Noh Reimagined

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5-star review from The Guardian and features in &Asian magazine

Noh Sumidagawa and A Tale of the Sumida River at the Aldeburgh Festival receive a 5-star review from The Guardian. &Asian magazine also released a fabulous review on Noh Kinuta:  

Articles from &Asian magazine:

“What to Look Out For: Noh Reimagined 2024, Kings Place”, &ASIAN, June 2024

“As the Noh Reimagined Festival returns this June, we take a look at the joy and magic that the festival, in collaboration with Kings Place, brings to all who attend.”

“The Bible of my Life: Actor Shizuka Mikata”, &ASIAN, June 2024

“As part of Noh Reimagined 2024 in Kings Place this 21st & 22nd of June, Kyoto-born actor Shizuka Mikata takes us through Fūshi Kaden (風姿花伝, “The Transmission of the Flower”), the most seminal influence in his life.”

Cerith Wyn Evans, Neon Forms and Highlights from Sumidagawa at Dovecote Gallery, Snape Maltings

In collaboration with a special exhibition by renowned conceptual artist Cerith Wyn Evans, Neon Forms, inspired by Noh, Noh performers presented highlights from Sumidagawa outside the Dovecote Gallery at Snape Maltings, set against the backdrop of a Barbara Hepworth sculpture. Over 100 audience members came to enjoy this rare performance.

https://www.brittenpearsarts.org/exhibitions/cerith-wyn-evans

Song of Rona Island – ( work in progress)

The new production “Song of Rona Island ” ( A work in progress performance) , which is in spired by the Scottish poet and writer Kathleen Jamie’s essay was showcased in Tokyo. From the far edges of Japan and Scotland, it delivers a powerful message about the deep connections between nature and humanity that resonate with today’s world.

Date: Wednesday, January 17, 2024, 7:00 PM
Venue: Tessenkai Noh Theater

A historical collaboration was witnessed by the audiences at the Noh theatre in Aoyama, Tokyo. Kanji Shimizu (Kanze School shite actor) and four finest Noh perforemrs, along with Aidan O’Rourke (fiddle) and Brìghde Chaimbeul (Scottish smallpipes), came together to create a unique drama where Noh and Scottish nature intersect.

The new production is based on the captivating essay “On Rona” by Scottish poet Kathleen Jamie, which depicts her impactful experiences on the remote island of Rona in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland,

The Outer Hebrides, comprising over 180 islands off the west coast of Scotland, are known for their majestic natural beauty and mystique. Among these islands, Rona (North Rona) lies 71 kilometers north-northeast of Lewis Island, making it the most remotely situated island in the British Isles.

Kathleen Jamie, a prominent Scottish poet and novelist, chronicled her three-week stay on Rona Island, accompanying ecological surveys, in her essay “On Rona,” which is part of her collection “Sightlines” (published on September 10, 2013). Jamie’s sensitive and poetic prose captures her gentle gaze towards the island’s nature and its inhabitants, her astute observations on lost history and human presence, and her reflections on the fragility of ecosystems, humanity, and the warnings against environmental destruction.

Kanji Shimizu: shite ( Saint Rona )
Takao Nishimura: chant (Rona island)
Aidan O’Rourke: Fiddle, Composition
Brìghde Chaimbeul: Scottish Smallpipes
Hiroyuki Matsuda: Nohkan flute
Kyosuke Tanabe: shoulder drum
Mitsuhiro Kakihara: Hip drum


Planning & Production: Akiko Yanagisawa (Mu Arts Japan)
Supported by: The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation

Tokyo Audiences Rave Over Thick & Tight Performance “Two Moths in Real Time”

31st October 2023, Tessenkai Noh Theatre, Tokyo

Following the highly acclaimed London premiere at Kings Place as part of the 3rd Noh Reimagined Festival, Noh Reimagined invited Thick and Tight their commissioned pieces ” Two Moths in Real Time” along with 5 Noh performers for Tokyo audiences to the highest acclaim.

Two Moths in Real Time

The ambitious piece is inspired by the rhythms, structure, choreography, and metaphysical philosophy found in Noh and Kyogen. Through the study of queer culture and queer ecology in the UK and Japan, Thick & Tight consider how the term ‘unnatural’ is often applied to behaviours of the LGBTQ+ community to create divisions around who belongs in our interconnected world.

Sambaso in 12-beat measures

Thick & Tight dances to the rhythm of Sambaso (famous ancient divine dance in Noh, praying for a bountiful harvest) as two moths. While the original Sambaso is in 8-beat measures, Isso created this piece in 12-beat measures inspired by flamenco.