A message from RMC Theatre Professor Janet Hayatshahi:

Before we were sent home this semester, the students enrolled in THEA/WRIT381 (Japan and 3/11: Stories of Survival) and I were in the process of creating Beyond the Brokenness, a live theatrical event about the people of Ishinomaki, Japan and the devastation they faced as a result of the Japan earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.

This video is now a placeholder for the full theatre production we are planning to present on campus during our 20/21 season, once it is safe for us all to gather in theatre spaces again.

Working on this mediated version of the story has given us incredible perspective on the power of the arts and storytelling. Though we know full well that the magic of theatre occurs in the places of gathering, where human interaction, our individual heartbeats, and the trillions of human cells co-mingling in space help drive each story forward, we are so pleased to have been able to use our creative energies in this way and to share this event with you.