If you haven’t heard of Yui Shibata, you will in the not-too-distant future. She’s one of the most talented Japanese American artists to grace the silver screen and will be making a mark as a “Geisha” in the comedy/fantasy “The God Chair”. Yui (pronounced “U-E) was born in Hyogo, a prefecture of the Honshu Island of Japan.

Yui relocated to San Diego, California in 2011 at the tender age of 18, studied English at the California English School and set her sights on theatre and performance, eventually enrolling in Palomar College. From Palomar, she transitioned to California State University in Fullerton where she received her BA in Theatre Arts. Afterward, in 2015-2017, Yui joined the Shakespeare Orange County company as an actor/dancer where she played a series of roles depicting a mixture of Asian and Western culture.

In the process, Yui acquired a myriad of stage skills including learning other languages. It was then that she met Mike Peebler, the director of “The God Chair” where she accepted a role in her first short film. Before then Yui appeared in Mike Peebler’s plays Romeo and Juliet and Tempest. The God Chairwas the debut of her film career and afterward, Yui moved to the Los Angeles area to focus on TV and film.

In the “The God Chair”, Yui delivers an outstanding performance as a Geisha where she corrects popular misconceptions about the Japanese culture. Historically, Geishas were part and parcel of the oriental culture and as “women of art’ they exuded beauty, and elegance while still retaining aspects of their feminine sexuality. They were known for their subtlety, strength, and grace. There is no one better than Yui Shibata to portray this reality in “The God Chair” where she brings out this character in stunning clarity. The movie has a captivating plot. Yui plays a geisha who tries to make sense of her

The God Chair is a very quirky surrealistic short film about death and heaven. Playing a character who has just died, Yui’s Geisha adds an interesting spice to the film and captivates the audience with her rare talent.  There’s no debating that Yui has a very promising future in motion picture and we look forward to even greater roles in the coming months and years.

More about Yui Shibata on IMDB