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Follow on Google News | "Blood" acclaimed political thriller starring Glenne Headly returns to The ComplexGlenne Headly (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Mr. Holland's Opus) and James Kyson star in the Garage's acclaimed world premiere production about the 1980s 'Japanese Tainted Blood Scandal' in which 2,000 people died from contaminated blood.
By: The Garage In the early 1980s, nearly 2,000 people, most of them hemophiliacs, died of AIDS after U.S. companies knowingly sold contaminated blood to Japan, where pharmaceutical companies continued to distribute non-heat-treated blood products despite the existence of heat treatments proven to prevent the spread of infection. The scandal triggered public outrage against the drug industry and the Japanese government officials charged with regulating it. Charges were filed against high-ranking officials in theMinistry of Health and Welfare, executives of the manufacturing company involved and a leading doctor in the field of hemophilia. The trial lasted over a decade. It wasn't until Feb. 25, 2000 that the Los Angeles Times reported "In a landmark decision that raises the standard for corporate accountability in Japan, an Osaka court Thursday sentenced three former pharmaceutical executives to prison for continuing to sell blood products they knew could be tainted with the AIDS virus even after safer substitutes were available." "One of the reasons this case took so long to unfold is that none of the victims or their families were willing to come forward," explains Ackerman, who lived and worked in Tokyo for nearly two decades. "Being polite, softspoken and deferential to authority is ingrained in the culture. To be sick with AIDS was a source of great shame. Even when the case finally went to trial, the plaintiffs testified from behind black curtains. In the end, it was a young boy who broke the silence, although even he did not publicly reveal his name for another 10 years. Today, Ryuhei Kawada, who miraculously survived, serves as a member of the Japanese Parliament." Ackerman has blended fact and fiction to dramatize real events and added music to create a highly theatrical and stylized production. Hewas initially inspired by the recent nuclear accident at Fukushima. But contaminated blood products were back in the news last December when Kaketsuken, a Japanese manufacturer of blood products and vaccines thatwas a defendant during the trials, was accused of continuing to cover up the use of illegal additives in its products and of systematically faking records to hide its wrongdoing. Now, the play takes on an even greater urgency in light of recent events closer to home, such as the methane gas leak at Porter Ranch in California and the discovery of lead in the drinking water in Flint, Michigan. Over a dozen rave reviews for the production when it premiered last spring include the Los Angeles Times ("dazzling… a formidable display of small-theater invention"), Stage Raw ("lively, haunting, provocative and funny"), BroadwayWorld ("smart, involving, totally wrenching") and ArtsMeme ("heady Stuff… a witty treatment of a subject that matters so much"). Also in the cast are Kazumi Aihara, Miho Ando, Takuma Anzai,Peter Chung, Andrew Dits, Anthony Gros, Takaaki Hirakawa, Tomoko Karina, Andrew Nakajima, Daryl L. Padilla, Mika Santoh, Shinichiro Shimizu and Michael Yama. BLOOD features original music and songs by "The Virgins" bassist Nick Ackerman and "Jet" drummer/vocalist Chris Cester. The creative team includes set and costume designer Dona Granata, projections designer Hana S. Kim, lighting designer Donny Jackson and sound designer Joseph "Sloe" Slawinski. Performances of BLOOD take place on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., Oct. 14 through Dec. 18. General admission is $35; students with valid ID are $25. The Complex is located at 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90038. To purchase tickets, call (323) 960-7745 or go to www.plays411.com/ End
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