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Snow Falling on Cedars

Snow

Snow Falling On Cedars Trailer from Portland Center Stage on Vimeo.

Snow Falling on Cedars
adapted for the stage by Kevin McKeon
from the book by David Guterson
On the Main Stage
January 12 to February 7, 2010

Adapted for the stage by Seattle’s Book-it Repertory Theatre (the people who brought us Pride and Prejudice), Northwestern author David Guterson’s haunting story takes place in 1954, on a Puget Sound island so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. The island’s white and Japanese-American communities have lived in quiet but uneasy peace, even through the dark days of WWII internment camps and widespread anti-Japanese war hysteria. But when Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with murder and it turns out that his wife’s spurned white lover Ishmael holds the information that could set him free, the island’s secret prejudices, jealousies and ancient grievances threaten to boil over into an act of injustice from which there can be no return.

The running time for Snow Falling on Cedars is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, with one intermission.

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10 comments

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Betsy said in 1-11-2010 @ 11:33:35

Thank You for posting the Resource Guide promptly. We count on reading them before the performances to enhance our appreciation!

Laura said in 1-15-2010 @ 11:01:49

After reading the book, Snow Falling on Cedars, I wondered how the director, Chris Coleman, was going to even start to turn this into a stage show. I mean, seriously, boats, hiding in an ancient cedar tree location on a small island in the Pugent Sound with choppy water and snow and characters reflecting about their past and present…all in front of a live audience. How? It took a little imagination, but Chris pulled it off and left me with a mini history refresher course of the anti-Japanese WWII hysteria in our country. This is an excellent show. If you do see the show, check out the amazing art work and information upstairs about Japanese Internment camps.

Theatre Review - Snow Falling on Cedars - Macktastic said in 1-18-2010 @ 16:14:23

[...] took me to see Snow Falling on Cedars at Portland Center Stage today. It was so awesome! The Armory is such a cool theatre and the production was top notch. [...]

Geoff K said in 1-20-2010 @ 17:15:04

Amazing show. We gave it one of our highest recommendations yet:
http://www.onpdx.com/theater/snow-falling-on-cedars-at-portland-center-stage-reviewed/

Kathy Krall said in 1-21-2010 @ 08:19:30

We saw Snow Falling On Cedars last week. It was wonderful to see a NW story done so well on stage. The lead actress was outstanding.

However, I wondered why no mention was made in the program notes to Oregon’s poet laureate, Lawson Fusao Inada. He has written extensively about the internment experience, and edited a wonderful book, Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese American Internment Experience. His poetry volume Legends from Camp (1992), received the American Book Award and was featured on CBS Sunday Morning. He is a winner of the Governor’s Arts Award (1997), the Oregon Book Award (for Drawing the Line, 1997), and the Pushcart Prize (1996) for poetry.

I highly recommend his books.

Mark S said in 1-21-2010 @ 09:31:41

We took our 12 year son to this last night and it was surprisingly good. Loved the book and hated the movie. I have certain visions from the book that were etched in my mind over the years and they actually brought it to the stage. The one part of the book that was not represented on stage was Guterson’s deep connection to the rare snow storm. That was a big part of the book to me but probably not to everybody.

Margaret Lapic said in 1-27-2010 @ 11:57:20

Thank you for publishing the running time. It is sometimes quite important to us out of town members. We are looking forward to seeing the show tomorrow!

Connie said in 1-27-2010 @ 21:42:03

You owe it to yourself to see this amazing production. It was exceptional and I have thought about it many time since I saw it about two weeks ago. The staging, direction, acting… everything is purely phenomenal.

jill said in 1-31-2010 @ 19:19:56

We feel so fortunate to have been able to see this play. If you liked the play, you might find interesting “Stubborn Twig” by Lauren Kessler; and “Looking Like the Enemy” by Mary Matsuda Gruenewald. Both books tell true stories that support the story of Snow Falling on Cedars. “Stubborn Twig” is about the Japanese families living in Hood River, Oregon. “Looking Like the Enemy” is about the Japanese experience on Vashon Island.

One Tank Trips: The Flying Salmon in Portland - The Flying Salmon said in 2-3-2010 @ 16:34:04

[...] a vibrant theater scene. While in town, The Portland Center Stage invited me to a showing of Snow Falling on the Cedars, a story about the Japanese-American internment camps of WWII and the racism in the years [...]

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