Anime, Theatre, and Telenovelas: Cultural Cousins (Pt. I)

Pictured: A production still from Revolutionary Girl Utena: Bud of the White Rose, a musical adaptation of the anime series by the same name.

Note: This podcast was originally created as a part of Theatre Philadelphia’s Content + Criticism Cohort, led by Renee Lucas Wayne.

About the Speakers

Iraisa Ann Reilly (She/Ella) is a writer and performer who is half Cuban, half Irish, and whole New Jersey, with artistic origins in Philadelphia. Her work has been developed with Teatro Del Sol, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Theatre Exile, The New Harmony Project, The Chain Theatre, The Workshop Theatre, NYU Production Lab’s Development Studio and the Latinx Playwright’s Circle. Her plays have been recognized by the Yale Drama Series and The Kennedy Center. She is currently under commission with The Arden Theatre and Michigan State University. Iraisa Ann holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU, B.A. in Theatre and English from the University of Notre Dame. iraisaannreilly.com

Melody Wong (She/Her) is stage manager for Theater Exile’s current season. Recent credits include Dreamgirls with Theater in the X, Di Hati Ku with Fleisher Art Memorial and Modero & Co, In Search of the Kitchen Gods with 1812, Group!, Janet Wide Awake and Ok Trenton with Passage Theatre. Additional credits: SM for TURN! Polly Mope, Lashed but not Leashed, Black Light, The Outer Space, The Kinetic Tree, PIFA 2016 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Minorityland with PowerStreet Theater, The Wiz with Theater in the X, Tiger Style with Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists, Master Harold and the Boys, with EgoPo Classic Theater, Barrymore Awards 2018/2019, ASM Whitman! Contradict this! with Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Assistant to the Director for the live capture of La Triviata, Turandot, The Marriage of Figaro with Opera Philadelphia. Certain communities that Melody belongs to: Temple Alum, Asian Arts Initiative, Philadelphia Chinatown.