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| 02/05/99
CONTACT:
Margie Yu
Public Affairs Asst.
(323) 343-3047
Calendar
of Events | Cal State L.A. Presents
"Song of the Rice, Song of Life:
A Tale of Japan" What & Who:
The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at Cal State L.A. presents Song of the Rice, Song of Life: A Tale of Japan, a theatre piece with music, by Karen Yamamoto Hackler and with original score by Kenny Endo. With the help of the taiko (Japanese drum), the play interweaves the lives of the farmers with the rice cycles, the season, folktales and other traditions, paying homage to the rich legacy of Japan's agricultural life. Selected by the Kennedy Center's New Vision/New Voices in 1996, Song of the Rice, Song of Life is a play for youth and family audiences. Directed by José Cruz González. When:
Feb. 26-28 and Mar. 5-7.
Hours: Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m. Where:
Cal State L.A. State Playhouse. The University is located at the Eastern Avenue exit, San Bernardino (I-10) Fwy., at the interchange of 10 and 710 Fwys. Public (permit dispensers) parking in Lots C and G, and the upper level of Parking Structure II. Tickets:
General admission: $8; students/seniors: $5. Info:
This event is an official program of the 1999 LA GRAMMY Fest. For ticket information and reservations, call (323) 343-4118.
Director: José Cruz González
José Cruz González is a director and playwright. He served as project director of South Coast Repertory's Hispanic Playwrights Project for 11 seasons. He directed the world premiere's La Posada Magica, Man of the Flesh, Alicia in Wonder Tierra, Latins Anonymous, and My Visits with MGM (My Grandmother Marta). González has had his plays produced including Marisol's Christmas by Teatro Cucucuevez, South Coast Repertory, La Posa by Teatro del Pueblo (Minneapolis, MN), Harvest Moon by the Seattle's Group Theatre, and Spirit Dancing by Teatro Vision (San Jose, CA). His newest play, The Highest Heaven, premiered in January 1999 with Childsplay (Arizona). González is a recipient of a 1997 NEA/TCG Theatre Residency Program for Playwrights with Childsplay, Inc. In 1985, González was a National Endowment for the Arts Director Fellow. González is an associate professor of Theatre Arts and Dance at Cal State L.A. Playwright: Karen Yamamoto Hackler
Hawaii-born playwright Karen Yamamoto Hackler lived in Japan on the island of Shikoku in 1994-1995 doing research for Song of the Rice, Song of Life: A Tale of Japan. The play was commissioned by the Honolulu Theatre for Youth in the Fall of 1994 and was presented as staged readings at the New Vision/New Voices Program of the Kennedy Center in May 1996 and at the San Jose Repertory Theatre's first New America Playwright Festival in October 1996. For over a decade, Hackler has worked with the Honolulu Theatre for Youth (HTY), a professional children's theatre company, as a playwright, director, actress, or education director. In 1984, she conceived and directed Island Slices for HTY. The play, based on short stories and poems by writers from Hawaii, was done with an integrated company of blind, visually-impaired and sighted actors. In December 1998, Hackler was seen as Tsuru Yamauchi, an Okinawan picture bride in her eighties, in Getting Somewhere, a Spectrum Hawaii program of KHET, a PBS affiliate. Other acting credits include Kumu Kahua Theatre productions which explore the Asian-American experience in Hawaii, A Little Bit Like You by Darrell Lum, and two Edward Sakamoto plays, A Taste of Kona Coffee and Aloha Las Vegas, which was remounted for performances in Los Angeles at the Japanese American Theatre in June 1994. She is a member of The Dramatist Guild, Inc. Composer: Kenny Endo
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kenny Endo composed the original score for Song of the Rice, Song of Life. A well-known taiko drummer, Endo has performed extensively throughout the U.S. and Japan as well as internationally, in such countries as the U.S.S.R., England, France, Belgium, Egypt, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Canada, and Australia. He has performed in concerts and workshops at Stanford University's All Collegiate Taiko Invitational and Kennedy Center's New Vision/New Voices Festival. He was the featured artist at the International Taiko Festival, University of California, Hawaii Alliance for the Arts Summer Workshops for Youth Film/Television, and on Hawaii Public Television's Real Life Art. Endo's music background began with early training in western drums and percussion for performance with jazz, fusion, and classical artists. He discovered his roots through the Japanese taiko and in 1975 began working with the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. In 1980, he went to Japan to further his study of taiko drumming for ten years. He has studied and performed with masters in the Sukeroku, Suwa, Gojinjo, and Chichibu styles of group drumming. Choreographer: David Furumoto
David Furumoto wrote, directed and performed in The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis production of Wondrous Tales of Old Japan. The production recently toured through 12 states. Furumoto has performed with East West Players (Pacific Overtures), Berkeley Repertory Theatre/Huntington Theatre/Center Theatre Group (The Woman Warrior), Berkeley Repertory/Seattle Children's Theatre Co./Alliance Theatre Co. (Dragon Wings), the San Francisco Mime Troupe (Off Shore), and Honolulu Theatre for Youth: Pocket Kabuki. Furumoto earned his M.F.A. and B.A. with a specialization in Asian theatre acting styles from the University of Hawaii. He is a Master Teacher of Kabuki and Kyogen Theatre (Japan), and has a professional certification in Japanese classical dance. # # # |
