Off-Broadway Debut

Camilla Shae makes her Off-Broadway acting and playwrighting debut with her solo show, How to Catch Crickets with Your Bare Hands, presented by Pan Asian Repertory Theatre at Theatre Row in New York City.

Selected for Program D, the production marks an exciting milestone for Camilla as both a performer and playwright. The possession memory play explores family history, inheritance, and cultural identity through the lens of a granddaughter's relationship with her grandmother.

How to Catch Crickets with Your Bare Hands follows a woman who, after opening her grandmother's chest of secrets, becomes possessed by ancestral memories that transport her to World War II-era Japan. As she physically unpacks layer after layer of inherited history, she must confront a haunting question: Is this her inheritance?

The play was originally developed during Camilla’s MFA studies, when she was challenged to create a solo performance piece. Drawn to questions surrounding her mixed identity, she found herself returning to thoughts of her grandmother, who was born in Japan. As her grandmother lived with Alzheimer's disease, Camilla began imagining a space where the two could communicate beyond the limitations of memory loss. The result was a theatrical exploration of the conversations they never had—and the stories passed down across generations.

Following its premiere in San Diego, How to Catch Crickets with Your Bare Hands now arrives Off-Broadway, bringing its blend of personal history, ancestral memory, and physical storytelling to New York audiences.

Performance Dates

Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00 PM
Sunday, June 21 at 3:00 PM

Creative Team

Directed by Chloe Chow
Written and Performed by Camilla Shae
Sound Design by KaileyKielle Hoga
Dramaturgy by Julia Levine

Production photos by Rich Soublet from the San Diego premiere.