SORYA! Setsubun Sweetheart

Theatre of Yugen presents their fourth annual offering of Sorya! Designed as an opportunity to perform selections from the classic Kyogen repertoire and new experimental Kyogen pieces at its home venue NOHspace, Sorya! is also a way for the company to rotate its acting ensemble into the active repertoire.

Tracing its history back over six hundred years to the samurai age in Japan, where it developed as a companion to Noh, Kyogen is a dialogue-based theatrical art form which expresses natural human emotions and emphasizes "comedy." Kyogen has a universal appeal, as the majority of stories are derived from mundane subjects, displaying a slice of life through the use of dialogue, mime, song and dance.

This Spring the ensemble is excited to present the Kyogen classic A Demon in Love (Setsubun) as it honors the parting of the seasons, Spring from Winter, and it truly embraces the charm of nature's transition as well as Cupid's arrow. A Demon in Love is unique among plays of the Kyogen repertoire as it has less to do with Servants getting the better of their Masters and more to do with romance. SORYA! Setsubun Sweetheart also includes other Kyogen favorites The Snail (Kagyu) and Sumo Wrestling with a Mosquito (Kazumo), and is directed by Theatre of Yugen's founder, Yuriko Doi.

Kagyu (The Snail) A classic Kyogen where a servant is sent off for a “good luck” snail. When the servant mistakes a wandering mountain priest for a snail, things start getting interesting.

Kazumo (Sumo Wrestling with a Mosquito) A Daimyo sends his servant, Taro-kaja, out to find some more help. Taro-kaja meets the spirit of a mosquito, disguised as a man, and brings him home. The new servant is a jack-of-all-trades, including Sumo wrestling. When the Daimyo challenges him to a match, the opponents face off in a battle of wits between man and beast.

Setsubun (A Demon in Love) In keeping with the ensemble's foundation in tradition, Theatre of Yugen presents the seasonal Kyogen Setsubun, a classic Kyogen play which features a Demon who can only visit Japan one day a year. Falling in love with a local villager, the Demon tries to woo her. The tables are turned as the savage beast tries to do the soothing.

Performed by Sheila Berroti, Ellen Brooks, Jubilith Moore, Stephen Siegel, Lluis Valls, Libby Zilber and Max

Directed by Yuriko Doi .