LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESENTS ANON(YMOUS) A VIRTUAL STUDY GUIDE WRITTEN BY NAOMI IIZUKA DIRECTED BY SHANNON WALSH LIVE ON ZOOM APRIL 13-18, 2021 STREAMING APRIL 19-25, 2021 WHAT'S INSIDE OUR PRODUCTION – 2 US IMMIGRATION FACTS/TRIVIA – 12 DIRECTOR'S NOTES – 4 THEMES – 13 THE PLAYWRIGHT – 5 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – 14 PLAY SYNOPSIS – 6 WRITING ACTIVITY – 15 THE CHARACTERS – 8 SOURCES & FURTHER READING – 18 STUDY GUIDE DESIGNED BY TIFFANY GILLY -FORRER LSU ANON(YMOUS) STUDY GUIDE PAGE 2 School of Theatre OUR PRODUCTION CAST Anon .................................................................................................................. Natheyon Taylor Nemasani ................................................................................................................ Taren Wilson Naja ..................................................................................................................... Arijana Collins Ritu ........................................................................................................................... Subbah Mir Nasreen .................................................................................................................. Taylor Coffey Mr. Yuri Mackus/Strygal ..................................................................................... Nicholas Russo Calista/Nice American Daughter ................................................................................ Sarah Short Senator Laius/Mr. Zyclo/Nice American Father ........................................................... Grant Ray Helen Laius/Zyclo’s Pet Bird/Nice American Mother/Serza .................................... Robin Talbot Pascal/Ali/Ignacio ...................................................................................... Amechi Obodoechina Belen .................................................................................................................. Yesenia Medina Ensemble: Sewing Ladies, Chorus of Refugees, Barflies ................................ Makaylee Seacrest Brianna Burgan Alyssa Pacaccio Mary Hope McDaniel Elijah Skalinsky "Begin in the middle On the border On the crossing. Begin in the place in between." ANON(YMOUS) STUDY GUIDE PAGE 3 School of Theatre OUR PRODUCTION (CONT'D) PRODUCTION TEAM Playwright .............................................................................................................. Naomi Iizuka Director ......................................................................................................... Dr. Shannon Walsh Stage Manager ................................................................................................... Bailey Desselles Assistant Stage Manager ...................................................................................... Justice Graham Scenic Designer .................................................................................................. Tara A Houston Costume Designer .......................................................................................... Brookelyn LeBlanc Co-Lighting Designer ..................................................................................... Emma Massengale Co-Lighting Designer ....................................................................................... Sydney Hamilton Sound Designer ........................................................................................... Grayson Taylor Sims Props Master .................................................................................................. John Michael Eddy Production Manager and Technical Director ......................................................... James Murphy Lighting Design Mentor and OBS Programmer .................................................................. C. Touchet General Sound Assistant ..................................................................................... Jeremiah Turner Sound Design Mentor ................................................................................................ EunJin Cho Costume Design Mentor ....................................................................................... Suellen Coelho Costume Shop Manager ...................................................................................... Kyla Kazuschyk ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM Producer ......................................................................................................... Kristin Sosnowsky Managing Artistic Director ................................................................................... Vastine Stabler Development/Marketing Associates .......................................... Alan White, Tiffany Gilly-Forrer Program Design ........................................................................................ Marshal Talon Hodges "You dream the face of the one person you love. And that person, that person becomes like home." LSU ANON(YMOUS) STUDY GUIDE PAGE 4 School of Theatre NOTES FROM THE DIRECTOR Naomi Iizuka’s Anon(ymous) takes place in the contact zone between the epic and the intimate. As her teen goddess in the story Naja repeatedly reminds the main character Anon when he feels lost he must, “Begin in the middle. On the border. On the crossing. Begin in the place in between.” In the US we struggle with sitting in the in- between. We tend to prefer beginnings and endings. We like our resolutions and destinations. We forget that most of the time we exist in the middle of our own stories. Perhaps that is why Iizuka chose to adapt Homer’s The Odyssey, the most epic of "In the US we struggle epics, in order to tell the story of the with sitting in the in- collective loss, strength, and humanity of between." refugees. Through Anon’s journey we witness unspeakable acts of cruelty and earth-shattering moments of beauty. Through it all we follow him as he searches for home only to discover with him that home is not what we thought it was but is always on the border, on the crossing, in the place in between. Home is who we carry with us on our journey. ~ Dr. Shannon Walsh LSU ANON(YMOUS) STUDY GUIDE PAGE 5 School of Theatre PLAYWRIGHT NAOMI IIZUKA Naomi Iizuka has written at least a dozen plays and has received many awards for her work, some of which include 17 Reasons (Why), Polaroid Stories, and Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls. Her plays have been produced by Actors Theatre of Louisville, Tectonic Theatre, the Edinburgh Festival, and many more. Her works have been published in a variety of publications including TheatreForum, American Theatre Magazine, and TCG. Ms. Iizuka has been commissioned by the Guthrie Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Kennedy Center, and many other prestigious theatrical institutions. She has received numerous awards for playwriting and currently teaches at University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her M.F.A. from the University of California at San Diego and her bachelor's degree from Yale University. "My name is Naomi Ms. Iizuka spoke with the San Diego Union- Iizuka and I'm from a lot Tribune in an interview titled "Our of different places." Immigrant Story." Ms. Iizuka shared that she is from "a lot of different places" including Japan (where she was born), Jakarta, and Amsterdam. Her family eventually came to the United States when she was in the first grade. She also shared, "My son gives me hope for what it means to be American. I think he and his generation represent the best of us in terms of a country that has a lot of different traditions and a lot of different influences." LSU ANON(YMOUS) STUDY GUIDE PAGE 6 School of Theatre SYNOPSIS SCENES 1-9 At the start of the play, Anon is alone, beginning a story he struggles to remember. A Chorus of Refugees join him, telling their own stories, but Anon cannot remember his. Naja, a goddess, tells him to “Begin in the middle" and Anon starts describing a war. Nemasani, Anon's mother, appears singing an ancient song and Anon attempts to speak to her. He is separated from her by an explosion of white light that transports the story to the sewing factory of Mr. Yuri Mackus. Senator Laius, with his wife Helen, are showsn the factoryy b Mr. Mackus who hires immigrants and refugees, one of which is Nemasani. She sews a shroud that she shares is for her recently deceased son and refuses Mr. Mackus, who desires to marry her, until she is finished with it. She shares a little of her story with Helen Laius, and the story shifts focus to Anon who broods in the company of a young woman, Calista, on an American beach. Anon longs to sail away from this place, but Calista insists it is his home. Calista and Anon argue until Naja appears and invites him into the ocean and they leave a frustrated Calista behind. WIn the middle of the ocean, Anon belives he knows Naja from somewhere, but cannot remember. She tries to remind him and the two characters kiss, after which she warns Anon that he must focus on his survival of the storm as rising waves separate them. Returning to Nemasani in the sewing factory, everyone has gone home except for her and Mrs. Laius, who is still listening to Nemasani's story. Senator Laius returns with Mr. Mackus and Mr. & Mrs. Laius leave. Mr. Mackus forcefully makes advances toward Nemasani, who slaps him and threatens him with the wrath of the gods, after which he exits and the story transitions to a city somewhere in the US. Naja sets a radio down in an alleyway, Nasreen enters taking out trash from a restaurant, and Anon emerges from the dumpster. Nasreen inquires about Anon's name, to which he answers "Koo