SAN FRANCISCO — Theatre of Yugen at NOHspace, 2840 Mariposa St. in San Francisco, is presenting “Puppets & Poe: Devised Defiance” through Nov. 2.
Showtimes: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Recipe for the macabre: Start with Edgar Allan Poe, the renowned master of poetry, short stories, and tales of mystery and the macabre. Dissect and remix. With a departure from Japanese noh drama and kyogen satire, mix with Theatre of Yugen’s signature physicality, voices, words, ideas, bodies, and puppets.
Stir in a splash of contemporary relevance, with good old-fashioned irreverence. Bake at a macabre 666 degree heat for an hour and a half. “Devised Defiance” is a dish best served cold.
“Puppets & Poe” brings together a troupe of unique performers — circus performers, dancers, musicians, actors, poets, writers — feasting on this extensive body of Poe’s ouevre. Dined on Poe’s words but digested by our bodies — variously colored, gendered, queered, immigrated — we claim these words and recycle them to amplify our unique experiences.
The presented pieces of Poe’s work ruminate on irreverence, loss, beauty, death, society, and politics as original performances using Theatre of Yugen’s signature physicality, further emphasized by Bread and Puppets-style full-body puppetry.
Poems and stories to be presented include “The Bells,” “Telltale Heart,” “Annabelle Lee,” “The Raven,” and “Fall of the House of Usher.”
Cast: Ella Cooley, Alan Coyne, Shannon R. Davis (also the director), Steven Flores, Jamin Jollo, and Nick Ishimaru.
Admission: $15 students, $35 general, $45 VIP (includes free drinks).
Warning: Contains mature themes, language, and content, including suicide, death, and violence, and may not be suitable for children.
Upcoming: “Yugen no Kai: Fall,” Nov. 16 and 17; “A Noh Christmas Carol,” Dec. 6-29.
For more information: (415) 621-0507, info@theatreofyugen.org, http://theatreofyugen.org.