Natural Shocks

Tokyo International Players (TIP) is proud to return to live theater with a staged reading of NATURAL SHOCKS by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Karen Pauley.

Performed for a limited audience of 12 at Our Space (Hatagaya Station on the Keio New Line), Friday, October 22nd at 7pm; Saturday, October 23rd at 2pm and 7pm; and Sunday, October 24th at 2pm. Tickets are 2500 yen with advance reservation. No walk-ins will be admitted. Strict prevention protocols for COVID-19 will be in place. Visit https://www.tokyoplayers.org/covidguidelines for more information on our protocols and guidelines.

IMPORTANT** Guests will be required to show proof of vaccination OR a negative PCR test from within 48 hours of showtime to attend.

What is a staged reading? Quite simply, it is theater in its purest form: actors, directors, and scripts, with minimal "bells and whistles" to distract from the text itself. Some or all stage directions may be read aloud. Sets, costumes, and lighting effects are reduced to the barest essential. It is perhaps closest in form to a radio play or audiobook, performed for a live audience!

The show features TIP veteran Georgia Ryder as Angela. The production team includes lighting designer Xander Coleman, with stage management by Joan Chen. 

SYNOPSIS: Angela is trapped in her basement, waiting out an approaching tornado. Though a self-proclaimed unreliable narrator, she begins to reflect on a lifetime of trauma, illuminating the truth behind her endangerment. Based on Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy, NATURAL SHOCKS is a damning condemnation of violence, abuse, and firearms in America. 

Content warning:

Domestic abuse, Gun violence

Suitability suggestion:

This show deals with themes of violence and abuse and is most suitable for guests of middle/high school age and up.