“An Evening of Kyogen” will be presented Sunday, May 7, at 5 p.m. at the Aratani Theatre, 244 S. San Pedro St. in Little Tokyo.
Thirty-five years after he first shared the joy of kyogen with Los Angeles theatergoers, Living National Treasure Nomura returns with the Mansaku-no-Kai Company for an evening of warm, life-affirming comedy.
Also starring Mansai Nomura and Yukio Ishida, this program of three short masterpieces (“The Owl,” “The Kawakami Headwaters,” and “Tied to a Stick”) displays the full range of a theatrical form that has kept audiences laughing since the 14th century.
With its pared-down staging and stylized acting, kyogen offers an absolutely unique theatrical experience. Performed in Japanese with English subtitles, this program is the result of a special collaboration between the Aratani World Series and the Yanai Initiative at UCLA and Waseda University in Tokyo.
Additional support for this program is provided by UCLA Division of Humanities; Haruhisa Handa Professorship of Shinto Studies, UCLA; Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, UCLA; Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies; Cultural Affairs Division, Waseda University; Ryusaku Tsunoda Center of Japanese Culture, Waseda University; TGU Project “Global Japanese Studies” and Waseda University (MEXT Grant); WASEDA USA; All Nippon Airways.
JACCC programs are made possible in part by grants from the Annenberg Foundation, Aratani Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Los Angeles Board of Supervisors through the L.A. County Arts Commission, the Folick family, Kawaguchi-Kihara Memorial Foundation, and George, Ruri, Lisa, and Nathan Sugimoto. Significant in-kind support is provided by American Airlines, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., and Bose.
Gala tickets ($100) include post-show reception with artists. Orchestra, $40; balcony, $30 ($5 discount for JACCC members). Students, $20. Info: (213) 628-2725, www.jaccc.org.