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James Yaegashi

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James Yaegashi BIO

James was born in Yokohama and raised in rural Yamagata, Japan. He moved to the U.S. after high school and earned a BA in literature from Wheaton College and an MFA in acting and directing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

James is based in NYC, working as an actor, director, translator, and writer. Many fans know him as Robert Minoru from Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu. He has originated many roles on and off Broadway, including Sarah Ruhl’s The Oldest Boy, Richard Greenberg’s Take Me Out (2003 Tony Award for Best Play), A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, John Guare’s A Few Stout Individuals, and Julia Cho’s Durango. His credits also include characters in world-premiere stage adaptations of literary classics, such as Yunioshi in Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s on Broadway and Toru in Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle at the Edinburgh Int’l Festival and the Singapore Arts Festival.

For the stage, he has directed My Friend Has Come for the Asian American Writers Workshop, Dancing with the Bird at the Japan Society in New York, “Clippy and Ms. U” for Ma-Yi Studios, and Ready or Not and It’s a Jungle Out There for the 52nd Street Project Playmaking series. He made his filmmaking debut in ’11 with Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty, which won Best Feature in the DIY film competition at Northside Festival, a trendsetter art festival in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

James was the conceiver of the theater benefit “SHINSAI: Theaters for Japan” which took place on March 11, 2012, the one-year anniversary of the disasters in Japan, with participation from nearly 100 theaters, internationally. He also collaborates frequently with Japanese artists, translating award winning contemporary Japanese plays and subtitling major Japanese studio films.

James Yaegashi Photos

James Yaegashi STAGE CREDITS

[Off-Broadway]
The Civilians and 59E59 Theaters' Off-Broadway Premiere, 2020
Yasuhiro

[Off-Broadway]
Lincoln Center Theater Production, 2014
Father

[Broadway]
2013
Performer

[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 2005
Bill Lapin

[Broadway]
Broadway Transfer, 2003
Takeshi Kawabata

House Rules (Off b'way) Ma-Yi Theater 2016, Rod



Durango (Off b'way) The Public 2006, Isaac



Richard III (Off b'way) The Public 2004, Tyrell



Take Me Out (Off b'way) The Public 2002, Kawabata



A Few Stout Individuals (Off b'way), The Signature 2002, Emperor of Japan



James Yaegashi Movies

Spin the Bottle
[ 1999 ] Cole
The Thomas Crown Affair
[ 1999 ] Crown Acquisitions Executive
Lisa Picard Is Famous
[ 2000 ] Alex
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
[ 2001 ] Legal Assistant
Superheroes
[ 2007 ] James
Noise
[ 2007 ] Japanese Businessman
The Collective
[ 2008 ] The Janitor
Man on a Ledge
[ 2012 ] Police Technician
Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty
[ 2012 ] producer
The Human Trust
[ 2013 ] translator

James Yaegashi TV Shows

Runaways
Robert Minoru

James Yaegashi Videos

James Yaegashi News


VIDEO: Watch a Chat with Ralph B. Peña, Director of SUMO at La Jolla Playhouse


Watch Ralph B. Peña, director of SUMO, reveal how the team approached the fight choreography in the show, as well as finding the challenging balance between the spiritual and competitive aspects of the sport in this new video from La Jolla Playhouse!

VIDEO: Watch a Chat with James Yaegashi, Cultural/Martial Arts Consultant & Co-Fight Director of SUMO at La Jolla Playhouse


Watch James Yaegashi, Cultural/Martial Arts Consultant and Co-Fight Director of SUMO, talk about training for the battles onstage and creating the illusion of an iconic visual in this new video from La Jolla Playhouse!

Ma-Yi Theater Company Unveils Fall 2023 Season Featuring World Premiere of Lisa Sanaye Dring's SUMO & More


Ma-Yi Theater Company has revealed programming for the fall 2023 season including the world premiere of SUMO, by Lisa Sanaye Dring, directed by Ralph B. Peña, in a co-production with La Jolla Playhouse.

La Jolla Playhouse Reveals Cast and Creative Team for SUMO


La Jolla Playhouse has revealed the cast and creative team for their upcoming production of SUM. Discover the talented individuals who will be creating this theatrical experience and get ready to be amazed by their collective artistry.

BWW Interview: Jeb Brown Talks World Premiere of Duncan Sheik & Kyle Jarrow's WHISPER HOUSE


59E59 Theaters and The Civilians are presenting the world premiere of Whisper House, featuring music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, and book and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow. A brand-new, completely original musical, Whisper House is reopening 59E59 Theaters' Theater A, marking their return to in-person, live performances. 

Casting Announced for WHISPER HOUSE and THE COLLISION / THE MARTYRDOM


59E59 Theaters has announced the casts of Whisper House and The Collision / The Martyrdom. Whisper House, presented by The Civilians, will reopen Theater A and begin previews on January 11, 2022, with opening night set for January 20 for a limited run through February 6, 2022.

New York Theatre Workshop Announces Final Programming for 2020/21 Artistic Instigator Season


NYTW announced the final two artistic instigator projects for the 2020/21 season. Hilton Als is, and has been, an invaluable contributor to American cultural life for decades. Join this Pulitzer Prize-winning critic, artist, writer and curator as he lifts up and takes a different look at what he considers marginalized classics of the 20th Century.

Ralph B. Peña's VANCOUVER to be Presented by Ma-Yi and The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival


Ma-Yi Theater Company, in association with The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, will present the online premiere of Vancouver, a puppet play centered on a mixed-race family who relocate from Japan to the Pacific Northwest.

Ma-Yi Theater Company Announces Spring 2021 Season


Ma-Yi has announced programming for its Spring 2021 season which includes collaborations with artists in China, the Philippines, and Japan. The season, running February 11–May 3, 2021, illustrates that by putting artists and craftspeople to work, despite the coronavirus pandemic, innovation and compelling storytelling can thrive.

VIDEO: Ann Harada, Marc delaCruz, Anthony Lee Medina, and More Perform Monologue From OUR TOWN


Olivia Oguma has created a new video featuring performers reciting a monologue from Our Town, titled 'their town. OUR town.'

Lesli Margherita, Jason Butler Harner, Nick Blaemire and More Join A SHINING LIGHT Benefit Concert


On May 11, Off-Broadway theater company The Civilians will host A Shining Light, a live streamed benefit concert supporting the company and its artist community. In order to make A Shining Light as accessible as possible, there is no minimum ticket price.

VIDEO: Check Out 59E59 Theaters's WHISPER HOUSE


Written by Grammy and Tony winner Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening, American Psycho) and Tony-nominated and Obie winner Kyle Jarrow (Spongebob Squarepants, The Broadway Musical, The Wildness) and directed by The Civilians' Artistic Director Steve Cosson, Whisper House combines a lush original score with a haunting story of loss, love, and forgiveness.

Photo Flash: Check out Production Shots From 59E59 Theater's WHISPER HOUSE


Due to the impact of the current health crisis, 59E59 Theaters and The Civilians will postpone the upcoming NYC premiere of WHISPER HOUSE.  The production was rescheduled to begin performances on April 1, after the pandemic shuttered 59E59 Theaters on March 12, the day previews were to begin.

Samantha Mathis, Jeb Brown and More Will Star in Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrow's WHISPER HOUSE


59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) will welcome the New York premiere of WHISPER HOUSE, music & lyrics by Duncan Sheik, book & lyrics by Kyle Jarrow, with direction by Steve Cosson and music direction by Wiley Deweese.

Final Season of Marvel's RUNAWAYS Premieres FRIDAY


Hulu Original Marvel's Runaways will return for its third and final season this Friday to give the fans what they have been waiting for! After evading corrupt parents, battling powerful aliens and coming face-to-face with the world's most powerful sorceress, the conclusion to this epic saga will leave no stone unturned.

VIDEO: Hulu Releases Trailer for MARVEL'S RUNAWAYS


Alongside the trailer and key art, Hulu announced that its fan-favorite series Marvel's Runaways will return for its third and final season giving the fans what they've been waiting for. After evading corrupt parents, battling powerful aliens and coming face-to-face with the world's most powerful sorceress, the conclusion to this epic saga will leave no stone unturned.

VIDEO: Watch a Teaser for Marvel's RUNAWAYS on Hulu!


Just in time for New York Comic Con, Hulu has shared the official teaser for the newest season of Marvel's Runaways. Marvel's Runaways will return for season three on Friday, December 13th with all 10 episodes. Watch the teaser below!

Camp Classic THE BLACK LIZARD Will Star Yuhua Hamasaki And James Yaegashi


​​​​​​​The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival is excited to announce that New York City-based drag performer Yuhua Hamasaki (RuPaul's Drag Race) and actor James Yaegashi (Marvel's Runaways) will star in the Festival's one-time-only staged reading of Yukio Mishima's camp classic The Black Lizard at Provincetown Town Hall (260 Commercial Street) on September 29.

HB Studio To Partner With American Soundboard To Present Readings Of U.S. Congressional Hearings


This coming season, AMERICAN SCOREBOARD, a series of actor-performed, verbatim readings of actual U.S. Congressional hearing transcripts, will once again join forces with HB STUDIO to perform four readings featuring HB students and alumni.  The series will kick-off on Monday, September 16 at 7pm at the HB Playwrights Theatre (124 Bank Street) with a performance of testimony given on March 6, 2019 before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Protecting Dreamers and TPS (Temporary Protected Status) recipients.   Admission to the reading is free and reservations can be made at hbstudio.eventbrite.com.

Hulu Announces Premiere Dates for DOLLFACE, REPRISAL, and More


Today, during the Television Critics Association's Summer Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton, Hulu's Senior Vice President of Originals, Craig Erwich, presented the company's lineup of upcoming original programming including Wu-Tang: An American Saga from Brian Grazer and The RZA, Dollface starring Kat Dennings, Looking for Alaska, based on the best-selling novel by John Green and produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, Reprisal from Warren Littlefield and starring Abigail Spencer and Mindy Kaling's reimagining of Four Weddings and a Funeral, all of which join the company's collection of premium original content.

James Yaegashi FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has James Yaegashi been in?

James Yaegashi has appeared on Broadway in 3 shows.

How many West End shows has James Yaegashi been in?

James Yaegashi has not appeared in the West End.

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