Japanese-American theater student brings her heritage to the stage
At age six, Communication second-year Sayuki Layne made her acting debut in a commercial for a cheese dessert. She remembers carefully following the director’s instructions to pretend a slice of sweet cheese snack at a grocery store was singing to her.
“There was something gratifying about feeling something that you don’t feel at the moment,” she says. Now, Layne — not the cheese — is taking center stage. While getting ready to step into her role as a viola player in the ensemble of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, a musical based on Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace about love and betrayal in wartime Russia, she reflected on blending cultural and historical storytelling into her performances.
This interview has been edited and condensed from two conversations.
What was your childhood like?
I was born in and grew up in Japan. I started modeling when I was a baby. Some mom told my mom, “Your baby’s really well behaved. You should get her into modeling.” I spent a lot of my weekends on set or at photo shoots. Then, I moved to the U.S. when I was in third grade. I started doing stage theater. In eighth grade, I quit modeling. I started to get acne and wasn’t growing as tall as my other model friends. I started to feel like I was a bad model or that I was ugly. But in acting, I felt like I was being appreciated for something that I could practice.
You performed Joe Hisaishi’s “The Name of Life” from Spirited Away in Japanese at the Jewish Theatre Ensemble’s concert in October 2025. What made you sing this song in your first language?
Ghibli (the studio behind Spirited Away) is Japan’s pride. I’ve sung every single Ghibli song. I like how this one sounded. I love how Japanese feels in my voice.
What does singing in Japanese feel like?
The American side of me wants things and goes for them. There’s this drive that I have when I’m singing in English. But when I’m singing in Japanese, it grounds me in this feeling of appreciation and gratitude that I was taught to have as I grew up in Japan.
What story were you trying to tell?
Japanese culture is about appreciating what you have and not reaching for more or longing too much — just being very present. “The Name of Life” is about appreciating every moment of your life that has led to the present moment. My favorite line is, “Secrets and lies and joy are the children of the God that bore the universe.” Every single aspect of life stems from the same thing, and that’s why you shouldn’t disregard one or forget about one.
With more multilingual performances entering mainstream U.S. stages — from Bad Bunny singing in Spanish at the Super Bowl to Atarashii Gakko! bringing Japanese to Coachella — how do you view this trend?
I would love it if more people in this world could be like, “Wow, you don’t need language to connect.” If you put yourself in that mindset of acceptance and vulnerability, you can convey and understand anything.
Have you played roles about the Asian or Asian American experience?
I have not. A lot of theater is still very white-centered, especially stage theater. My dream is to represent my story and culture through art. I’m passionate about the Japanese occupation in Korea and the comfort women. I took a class about the two topics, and a lot of the history is still being uncovered. Maybe because I’m mixed, I’m interested in those cross-cultural moments. I’m interested in finding ways to tell history in its raw and true form.