Commissioned by Noh Reimagined 2024, “A Tale of the Sumida River,” adapted from the classic Noh play “Sumidagawa” by Motomasa Kanze, introduces a fresh narrative crafted by Xanthe Gresham-Knight and Gareth Mattey. This captivating adaptation premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival, sharing the stage with a performance of the original “Sumidagawa.” A repeat performance occurred at Kings Place on June 21st.
A Tale of the Sumida River
Come with me on a journey.
I have a story to tell. One story, every story.
A mother – once noble.
A child – now lost.
And a ferryman to ferry us where we must go.
Climb on board.
We must journey on, journey on –
Looking for what has gone.
Eastwards is the way.
But first – we must cross the Sumida River.
Today the Sumida River snakes its way through the beating heart of Tokyo, flowing past temples and stadiums and into Tokyo Bay. But long ago the Sumida River flowed free, between marshes and fens, uncontrolled by human hands. This was a wild landscape – Tokyo didn’t exist, and civilisation itself lay far away to the west. To see a city-woman from the far-away capital Kyoto, all alone, far from home, bamboo branch in hand, was a clear sign to traveller and ferryman alike – the woman must be mad. For if not mad, what else could drive her desperate need to cross the Sumida River?
‘A Tale of the Sumida River’ is a new adaptation of ‘Sumidagawa’ for solo storyteller, transforming and translating this ancient tale for English speaking audiences today.
Listen to the audio recording
please see the video performance at Kings Place here
Xanthe Gresham-Knight ( Co-writer and storyteller)
Xanthe Gresham- Knight has been a performance storyteller for 30 years. She has received numerous commissions from major institutions such as The British Museum and The Smithsonian and has been storyteller in Residence at Harvard University. She has also worked at The Chelsea Physic Garden and writes for Psychologies Magazine. She is the author of numerous books including Goddesses and Heroines (Thames and Hudson) and the Herba Mythica, the Myths and Folktales of Sacred Healing Plants (History Press). This is her first foray into Japanese literature and Noh Theatre and she is both honoured and grateful for the guidance of the creative team in working on this story for Noh play “Sumidagawa”.
Xanthe Gresham-Knight’s Website
Gareth Mattey ( Co-writer and dramaturgy)
Gareth (pronouns they/them) is a writer, translator and dramaturg. A graduate of the Guildhall School’s MA in Opera Making and Writing, as well as New York University’s MFA in Dramatic Writing. Gareth recently returned from Japan where they have been further developing their creative practice and relationship with Japanese theatre, music, and media, with the support of a Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Scholarship. Gareth’s engagement with both Noh and opera began when directing a student production of Curlew River in 2014, and they are incredibly excited to once again be working with the power and beauty of Noh. They have previously worked with Birmingham Opera Company, FAWN Chamber and Creative in Toronto, among others.
Carlos Davy ( Sound design)
Carlos graduated in Physics from the University of Birmingham, and in Acoustics and Music Technology from the University of Edinburgh. His work is concerned with the intersection of art and science, specifically where physics and technology meet sound and music. Carlos was awarded the Daiwa Scholarship in 2021 and continues to work in Japan as an electronic acoustic composer, sound designer and digital musical instrument developer.
