Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria
Did Yoko Ono really break up The Beatles? Was Gloria Abe Chapman somehow responsible for John Lennon’s murder? Why do all these egotistical white guys marry Asian women? That’s weird, right? These questions keep Ruby Okamoto up at night. She‘s getting answers—even if she has to summon all of Asian America into her insomniatic fever dream.
The Writers
Brandy Hoang Collier (Book) is a poet, playwright and paradox from deep in the heart of Texas. She unravels conventions and incites chaos through paradigm-shifting storytelling, radically compassionate work practices and general vibes. Selected works include Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria (5th Avenue Theatre Commission, Civilians R&D Group, Orchard Project, O’Neill NMTC) and The Blazing World (Polyphone Festival). In 2020, she co-founded Root Beer Occasion Theatre Company with business partner Jessie Field and orchestrated several online productions at the height of the pandemic. Collier proudly identifies as Asian-American, disabled, queer and utterly charming. brandyhoangcollier.com
Clare Fuyuko Bierman (Lyrics) is a playwright and lyricist raised in a Japanese-Jewish home with some rabbits, a snake and a bunch of finches. Recent: Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria (5th Avenue Commission, Civilians R&D, Orchard Project, O’Neill Conference), The People vs. American Cheese (American Opera Project), Theseus and the Minotaur and the Other Six (Youth Theatre Northwest Commission) and VISARE (New Voices Winner, Vivace Award Nomination). She has participated in the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Play Festival and Broadway’s Future Songbook Series. MFA New York University, Musical Theatre Writing. clarebierman.com
Erika Ji (Music) is a cross-genre composer-storyteller who loves soaring melodies, dream worlds and stories that challenge our preconceptions about what is true, good or worth wanting. Her work has premiered at Lincoln Center and the Public. Recent projects, in addition to Gloria: VISARE (New Voices Winner, Vivace Award Nomination), Starsong (Rattlestick, Sound Bites). As conductor-pianist-vocalist, Erika performs on Broadway (Kimberly Akimbo) and national TV (CBS Sunday Morning). Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriter, NYU Tisch MFA Fellow. The proud daughter of Chinese immigrants, Erika studied computer science & philosophy at Stanford and built products at Dropbox before deciding to follow the music. erikaji.com
Development History
Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria was originally commissioned by Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre in 2021. With their support, the show received both a table reading at the 5th Ave and a 29-hour reading at Playwright’s Horizons in 2022. In 2023, Gloria participated in The Civilians’ R&D Group, culminating in another 29-hour reading, with additional funding from the 5th Avenue and NAMT via the Frank Young Fund for New Musicals. By the end of summer 2023, Gloria and its writers will have participated in both the Orchard Project Performance Lab as well as the O’Neill National Music Theater Conference.