In memory of

Eiichi Nakajima

In June 2020 FTT and the University of Reading community lost one of its brightest lights. A dynamic and much-loved student, Eiichi Nakajima’s contribution to life in the department and the profound sense of loss at his passing cannot be overstated.

Eiichi was an actor, an LGBT activist, a director, but most of all a lover of the arts. His room was filled with scripts, plays, theatre tickets and academic books and despite English being his third language he strove for excellence on every essay and submission. He was a true perfectionist.

If you couldn’t find him chances are he was in a study room or an editing suite working tirelessly to better his grades – but he would never fail to find the time to help others with their work. He was a truly caring, supportive, and selfless individual.

For Eiichi, Minghella and FTT offered him a chance to achieve his dreams. His driving ambition was to make it just a little easier for minority students to follow their passion for theatre and for that the department and his peers will be forever grateful.

Eiichi brought laughter into every room he entered and light into every life he touched. His friends and the department feel the loss of his absence daily

Tribute

We dedicate this festival of student work to him to mark his enduring impact on the FTT community and his fellow students.

During the festival week, a memorial service will take place. A plaque will be hung on a young cherry tree in the University’s beautiful Harris Gardens, where he did some of his creative work, and this tribute to Eiichi will be forever a place where family and friends, students and staff can visit to remember and celebrate his life.

With thanks to his peers and friends contributing their words to this page