Theatre Of Yugen Presents A NOH CHRISTMAS CAROL
Due to popular demand, Theatre of Yugen is bringing back its critically acclaimed work, A Noh Christmas Carol! Originally premiering in 1993, this adaptation, written by Theatre of Yugen Founder Yuriko Doi, utilizes the traditional Japanese theatre forms of Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki, and the avant-garde dance form Butoh to retell the Dickens classic.
The story is transported to early Meiji era Japan, the parallel period to Victorian England. Ebezo Sukurooji [Ebenezer Scrooge] receives a visit from his deceased business partner Jakube Mashima [Jacob Marley] warning him to change his miserly ways or be doomed to linger forever as a hungry ghost. The miraculous intervention of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-To-Come take Sukurooji on a wondrous journey through life and time in a profound attempt to remind him of the value of life beyond business and profit.
Theatre of Yugen is elated to be bringing this thoughtful, intricate, magical play back to the stage to start its 40th season, centered on community and interconnectivity. At its core, Dickens A Christmas Carol is not just about one man remembering the joy of one day of the year, but as he proclaims, "I will hold Christmas in my heart throughout the year!" His lesson is that we must always care for one another; always value our human connections beyond the trappings of the world. Salvation is found by accepting one's place in the human race; community must be embraced to escape eternally wandering the Earth as a hungry ghost.
This powerful story of redemption, with it moments of otherworldly magic and mystery, make for a perfect parallel to classical Noh drama; the living and the ethereal coexist in a delicate and beautiful liminal space that so perfectly evokes Y?gen, or profound grace.
Artistic Director, Nick Ishimaru says, "The world of Noh is unlike anything we get to experience in Western theatre. It is a liminal space where spirits come and go, and the corporeal interact freely with the phantasmal. As a theatre form, it relies on physicalized conventions to contain this liminal space. As my teacher Yuriko Doi always says, Noh and Kyogen are about the art of the internal, rather than the external. The word "Yugen" itself describes an ephemeral beauty that is felt, not seen. It is often described in imagery, like a flight of geese appearing and disappearing behind the clouds, or the sun sinking behind a flower-clad hill."
Ishimaru continues "Utilizing Yugen's signature Japanese theatre styles and vast stock of traditional costumes, we present a visual and musical spectacle that gives new life to this classic Christmas story.
With fresh new designs, reimagined staging, and a powerful ensemble cast of five, A Noh Christmas Carol is a production not to be missed!"
FEATURING
Simone Bloch as Ebezo Sukurooji, Rachael Richman as the Christmas Ghosts, Mikah Kavita as the Women, Ryan Marchand as the Men, and Steven Flores as Jakube Mashima
Directed by Nick Ishimaru; Costumes by Liz Brent; Sets by Josh McDermott; Music by Zhoushu Ziporyn; Sound by Ella Cooley
ABOUT THEATRE OF YUGEN
Founded in 1978 by Yuriko Doi, and is dedicated to the preservation of traditional Japanese theatre forms of Kyogen and Noh, as well as continuing to innovate and intertwine tradition with new forms and approaches, contributing to the conversation around modern theatre.
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