World Premiere of Brenda Wong Aoki's Multimedia "Soul of the City"

Internationally acclaimed playwright, storyteller and performer Brenda Wong Aoki returns to the stage with the world premiere of a new multimedia work, Soul of The City. The evening-length performance features Aoki and collaborators telling a profound tale of the importance of story, the wisdom of ancestors and the soul of a place. Directed by David Furumoto, Soul of The City features original music by Mark Izu, Masaru Koga and Derek Nakamoto, multimedia by Andi Wong and Olivia Ting, and costumes designed by Lydia Tanji. Performances open in the theater's plaza with a purification blessing by a Japanese Shinto priest and a reception follows each show.

Soul of The City follows a storyteller who has no more stories to tell. Her husband is sick, her boy has moved away, and no one is listening to her stories. Pursued by demons and haunted by ghosts, the storyteller embarks on a journey to find the Soul of The City. This multimedia music drama is a ritual performance. Rooted in traditional Japanese theater and music and infused with contemporary spoken word and Asian American Jazz, Soul of The City reveals the divine in us all. 

Audience members are encouraged to arrive dressed in their personal regalia and gather in the Presidio Theatre plaza to put prayers, photographs or talisman on the Soul of The City sacred tree. A Shinto priest will bless the event with a purification ceremony and willing participants will be given temple bells to call the ancestors. Once inside the theatre, the audience will experience a ritual performance of jazz, storytelling and poetry that is accompanied by photographs and images of Aoki's family in San Francisco since the 1800's. At the conclusion of the performance, audience and cast will return to the plaza for refreshments and rejoicing. 
 

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Category: Arts | Performing Arts | Theatre