Sun and Crystal
Based on Japanese folktales, Noh, and butoh that reveal the human unconscious, a poetic dramatic telling of a universal contemporary myth that transcends time and borders.
This show is a story about an apocalypse of modern civilization.
Once upon a time, somewhere in unknown universe, two shadows were dancing in the memory. A woman was killed in the field of flowers next to the battlefield.
The crystal is recording every one of those single memories.
A woman who is taken away by shadows meets an old man in a place where time has stopped somewhere down the line. The old man starts telling her his stories: ‘There is a
crystal cave somewhere in this world...’
The woman embarks on a journey through time and space, a journey of memories in search of the crystal of that world.
Presented by: Art Group Seigai & The Garage International
Sun and Crystal was created by Kazuko Shimazu with Hirono Yoshimura. They formed Art Group SEIGAI with stage designer Hiroshi
Wakiya in 2019. The group features minimalist masked theatre that incorporates elements of Noh and Butoh into a contemporary epic theatrical world composed of poetry.
Sun and Crystal premiered in a ruined studio in November 2022, with the style developed in 2 x 2 theater where there are just two performers.
During the COVID19 pandemic in Tokyo, Hirono Yoshimura came up with the idea of a performance of 2×2 Theater - limited to two performers and two audience members in her rehearsal space at home. The use of full-face masks, an element of Noh that
was characteristic of this group. (Very convenient in the COVID situation!) The show ran for three months.
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