Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

IMAGINARY COUNTRY Opens in May at Z Space

 Imaginary Country runs for three performances, May 12 - 14, Friday to Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

IMAGINARY COUNTRY Opens in May at Z Space

Sharp & Fine, a contemporary dance company known for its original experiments in theatrical storytelling, has announced its newest work, IMAGINARY COUNTRY, premiering May 12 at Z Space in San Francisco. Featuring five performers and four musicians, Imaginary Country asks, What would happen if you could see the future?

Imaginary Country runs for three performances, May 12 - 14, Friday to Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets, $25 - $35, go on sale March 1 at zspace.org. For more information visit sharpandfine.org/imaginarycountry.

Under the direction of sisters and company Co-Founders Megan and Shannon Kurashige, Imaginary Country tells the story of a friendship altered when one of the friends can suddenly see the future. "We are interested in the enormous power and intimacy that would come with the gift of clairvoyance, and how that might challenge a relationship," said Megan. "It's interesting to consider how utterly vulnerable you would be if someone knew everything that was going to happen to you."

In Imaginary Country, the revelation of one character's power to see everything ripples through her relationships with everyone around her. A woman, paralyzed by her fear of the future, transforms into a monster. A mother receives a phone call from the future and confesses all the things she did not prepare her child for.

The Kurashige sisters developed their ideas for Imaginary Country through a series of workshops with a wide range of people "of varying ages and with different histories and cultural backgrounds," said Shannon. "Working with these groups affirmed something we already knew, namely that there's a lot of apocalyptic thinking about the future: endless fires, the loss of resources, an ever-widening and irreparable divide between the haves and have nots. The list is long and disheartening."

"People feel there is nothing they can do. However, when you ask them to imagine a future that includes people that they care about, there is always hope that comes into the picture. It might be fragile or small, but it feels very real, and it feels like the key to building something better. Those little flashes of hope have been directing our way of thinking about the piece."

The cast for Imaginary Country includes longtime Sharp & Fine collaborator Sonja Dale alongside newcomers Julie Crothers, Caitlin Hicks, Molly Levy and Meredith Webster. Percussionist Jordan Glenn, bassist/cellist Max Judelson and reeds player Cory Wright return, together with pianist and flutist Erika Oba, in her company debut. Imaginary Country features a commissioned score composed by Glenn and Judelson.

Additional collaborators include award-winning lighting designer Allen Willner and costume designer Emily Kurashige.

The creation of Imaginary Country is supported in part by the San Francisco Arts Commission. For more information visit sharpandfine.org/imaginarycountry.



Video: SIX Tour Queens Sing National Anthem for San Francisco Warriors Photo
Watch as The Queens of SIX's Aragon Tour performed the National Anthem for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Review: FANNIE - THE MUSIC AND LIFE OF FANNIE LOU HAMER at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Photo
What did our critic think of FANNIE - THE MUSIC AND LIFE OF FANNIE LOU HAMER at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley?

Front Porch to Present A Showcase Of Local Musical Talent Photo
Town Hall Theatre will kick off a quarterly performance series featuring local musicians performing well-known as well as original songs in an entertaining evening for the whole family. Entitled Front Porch Presents, the first show will happen on Friday, April 7th at 7:00pm on the stage at Town Hall Theatre and will feature special guest, Lafayette's Stevie Coyle of The Quitters, along with eight other musical acts. 

Bay Area Cabaret to Welcome FUNNY GIRLs Julie Benko with Jason Yeager in April Photo
Bay Area Cabaret will present the highly anticipated cabaret debut of Julie Benko, Broadway's sensational Funny Girl standby-to-breakout star as Fanny Brice, and Jason Yeager, the highly praised jazz pianist-composer, in their new hit show, Hand in Hand, on Sunday, April 16 at 5 p.m., at the elegant Venetian Room.


More Hot Stories For You


Bay Area Cabaret to Welcome FUNNY GIRL's Julie Benko with Jason Yeager in AprilBay Area Cabaret to Welcome FUNNY GIRL's Julie Benko with Jason Yeager in April
March 18, 2023

Bay Area Cabaret will present the highly anticipated cabaret debut of Julie Benko, Broadway's sensational Funny Girl standby-to-breakout star as Fanny Brice, and Jason Yeager, the highly praised jazz pianist-composer, in their new hit show, Hand in Hand, on Sunday, April 16 at 5 p.m., at the elegant Venetian Room.

Diablo Regional Arts Association Names Paige Hernandez as First-Ever Artist in ResidenceDiablo Regional Arts Association Names Paige Hernandez as First-Ever Artist in Residence
March 17, 2023

Diablo Regional Arts Association has named acclaimed performer, director, choreographer, and playwright Paige Hernandez as its first-ever Artist in Residence.

San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program's Schwabacher Recital Series Continues in AprilSan Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program's Schwabacher Recital Series Continues in April
March 17, 2023

The 39th season of the Schwabacher Recital Series, presented by San Francisco Opera Center and the Merola Opera Program, continues Wednesday, April 12 with a program by countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson at San Francisco's Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater in the Veterans Building.

The Mountain Play Presents INTO THE WOODS For Their 110th Season, May 21- June 18The Mountain Play Presents INTO THE WOODS For Their 110th Season, May 21- June 18
March 16, 2023

The Mountain Play, the San Francisco Bay Area's most magical outdoor theater experience, will present INTO THE WOODS for its 110th Season, May 21 through June 18.

Support The Arts At Bay Area Children's Theatre's Blue Moon BallSupport The Arts At Bay Area Children's Theatre's Blue Moon Ball
March 16, 2023

On May 20th at 4 PM, come out and shake your tail feather along with the cast of Giraffes Can't Dance at Bay Area Children's Theatre's Blue Moon Ball.