AKIRA KUROSAWA EXPLAINS HIS MOVIES AND YOGURT (WITH LIVE AND ACTIVE CULTURES!) World Premiere Begins In May

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company will present the whimsical world premiere of Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt (with live and active cultures!). Written and performed by Julia Izumi, directed by Aileen Wen McGroddy, and produced in partnership with New Georges NYC, the play is inspired by the iconic work of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. It will run from May 4 - June 1 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D. Street NW.  

Akira Kurosawa a prolific and internationally acclaimed Japanese filmmaker whose career spanned over five decades and thirty films that influenced artists of diverse cultures and mediums, including playwright Izumi. Using both the filmmaker's perspective and her own, along with four company members, and interwoven and form bending theatre magic, Izumi shares with audiences a story of how art influences artists centering on two brothers who love movies, and how identity evolves, much like yogurt.  

"The idea for this piece came from my long-standing desire to write about Akira Kurosawa. He's such a celebrated, world-renowned Japanese artist, and as a Japanese-American artist, I felt this strong connection to him. Yet, I knew very little about film as an art form, and therefore, couldn't fully appreciate why he's so highly regarded. I found that gap quite intriguing and thought it was worth exploring. I hope the play will strike a chord with audiences, at a time when many of us are exploring our own identity, examining how it influences every aspect of our lives. I hope this play helps people realize that identity is inherently messy, and that's perfectly okay!" Julia Izumi 

 “Julia Izumi is one of the most singular voices in American theatre right now—her writing is as intellectually rigorous as it is delightfully absurd, full of wit, and imagination. Akira Kurosawa Explains His Movies and Yogurt (with live and active cultures!) is a perfect match for Woolly Mammoth because it challenges form, plays with history and identity, and asks big, unanswerable questions with irreverence and poignancy. Welcome to our final world premiere of the season!" Maria Manuela Goyanes, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Artistic Director. 

“We have loved seeing this play develop since we first read a draft in 2020. In late 2024, we held a workshop with New Georges that included our projection and video designer and an actor to stand in for Julia, who plays double-duty as both playwright and actor in our production. It is inspiring to be able to support such an inventive and joyful play in process. I look forward to seeing it continue to grow, and I cannot wait to share it with our audiences.” Sonia Fernandez, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Director of New Work. 

Visitors of the Tony-Award Winning theatre are invited to dive deeper into the themes explored during this production with reinforced programming including:   

• Woolly Mammoth will partner with Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company who will perform five historic works by Michio Itō (1892-1961), the pioneering Asian American modern dance choreographer at Woolly.  

•  Smithsonian Asian Art Museum to present a free film series, Iconic Influences: Kurosawa and Ozu, honoring legendary filmmakers Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu. The series features free screenings of two cinematic landmark fims, Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, accompanied by a live string musician, and Ozu's Walk Cheerfully. Both include a post-screening conversation.  

• For more programming including Herd Happy Hour programming, scroll below.