Actress Masami Nagasawa in stage play by Yukiko Motoya

Actress Masami Nagasawa (23) has been cast in her first stage play, scheduled to be performed next summer. The play is a new work by author and playwright Yukiko Motoya (31), who wrote the original novels behind the movies "Ranbou to Taiki" and "Funuke Domo, Kanashimi no Ai wo Misero."

Nagasawa has been in show business since she won the Toho Cinderella Audition in 2000, though she got her big break in 2004 when she played the heroine in the movie "Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu." She has never performed in a stage production before this.

Motoya has won and been nominated for several awards with her previous plays and novels. Her new work is still being written, so the title and plot details have not yet been finalized. However, the story will be based on some of Motoya's own personal experiences. The main character, played by Nagasawa, is a writer who has only managed to release one successful book.

The play will be performed at the PARCO Theater in Shibuya in August 2011, with performances in other cities scheduled to follow in September.

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