Chicago Puppet Fests presents:
The Koryū Nishikawa Troupe, creators of Shank’s Mare, brings a collaborative puppet performance by Chicago-based puppet artist Tom Lee and Japanese traditional puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V. This beautifully detailed production combines traditional kuruma ningyo puppetry with contemporary staging to share a Western perspective on the life of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the father of the Japanese short story form.
Dates/Times:
Friday, January 27 at 5pm
Saturday, January 28 at 2pm and 6pm
Sunday, January 29 at 2pm and 6pm
Location: Chopin Theatre (mainstage), 1543 W. Division St.
Cost: $40/$30 students & seniors
Ages: 9 and up
Running Time: 80 mins
ADA Accessible? Yes
Koryū Nishikawa is the fifth generation master of the kuruma ningyō style, a 160-year-old solo puppetry tradition recognized as a national cultural asset by Japan. In kuruma ningyō, or cart puppetry, a performer sits on a small wheeled box holding the puppet’s feet between his toes and the puppets head and arms with his hands. Related to the three-person Bunraku-style, kuruma ningyō is one of the most unique puppet forms on the planet allowing a powerful and virtuosic performance rooted in deep spiritual power. Tom Lee is a puppet artist, designer and director. He appeared on Broadway in War Horse, in Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera and creates original work that often explores the synthesis of manipulated objects, miniatures and puppets with the language of film and animation.Mr. Lee is co-director of the Chicago Puppet Lab and Chicago Puppet Studio. www.tomleeprojects.com
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The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival advances the art of puppetry by presenting sophisticated programs vital to the cultural life of Chicago. Engaging and inspiring the largest and most diverse audiences for puppetry possible, the Festival is the biggest event dedicated to puppetry in North America and traditionally offers more than 100 activities annually including performances, workshops, artist instensives, free neighborhood events and symposia to audiences up to 14,000 over 11 days each January. The organization is also home to other key initiatives, including the Chicago Puppet Studio and Chicago Puppet Lab, that nurture the development of puppeteers and deepen the field locally, nationally and internationally with the ultimate goal of promoting peace, equality, mutual understanding, and justice locally and globally.
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