Comedy Saved Her Life. Now Teruko Nakajima’s ‘made In America’ Is Saving Others

Comedy saved Teruko Nakajima’s life.

In 2016, Nakajima received psychiatric attraction astatine Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, diagnosed pinch depression, PTSD and suicidal ideation. Her doctors searched for ways to negociate her accent by exposing her to various activities, including video games, serene Icelandic landscapes and an aerial silks performance. The past brought her worry down, revealing that nan arts were nan answer. Her expert prescribed nan arts, drama specifically, truthful she went to nan Upright Citizens Brigade for class.

She recovered a calling and a safe abstraction successful comedy.

“I didn’t cognize I was calved a comedian,” Nakajima said. “Finally, I really felt I was accepted arsenic a comedian, validated for who I am.”

Nakajima shares her treatment travel to nan shape successful “Made successful America,” which conscionable had an encore capacity astatine UCB connected Tuesday aft its award-winning tally successful 2022 (it is besides disposable for streaming connected UCB’s website done Tuesday). The one-woman show arrives successful clip for nan United States’ 250th day connected Saturday, documenting Nakajima’s hunt for nan American dream arsenic a first-generation Japanese American woman. “Made successful America” premiered successful 2022 astatine nan Hollywood Fringe Festival during Joe Biden’s presidency and pursuing nan Jan. 6 United States Capitol attack. In 2026, its musings connected personality and belonging pierce done today’s governmental scenery shaped by Donald Trump’s 2nd presidency.

“I wanted to fto group cognize this is an American story,” she said.

“Made successful America” is astir Nakajima’s life. It originates successful her mother’s womb. She felt truthful safe there, she yearned to return. Growing up, she knowledgeable an emotionally and physically abusive life astatine home, recalling her begetter breaking furnishings and her mother’s alcohol-induced belittling comments. But her name, Teruko, translates to a “shining child.” Thus, she proclaims successful nan show, “I’m a superstar!”

The beauty successful “Made successful America” is Nakajima’s expertise to find nan joke successful her trauma. When nan show transitions to her life successful America, she talks astir her life arsenic a dominatrix successful New York City and her struggles pinch romance successful Los Angeles. Her comedic jabs astatine nan American system and humorous reflections juxtapose somber moments of stillness successful nan midst of her struggles. This equilibrium puts her life into perspective, revealing a affirmative characteristic beneath a acheronian saga.

Nakajima performs “Made successful America” astatine Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.

(Nick Rasmussen)

“I look very happy-go-lucky and cheerful, but actually, I americium a very acheronian personification because I person a acheronian history,” she said. “I ever wanted to time off my communicative behind. I wanted to time off my people successful this world earlier I died, truthful I needed to make something.”

The first people Nakajima took astatine UCB was John Flynn’s storytelling course. There, she started building pieces of nan show without realizing it. As they added up, nan thought for a show surfaced. After people 1 day, she asked Flynn to nonstop it. Flynn, who has been school astatine UCB successful New York and L.A. for astir 20 years, agreed.

“She disarms people,” Flynn said. “There’s thing astir her that is conscionable truthful unsocial and truthful delightful that you won’t hide her.”

Flynn first met her astatine his storytelling unfastened mic. She walked successful pinch her affectional support canine Titi (also known arsenic Tiny Teruko), wearing her signature reddish heart-framed glasses, without lenses. Soon, these glasses would make him double complete successful laughter erstwhile she performed and cried, dabbing her eyes pinch insubstantial done nan frame.

“When you commencement to study her communicative and nan experiences she’s had, it is astonishing that she is truthful positive,” he said. “She’s specified a benignant of undeniable affirmative power that she conscionable radiates each nan time, which is truthful compelling and why group are truthful drawn to her.”

Revived astatine UCB amid Trump’s 2nd word and nan nation’s 250th birthday, Nakajima’s show doubles arsenic a defiant migrant emotion missive to America — and a refuge for audiences emotion alone.

(Nick Rasmussen)

Nakajima puts each of herself into nan show. Aside from comedy, she has been a cheerleader successful Japan, a salsa dancer successful New York and a sculptor connected nan broadside — she loves sculpting MLB players’ butts; Derek Jeter is her favorite. In nan show, she folds these aspects of her life into a azygous story, dancing from conception to section. Comedy is much than conscionable laughs; it’s storytelling.

“I americium truthful bully astatine cheering group up, since I was very little,” she said. “I had nary title pinch others because I’m nan 1 and only. Nobody looks for illustration me.”

Together, Flynn and Teruko parsed done her life stories to springiness nan show an arc. For Flynn, it’s for illustration carving distant astatine what is already location to create thing nosy and cohesive, for illustration a sculpture. “What’s nosy astir directing one-person shows for illustration this is that it’s usually conscionable 2 group successful a room putting thing together,” Flynn said.

Bringing nan show backmost this year, nan activity gets sharper and tighter, but nan biggest displacement is successful its conclusion. Once optimistic astir nan early of life successful America, nan show now has a stronger desire to make change. There was a consciousness of dream successful 2022 for women for illustration Nakajima, an migrant who sought information successful a caller state and struggled pinch maltreatment from her family and unusual men. Today, arsenic Trump’s migration policies thin connected deportation and discrimination, she simply wants to beryllium seen.

“America, convey you for not giving up connected me,” Nakajima said toward nan extremity of nan show. She is proud to beryllium American, not conscionable because she gets to person nan aforesaid nationality arsenic her canine Titi, but chiefly because of nan caller life it offered her. America promised happiness. Whether it really comes is different story, but successful this one, nan committedness itself gave her a consciousness of purpose.

“After nan show, group travel to maine successful personification and done messages,” she said. “A batch of group said, ‘I felt for illustration I americium not alone.’ That gives maine truthful overmuch dream and unity. I consciousness safe and for illustration I person thing to look guardant to because I’m not nan only one.”

Flynn realized really overmuch he took for granted while moving connected nan show pinch Nakajima. “I think, moreover though these are scary times and things look to beryllium going successful directions that aren’t nan best, location are still awesome people, and there’s thing that is still location and is not dying and is still fighting,” Flynn said.

When she began her acting journey, Nakajima thought she’d move to drama, but there’s thing much unguarded successful comedy.

Nakajima holding up her canine Titi during a capacity of “Made successful America.”

(Nick Rasmussen)

“I’m very authentic and invincible done comedy,” she said.

By nan extremity of “Made successful America,” Nakajima is nary longer trying to find her measurement backmost to her mother’s womb. She is assured successful her spot successful nan world. She remembers that she is simply a star. She brings retired her canine Titi, who was hidden connected shape passim nan full performance, and shares that UCB gave her a caller outlook connected life. Comedy breaks distant her stresses and allows viewers to beryllium susceptible pinch her.

“I ever wanted to consciousness safe,” she said. “I ne'er had that. Finally, I recovered a safe space, and past I realized that I’m really important. I’m really worthy. I’m truthful happy correct now to beryllium capable to definitive myself done drama because it’s nan truth.”