Current Status

This project is being developed under the guidance of Rachel Cooper at the Asia Society (NYC) with generous support from the Japan Foundation, the Japan-US Friendship Commission, New York State Council of the Arts, the Saison Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council. November 2007 marked the first endeavor by the creative team with their first workshop at 3-Legged Dog Art and Technology Center in their state-of-the-art facility in Tribeca, NYC. This was followed by more developmental work and five presentations during the ISPA and APAP conferences in NYC, January 2008. The play was chosen as one of ten projects highlighted by ISPA at their “New Works Now” program.

In May of 2008, while in Tokyo for a three-month fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council, director/creator Stephen Earnhart held a three-week workshop at Morishita Studios. Here Earnhart collaborated with fifteen Japanese actors, translator, dramaturge and movement coach. Aaron Harrow (video designer) and Tom Lee (puppeteer) from New York joined the group to explore scenes involving a mixture of puppetry, movement, video projection and Japanese text. Earnhart achieved a new perspective based on this experience, as well as discovering several Japanese collaborators with whom he hopes to continue working. Presentations were made before members of the Tokyo theatre community to try to secure a Japanese co-producer and presenter.

In August of 2008, the group reconvened in New York at the Asia Society in August 2008 to experiment with different structural ideas for the play’s sweeping narrative. Rachel Cooper, Director of Performing Arts at Asia Society helped to organize three public events for critical feedback. Here, the group performed approximately eighty minutes of material, the most substantial amount of the show presented to date.

While there are plans to present a pilot production of this play in the fall of 2009 with the Asia Society in NYC, we are looking to create a strategic partnership with a presenter or group of co-commissioners. This collaboration would include the final stage of development and/or its full-fledged premiere to make sure this important project reaches its full potential.