Meet the Writer: Rosie Narasaki
Rosie Narasaki is a Los Angeles-based playwright and actor. She can also be found extolling the many virtues of Kylie Jenner for Bustle.com.
Tell us about Visitation Rites.
When I was in college, I had to take a liberal arts core program course on "The Tale of Genji." It was arcane, but awesome—we learned about stuff like Heian Japan, art history, and Buddhism, and we got to watch everything from Noh performances to a fairly recent Japanese drama where Genji was actually played by a woman from the famous Takarazuka acting troupe. What stayed with me most was how modern what's arguably the first documented novel is —it's got soapy romance storylines and catty villains like something straight out of "Jane the Virgin." It's really rich source material, so I thought it might be fun try my own adaptation of part of it.
What inspires your writing?
Cold, blind panic. 24 hours (or less) before a hard deadline is basically the only time I can actually get myself to write. As a more serious answer, I'm really inspired by the weirdness of interpersonal relationships, and the rhythm of natural dialogue.
What kind of theatre excites you?
Call me a square, but I'm a sucker for a plain ol' good story. A plain ol' good story that can really get you invested, and hopefully performances to match. Oh, and like I said, I'm obsessed with dialogue.
What does your writing space look like?
I do most of my writing in the middle of the night while wearing an ancient Pepto Bismol pink fleece jacket. If I'm feeling extra fancy, I also throw on this matching pink fleece lap blanket from Brookstone that I low-key stole from my 101 year-old great-grandmother. It's all SUPER glamorous.
Kylie Jenner or Kim Kardashian?
God, I think I have to go with Kylie—I feel a strange sense of loyalty to her. I mean, she already has the creepiest boyfriend, the deadest eyes, and probably the most plastic surgery of the entire family (and we all know that's saying a lot). On a more positive note, she also has 10 million more Instagram followers than Supermodel™ Kendall, and she's in the midst of building a makeup empire! So, there's that.
See Rosie's play Visitation Rites in Becky and Baldwin's Other Plays on November 5 at Collective Arts Incubator.