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【Yanai Initiative】Noh in English “Blue Moon Over Memphis” (July 19, July 21)
An English Noh "Blue Moon Over Memphis"
Tue 07 May 24
An English Noh "Blue Moon Over Memphis"
Tue 07 May 24
Blue Moon Over Memphis is a story of one of the first global celebrities, Elvis Presley. Performed by members of Theatre Nohgaku, a group primarily consisting of Noh researchers whose first-language is not Japanese. Although based on traditional Japanese Noh, they have created a new, freer style of Noh than ever before, with denim costumes and Noh masks modelled on Elvis’.
This work, which was unveiled at UCLA in 2018, will be performed at the Okuma Auditorium at Waseda University in Tokyo and The Kongo Noh Theatre in Kyoto, as a more contemporary work.
Presented by The Yanai Initiative and Theatre Nohgaku.
About the events
Due to popular demand, we have closed registration for both Okuma Auditorium and Kongo Noh Theatre performances as we have reached full capacity.
Playwright Deborah Brevoort will give a lecture at 2:00p.m. at Okuma Small Auditorium, Waseda University. This event is open to all regardless of whether or not you have a reservation for the performance.
Okuma Auditorium at Waseda University
- Date：Friday, July 19, 2024 5:30pm- (Doors open at 5:00pm)
- Venue：Okuma Auditorium, Waseda University [1-104 Totsukamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo]
- Participant：Open to students, faculty, and the general public.
- Admission Fee：Free
- We stopped accepting Registration Form due to reaching full capacity.
- With support from The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University
Kongo Noh Theatre
- Date：Sunday, July 21, 2024 2:00pm- (Doors open at 1:30pm)
- Venue：Kongo Noh Theatre [590 Tatsumaecho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-city, Kyoto]
- Participant：Open to students, faculty, and the general public.
- Admission Fee：Free
- We stopped accepting Registration Form due to reaching full capacity.
Open Lecture『Elvis Presley and Noh Drama』
By Playwright Deborah Brevoort
Deborah Brevoort, the writer of “Blue Moon Over Memphis”, will talk about why she chose Elvis Presley as the lead character, the shite, her interest in Noh drama, and her experiences as a writer, along with many photos.
Date：Thursday, July 18, 2024 2:00pm- (Doors open at 1:30pm)
Venue：Okuma small Auditorium, Waseda University
Language：English (Japanese Q&A OK)
- 14:00 Lecture『Elvis Presley and Noh Drama』
- 14:40 Talk with KODAMA Ryuichi（Professor, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, School of Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University）
- 15:10 Q&A（English/Japanese）
- 15:30 Close
* We encourage participants wishing to attend this event to make a reservation.
* Your personal information will not be used for any purpose other than registration for this event. We will not sell or disclose this information to any third party.
* Videos, photographs, and audio recordings of the event will be taken. By participating in the event as an audience, please understand that you may appear on the Yanai Initiative website or third-party websites or in other media.
* Participants are not able to take photos or to record the event. However, during this event, the Yanai Initiative staff will take photos of the activities and participants for publicity purposes. If you do not wish to have your photo included, please inform the staff during the event.
To those who require accommodation
Attendees who desire accommodations (PC speech-to-text interpretation; sign-language interpretation; guidance at venue; securing of seats) should inform us at least 4 weeks before the date of the event. Upon consultation, we will accommodate your request to the greatest extent possible.
Photo: David A. Surtasky
Program
■ Mai-Hayashi Takasago [13min.]
■ Kyogen Fukuro [20min.]
Break
■ Noh in English Blue Moon Over Memphis [70min.]
* Mai-Hayashi will be performed in Japanese and Kyogen in English.
Blue Moon Over Memphis
A Noh about Elvis Presley
American playwright Deborah Brevoort wrote the original play in 1993 after she was inspired by the traditional Japanese performance art of Noh, following a traditional noh structure though meant to be performed by Western actors largely in a naturalistic style. Richard Emmert began working with Brevoort and composed music for the Noh theatre to adapt the play for a full noh presentational style by Theatre Nohgaku.
*Deborah Brevoort is an award-winning author of plays, musicals and opera librettos. In 2023, she was awarded the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize from Opera America. She is best known for her play The Women of Lockerbie, which is produced internationally, and for numerous comedies and dramas produced at theatres across the U.S.
Story
Judy, an Elvis Presley fan, makes a pilgrimage to Graceland, a sacred site to fans of Mr. Presley in Memphis, Tennessee, on the anniversary of Elvis’s death. During the candlelight vigil, a mysterious man lets her into the Meditation Garden where Elvis is buried. Under the light of the blue moon, she meets …….
Performer
・Man / Ghost of Elvis・
John Oglevee
・Judy, Elvis fan・
Laura Sampson (Waseda) / Mika Oskarson (Kyoto)
・Oscar, the Groundskeeper・
Sennojo Shigeyama
・Chorus leader・
David Crandall
・Chorus・
Matthew Dubroff
Ashley Thorpe
Kevin Salfen
Lluis Valls
Thomas O’Connor
Gary Mathews (Waseda)
Mika Oskarson (Waseda)
David Surtasky (Kyoto)
Laura Sampson (Kyoto)
・Stage Attendants・
Kinue Oshima
Jubilith Moore
Akira Matsui
・Hayashi Ensemble [Fue]・
Richard Emmert
・Hayashi Ensemble [Kotsuzumi]・
Kayu Omura
・Hayashi Ensemble [Otsuzumi]・
Takako Kawauchi
Book, Link
- Related booklet
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エルビスの幽玄 － 能が英語になったとき（The Yūgen of Elvis—Performing Noh in English）
A publication accompanying the English noh performance.
Blue Moon Over Memphis: Deborah Brevoort’s complete English text with Japanese translation along with explanations of the highlights of the music, costumes and masks as well as accompanying photos.
A volume revealing English noh and the background to the creation of Blue Moon Over Memphis.Editorial Supervision: Yanai Initiative
Language: Japanese
Specifications: 223mm x 174mm, soft cover, 120 pages (in color)
Price: 2,200 yen (Tax included)
Contents:
・What is English Noh—Beyond Culture and Language (Dialogue between Richard Emmert and Narita Minako)
・Articles by the author and performers of Blue Moon Over Memphis.
・Explanations of the music, costumes and masks of Blue Moon Over Memphis.
・Round-table Discussion: Noh in the World—Noh and Its Possibilities as a Global Theatre
・Essays: What is Noh? (Takemoto Mikio) / Thoughts on English Noh (Kodama Ryuichi)Click HERE for purchases in Japan. At present, this book can only be shipped to addresses within Japan.
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Contact
The Yanai Initiative office：[email protected]
