganger the first couple of weeks, but ended up changing it to the Norwegian version, Dobbeltgjenger. It was originally a Twin Peaks reference and I just loved the feel of the name! And nobody else is called that!

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Dobbeltgjenger, being based in Norway, might not be familiar quite yet to American audiences. Let’s change that! For those not familiar, who’s who in Dobbeltgjenger?

DOBBELTGJENGER’s VEGARD WIKNE: I (Vegard Wikne) write most of the songs, sing and play the guitar (and now sampler!) live.

Jone Kuven is our trusted bassist and bass-synthist!

Bastian Veland plays the guitar and synths.

Sondre Veland (Bastian’s cousin) plays drums and piano.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: How long has Dobbeltgjenger been together?

DOBBELTGJENGER: This line up (the final form!) has been together since around 2020. The band Vegard and friends has been going since the first album in 2015.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: Your new single is F.M.L. but that acronym is a flip of what most people might initially think it stands for. How did you come up with the clever wordplay for the single?

DOBBELTGJENGER’s VEGARD WIKNE: The song was written about my ADHD, and the demo for it was called F.M.L. for some reason, haha. Probably a bad ADHD day… Then I really wanted to hold on to that title and wrote the chorus and made it an acronym for Feed Me Love. The concept revolves around ADHD and the fleeting connection with other people, with a juxtaposition of the intense need for love and closeness.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: How did F.M.L. come to be your newest single?

DOBBELTGJENGER’s VEGARD WIKNE: It was one of the more driving and «hooky» songs of our bunch of songs (that will be released as an album in June). Just felt like a single!

JHPENTERTAINMENT: F.M.L. is quite the earworm: catchy melody and clever lyrics. How would you describe the song musically?

DOBBELTGJENGER’s VEGARD WIKNE: The song started with a mission: to make a song that sounds like ADHD. So I would describe it as kind of hectic, relentless and driving alternative rock/pop song. The song started with the jumpy synths that kind of reminded me of thoughts jumping around in ones head. And then I wanted a pumping and kind of random drum beat, with these crazy random fills, haha. I really think it sounds like the inside of my head.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: On the subject of the lyrics, my favorite F.M.L. lyric comes at the end of the first verse, “Life is a test for me, but I’m a bumblebee. Heavy and small-winged beast. I’m gonna fly even though I can’t.” Is there a lyric within F.M.L. that really speaks to you?

DOBBELTGJENGER: It’s probably that one. That line is the hope in the song. The resilience. Even though you have your dispositions, circumstances and things going against you, you go even harder at life to overcome it. You can fly even though you can’t, like a bumblebee.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: F.M.L. has a decidedly different vibe than Rocket Shoes, your 2022 release. And a quick search online categorizes Dobbeltgjenger as alt-rock…can Dobbeltgjenger be defined by one genre?

DOBBELTGJENGER’s VEGARD WIKNE: The short answer to that is probably no. The slightly longer answer is that we really don’t want to limit our music to a single genre. The most important thing to me is making music that feels real and that it feels interesting and engaging to me and the others in the band.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: The F.M.L. single artwork is by Canadian graphic artist Sierra McLean. McLean also provided cover art for your previous album The Twins and the aforementioned Rocket Shoes single. What is it about McLean’s visual aesthetic that embodies Dobbeltgjenger‘s sound and creative spirit?

DOBBELTGJENGER’s VEGARD WIKNE: I love Sierra’s art so much. I stumbled over her work on Tiktok last year and have worked closely with her ever since. She just has this playful but at the same time melancholic feel to her work, which I love and also think fits our music well.

JHPENTERTAINMENT: With the release of F.M.L., you’re working for the first time with newly formed Soundcrest Music Group for North American distribution and promotion. How excited are you for this new partnership and the prospect of more exposure in the US?

DOBBELTGJENGER’s VEGARD WIKNE: We are all super excited about this! This is the first time we have had any type of representation in the US and it’s just amazing to have people working to get our music out of Europe and into, hopefully, a lot of American ears!

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To check out Dobbeltgjenger’s new single, F.M.L., CLICK HERE. Wanna keep up with the band? Check them out on their OFFICIAL SITE, or give them a follow on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Tiktok.

If you’ve enjoyed this latest Rapid Fire, be sure and CLICK HERE to check out previous conversations. if you are interested in coverage for your latest entertaining endeavor, simply click the contact page and drop me a note. You can also follow JHP Entertainment on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Till then, #ListenToTheMusic!

Rapid Fire Q&A with Pipeline-Collective’s David Ian Lee; ‘Star Wars Holiday Special LIVE’ staged reading at Jamison Hall tonight, Wednesday, December 11

December 11, 2019 by Jonathan Pinkerton

Having made my parents stand in line at the Belle Meade Theatre back in the spring of 1977 to be among the first of my friends to see the original Star Wars movie, you better believe I eagerly sat inches away from my 13″ black and white TV in my bedroom later that next year to tune into The Star Wars Holiday Special. You also better believe I totally geeked out when I heard Pipeline-Collective‘s Producing Artistic Director David Ian Lee was assembling some of Nashville’s favorite theatre folk to recreate the classic, beloved and yes, oft ridiculed holiday special LIVE on stage!

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….OK, OK,…last week–by way of email–I I had the chance to pose a few questions to Lee for the latest installment t of my recurring interview feature, Rapid Fire as he and his cast prepared to go where no man has gone before….Oh, wait! Wrong franchise…as he and some of my theatre crushes take to The Factory at Franklin‘s Jamison Hall on Wednesday, December 11 to present a one-night-only staged reading of The Star Wars Holiday Special benefitting Make-A-Wish.

RAPID IFIRE WITH THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL LIVE DIRECTOR, DAVID IAN LEE

JHP: I’m old enough to have actually tuned into the one and only televised broadcast of the original Star Wars Holiday Special. When did you first become aware of it?

DAVID IAN LEE: Growing up you’d hear whispers about the special, but the whole thing sounded like a fever dream or like some kind of prank. In the late 90s – as the Internet became a thing and George Lucas started to talk about making Episodes I, II, and III –clips and images began to circulate, and any evidence that the special had once existed was like catnip. In 2003 I bought a bootleg on eBay, and when the package arrived I felt I’d obtained explicit contraband. I took a day off of work to watch it, I was so pumped… and then I watched it. Whatever you’ve heard about The Star Wars Holiday Special – however you might imagine it in your mind – it’s like the Grand Canyon or The Matrix: You have to see it for yourself.

JHP: Where did the idea come from to present a staged reading of the special?

DAVID IAN LEE: My wife, Karen also happens to be my co-Producing Artistic Director, which means that we talk a lot about Pipeline and also a lot about Star Wars; or, maybe more accurately, she listens to me talk a lot about Star Wars. I call myself a Completist in that I watch and I love it all: The original films, the prequels, the Ewok movies, every animated series, and, yes, even the Holiday Special. About a year ago I got my hands on a copy of an original shooting script, and an idea began to form that we might adapt the text into a staged reading: We’d retain as much dialogue as possible, translate descriptive action into narration, and substitute any copy written music with more earthly holiday songs. And we’d lean into the camp. I’d tell people about my half-ironic passion project, and I was encouraged that responses ranged from enthusiastic to emphatic that we had to do this. Karen wasn’t sold right away; the Holiday Special is an obscure bit of ephemera for folks who haven’t seen it, and for people who have… Well, they’ve seen it. While I was away on a job this summer I spent my downtime adapting the shooting script, and when I got home we had a reading of the piece in our living room with a bunch of friends and collaborators. Everyone’s sides hurt from laughing, and with that the die was cast for A Very Special Live Staged Reading of The Star Wars Holiday Special: LIVE, On Stage… and Special! (or AVSLSRoTSWHS:LOS…AS! for short), provided we could find the right charitable organization to support and a space that would have us. The second concern resolved itself when Benji Kern generously offered Studio Tenn’s space on a dark night to stage the reading.

JHP: For those not familiar, can you tell me a bit about Pipeline-Collective?

DAVID IAN LEE: Pipeline-Collective’s work is guerilla-style, with emphasis on the craft of the actor, dynamic storytelling, and theatrical magic on a shoestring budget. We foster relationships and collaborations that cross state lines and into non-arts realms. Through innovative programming such as the Playground Series (which seeks to make “dark nights” a thing of the past), The Salon (a new works project run in collaboration with Studio Tenn), and theatrical benefits that call attention to the work of charitable organizations, Pipeline-Collective extends the reach of the arts, empowering theatremakers to tell their stories.

JHP: The special performance will benefit Make A Wish Foundation. How did this partnership occur?

DAVID IAN LEE: Pipeline’s inaugural production was Anne Nelson’s The Guys, presented on the anniversary of September 11^th by a team almost entirely comprised of expat New Yorkers. Proceeds benefited the FealGood Foundation, whose mission is in service of first responders. We found such value in that project that now about once a year Pipeline presents a theatrical event intended to raise awareness of and funds for a charitable organization. When we decided to explore an adaption of The Star Wars Holiday Special, we knew that we wanted to create a theatrical benefit, but finding the appropriate charitable organization took some time. The 501^st Legion is such a wonderful organization, with a mission equally devoted to having fun and doing good work. The 501^st Legion Make-A-Wish Endowment Fund allows Make-A-Wish America and Make-A-Wish International to grant Star Wars-related wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. We’re thrilled to do our small part to contribute to this worthy cause.

JHP: What can you tell me about the cast you’ve assembled for the staged reading?

DAVID IAN LEE: The problem with this cast is that they’re all impossibly brilliant, and every one of them – in a “normal” show – could be regarded as a ringer. Of course, AVSLSRoTSWHS:LOS…AS! is anything but normal, and when you’ve got a cast overflowing with ringers it means that what you really have is just a damn fine cast. There are too many people to single out individually, and I don’t want to give anyone short shrift, so let’s just say I just cannot believe our good fortune to have such a company. We’ve been posting images of our performers to Facebook and Instagram, so folks should check out the embarrassment of riches there. We have such a marvelous aggregation of Nashville’s theatrical talent!

JHP: Most staged readings are simply actors sitting on stage reading the script, but the show is billed as A Very Special LIVE staged reading The Star Wars Holiday Special, Live on stage…and SPECIAL! So, I gotta ask…what makes it so special?

DAVID IAN LEE: Well, a fine dose of hyperbole and humor goes a long way towards making the case for satire, but also – though our reading has great affection for the Holiday Special – we do treat the 1978 variety show as a jumping-off place, resulting in what Lucas might have called “a few new surprises.” Our narrative is streamlined, and our musical numbers are intended to evoke the spirit of the original special while commenting on the absurdity of the whole endeavor – plus, we send folks back into the street giddy with holiday cheer. And, I mean, how many staged readings feature appearances by the Dark Lord of the Sith and the man with the bag?

JHP: As a legit fan of the original special, which includes an animated segment that introduced Boba Fett, a full two years before his film debut in 1980’s Empire Strikes Back, I’m curious…how do you plan on presenting that in the staged reading?

DAVID IAN LEE: Tragically, certain aspects of the original special didn’t translate to our reading, including a ten-minute animated sequence created by Nelvana Ltd. People have fond memories of this sequence: the animation is cool, the voice performances include Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill, and Boba Fett is introduced in appropriately mysterious and sinister fashion. For a time, we explored different ways of translating the animated sequence to the reading; we talked about puppets, about acting the sequence out with action figures, about piping the actual audio into the theatre. But, at the end of the day, a problem remained that the animated sequence itself is a self-contained in-universe short film that Chewbacca’s son, Lumpy, watches in order to distract himself from dangerous Stormtroopers that have forced their way into his home. We wanted to keep our focus on Chewie and his family, and so: This is the way. Still, for those seeking some sweet, sweet Mandalorian action, might I strongly recommend Disney+.

JHP: Another aspect of the original special that I love was the appearance of Diahann Carroll as Mermiah, a holographic entertainer. I totally stan Meggan Utech, who’s cast as Mermiah. What can you divulge about her performance?

DAVID IAN LEE: Do not allow my previous answer to crush your spirits on Life Day: Oh, Mermeia absolutely appears in our reading! How could she not? The infamous sequence in which Chewbacca’s father, Itchy, is given a mind-evaporator cassette by Art Carney and conjures up a Holographic WOW is, frankly, one of the things that drives people to seek out bootlegs of The Star Wars Holiday Special. The original sequence is readily available on YouTube – as is the full special – and I strongly encourage anyone curious as to why the special is considered to be something halfway between camp and a synaptic breakdown to check it out. Meggan’s Mermeia is delightful, evoking the spirit of Diahann Carroll’s iconic performance while finding her own fun, playful, flirtatious take on the character. Instead of This Minute Now, she’ll be singing a song that’s equally appealing while in the vein of our take on the material.

JHP: Pipeline-Collective’s AVSLSRoTSWHS:LOS…AS! is a one-night-only event. Any chance for a fully fleshed-out stage production with an extended run in the future?

DAVID IAN LEE: Here and now there’s so much spectacular storytelling happening in Star Wars: I was in California for the opening weekend of Galaxy’s Edge (which means I’ve yet to experience Rise of the Resistance). All I want for Christmas is Jedi: Fallen Order (and I know my co-Producing Artistic Director is reading this, so that’s a cheap plug). The Mandalorian and Resistance are great television programs. And, of course, a week after our reading I have tickets to Rise of Skywalker. But… Who knows? Pipeline has yet to announce our summer programming. And always in motion is the future.

JHP: What’s you holiday wish for family and friend this Life Day season?

DAVID IAN LEE: I try to write a daily inspirational quote on my office door. The only quote I repeat is Princess Leia, from The Star Wars Holiday Special, which I write every year at this time: “No matter how different we appear, we’re all the same in our struggle against the powers of evil and darkness. I hope that this day will be a day of joy, in which we can reconfirm our dedication and our courage. And, more than anything else, our love for one another. This is the promise of the Tree of Life.”

What better way to end out chat than with a quote from Princess Leia herself? As for AVSLSRoTSWHS:LOS…AS!, you’re only hope of witnessing this one-night-only benefit event at Jamison Hall inside The Factory at Franklin (230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN) is to CLICK HERE to purchase tickets. This event is General Admission. All tickets are $15. Members of The 501st Legion will be on-hand to take photos with those in attendance so be sure and arrive when the doors open at 6:30p.m. to give yourself time to enjoy an extra bit of fun before the 7:30p.m. curtain.

Can make it tonight, but feeling generous as Life Day approaches, CLICK HERE to make a donation to Make-A-Wish.

To keep up with the latest from Pipeline-Collective, find them online at Pipeline-Collective.com, ’like’ them on Facebook and Instagram.

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