Yuko Matsumura (played by Deborah Cristobal) recounts the story of immigrating to Santa Barbara in 1918 as a Japanese picture bride at the “Ghosts Along the Coast” show on Oct. 13 in Santa Barbara, Calif. Audiences rotated in groups throughout the night to witness Cristobal’s poignant performance. (Callahan Morgan)
Yuko Matsumura (played by Deborah Cristobal) recounts the story of immigrating to Santa Barbara in 1918 as a Japanese picture bride at the “Ghosts Along the Coast” show on Oct. 13 in Santa Barbara, Calif. Audiences rotated in groups throughout the night to witness Cristobal’s poignant performance.
An audience of 20 gathers in darkness around a small clearing at the Godric Grove in Elings Park on a cool October night. Hushed voices direct the crowd’s attention towards a figure seated 10 feet away, shrouded by the night. Suddenly, a spotlight turns on and the shaded figure emerges in a vibrant orange and cyan kimono. She steps forward into the middle of the carpeted clearing and addresses the audience: “Have you seen my husband? I search the beach for him every night when the moon is full.” She goes on to relate her life story as a Japanese picture bride in 1918 sent all alone to Santa Barbara to meet her new husband for the first time.
After walking away from a performance like this, it’s often hard to fully appreciate the amount of time and effort it takes an actor or actress to prepare for a role. This story takes a look behind the scenes and follows local actress Deborah Cristobal through her preparation process from the initial layer of makeup up to the moments before her performance as Yuko Matsumura in the “Ghosts Along the Coast”, a 75-minute guided tour through the Godric Grove in Elings Park. The show ran for three nights on Oct. 13, 14, and 16.
Deborah Cristobal darkens her eyebrows while applying the makeup she wears to transform for the role of Yuko Matsumura on Oct. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif. Cristobal emphasized a fine attention to detail as she went through the several steps needed to prepare her face in a traditional Japanese style. (Callahan Morgan)Deborah Cristobal looks up to her mirror while adjusting the alignment of her hair extension on Oct. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif. The overall transformation process for her role took Cristobal two and a half hours of concentration to complete. (Callahan Morgan)Deborah Cristobal changes into her traditional Japanese kimono on Oct. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif. When putting on the garment, Cristobal made sure that the right side wrapped over the left, as is customary in Japan when worn by the deceased. (Callahan Morgan)Deborah Cristobal ties her obi knot in front of her kimono on Oct. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif. She describes that tying the complex knot was one of the most difficult steps to learn as she assembled her costume for the first time. (Callahan Morgan)Photographed on Oct. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif. are the script and props used by Deborah Cristobal to prepare for her role as Yuko Matsumura in the “Ghosts Along the Coast”. Meticulous notes on articulation and inflection fill the pages of her fully-memorized script. (Callahan Morgan)Actress Deborah Cristobal lines up with her fellow ghosts (from left) Nicole Iaquinto, Karen Dalton, Patrick Turner, Kirk Martin, and Alfred Smith before their premiere show on Oct. 13 at Eling’s Park in Santa Barbara, Calif. Each of their performances recounted the stories of real figures from Santa Barbara’s history, bringing the city’s rich history back to life. (Callahan Morgan)Yuko Matsumura (Deborah Cristobal) mourns the loss of her husband as audiences gather around her on Oct. 13 in Santa Barbara, Calif. The melancholic performance immersed audiences into the struggles of a first-generation Japanese immigrant making her way in a new world. (Callahan Morgan)
