Season 4, Episode 17: Hapa Actress Keiko Elizabeth and Playwright Phinneas Kiyomura

LIVE 5/1/17 5PM EASTERN: I am very excited to talk to these talented artists about this new play, Supper, that is getting great reviews at the Theatre of Note.  Don’t miss this talk! -Heidi Durrow

Supper written by Phinneas Kiyomura and starring Keiko Elizabeth follows four super-rich and estranged brothers as they reunite in Japan on the eve of their eldest brother’s wedding. What follows is a strange and savage feast of lies, recriminations, and bitter truths served with a side of jet-black humor.  Supper is a brute farce custom built for this day and age.  It is now playing through May 20, 2017 at the Theatre of Note.  You can find more information and get tickets here.

Keiko Elizabeth is an LA-based actress working in television, film & theatre. Originally from Northern California, Keiko has a degree in Biology from Stanford University and an MFA in Acting from Cal State Fullerton.

Keiko’s came to acting later than most. She went from being pre-med at Stanford with dreams of working with Doctors without Borders, to teaching science to middle schoolers transitioning out of juvenile hall, to helping to found a K-8 school in Oakland. In these arts-rich educational environments, Keiko saw first-hand the power of storytelling to heal and connect communities and individuals.

It was this perspective that prompted her to take to stage for the first time in a community production of The Wizard of Oz, an experience that sparked a curiosity and passion for the craft and process of an actor. Shortly afterward, Keiko was accepted into the MFA program at Cal State Fullerton.

Since graduation, she has worked on numerous TV and film projects, from comedies like Hot in Cleveland and Angie Tribeca, to fan favorites such as Hawaii Five-O and Days of Our Lives. She is still an avid fan of the theatre, and is a company member at Los Angeles’s Theatre of NOTE, where she currently plays Naomi in the world-premiere production of Supper, by Phinneas Kiyomura.

Phinneas Kiyomura is a playwright, television writer, actor, former skate punk, and dad living in Los Angeles, CA.

His plays have been produced at Theatre of NOTE, Padua Playwrights and Sacred Fools, among others. He is a FIND Screenwriters Lab Fellow, an ABC Disney Writers Lab Fellow, winner of the Klasky Csupo writing competition, and was a writer on Twisted (Freeform). He has developed projects for New Regency, Mark Gordon Co., John Glenn, and ABC Studios.

He is currently developing several projects, including: Internment, a passion project inspired by his father’s experiences in the Japanese American Internment Camps, and Ring of Fire, an exploration of faith and madness.

He appears as an actor in upcoming features Kill Me, Deadly and After We Leave. His graphic novel, 442, is now available on the Stēla app for iPhone and Android. His play Supper, a brute farce that slices into the 1%, is currently running in rep at Theatre of NOTE.