The Short One:
Described as “serious whimsy” in The Washington Post, Hamashima creates theater with an emphasis on spectacle, surprise, and design. Full-length plays include American Spies (Washington, D.C., The Hub Theatre, Helen Hayes Recommended, 2018 Kennedy Center Undergraduate Playwriting Award and the University of Michigan Hopwood Award in Drama, Dennis McIntyre Prize, and Roy Cowden Fellowship), Supposed Home (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Seattle Public Theater), Shoyu Tell (Lexington Children’s Theatre), Possessing the Resurrected (San Francisco Playhouse). Hamashima’s work has been presented and/or developed by the Kennedy Center, Stanford University, National Queer Theater, Lyric Stage Boston, the Workshop Theater, and the Japanese American Citizens League. They are the 2nd recipient of Seattle Public Theater’s $10,000 Emerald Prize. They are currently under commission from Chicago Children’s Theatre. Hamashima is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Musical Theater program Rep: United Talent. |
The Long One:
Described as “serious whimsy” in The Washington Post, Hamashima creates with an emphasis on spectacle, surprise, and design. Hamashima is a multidisciplinary artist. They work primarily in the mediums of performance, literary, and visual. Hamashima is primarily driven by a passion for identity, a love for human expression, and a mission to share their message of personal autonomy. As a theatrical writer, Hamashima’s works have been presented throughout the United States. Their play, American Spies, swept the Hopwood Awards at the University of Michigan before being chosen for the prestigious Kennedy Center Undergraduate Playwriting Award. This first play by Hamashima went on to a world premiere at The Hub Theatre in the DC-Metro Area. American Spies finished its run with a Helen Hayes Recommendation and listed as one of the best theater events for the summer 2019. (The Washington Post.) American Spies continues to reach audiences on Spotify with an audio production recorded in January 2023 with The Parsnip Ship in New York. Supposed Home, their second play, garnered national attention. As the winner of the 2019 Emerald Prize, Hamashima received a $10,000 Commission Award to create an innovative play synthesizing anime, the Japanese American Concentration Camps, and poetry. Supposed Home has reached audiences in Seattle (Seattle Public Theater, staged reading), San Francisco (Bay Area Playwrights Festival, staged reading), and Silicon Valley (Theatreworks Silicon Valley and Stanford University, staged reading) among others. Hamashima’s theatrical writing continues to find audiences throughout the nation. Their play Role for Initiative had a significant presence in the downtown theater scene of New York City. Starting as a ten minute play at The Flea (Serials) and expanding to a full length play performed at Ars Nova. Notable short works include I Like It Rough (performed at The Eagle with National Queer Theater), and their play, Garden State, which is in permanent residence at the Library of Congress (Covid-19 Response Collection). Garden State was then used as part of a writers program for Trans Youth Sam brought to their hometown of Cary, North Carolina. Education and the Arts are naturally linked for Sam Hamashima. A proud graduate of a public high school, Hamashima finds purpose and joy in educating the next generation of queer artists. Hamashima lectured at Stanford Humanities Center, presented their poetry anthology at the Japanese American Citizens League Convention in Las Vegas, and led a writing workshop for the students of the Stanford Asian American Theater Project. They also teach with New Alternatives, a resource center for homeless queer and trans youth as well as with National Queer Theater. Their Queerness and their Asian Heritage braid together often in their work. Hamashima’s Solo Show: BANANA had its world premiere at the Provincetown Theater before a one-night performance at Prime Produce in Midtown Manhattan. BANANA continues to be in development. Reaching the next generation is imperative to Hamashima’s artistic practice. With this mission in mind, writing Theater for Young Audiences is something Hamashima has begun to explore. Their play Shoyu Tell premiered at Lexington Children’s Theater. Their next TYA work is currently under development with Chicago Children’s Theater. Hamashima is a proud recipient of the New York State Council of the Arts Commission Grant. With The Movement Theatre Company, a Harlem-based Theatrical Organization, Hamashima plans to write 卵:TAMAGO. Translating to english, EGG is a science fiction body-horror play. This ambitious allegory about the differences White People and Asian People face is just beginning its development process. Hamashima’s impact on the world of theatre is undeniable. Whether it’s sharing their perspective on higher education in American Theater Magazine (“MFA or the Highway?") or going viral on TikTok for their sign at the March On Broadway, Hamashima journey is a testament to the power of creativity and originality. As they continue to contribute to the American Theater, they strive to disrupt inequitable systems while keeping audiences laughing along the way. |