The Cultch and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct) are thrilled to present Kuroko, a world premiere from renowned playwright, Tetsuro Shigematsu, directed by award-winning director Amiel Gladstone (Onegin) at The Cultch Historic Theatre, November 6-17, 2019.
Hiroshi has only a year left to live. During that time, he must somehow get his daughter Maya to leave her bedroom, something that hasn’t happened in over half a decade. Maya is hikikomori—an extreme recluse—who has spent the last six years in her bedroom exploring Virtual Reality. Until one day, she meets a mysterious player online who challenges her to the ultimate quest: saving her own father’s life. How? By visiting the scariest place IRL (in real life), Suicide Forest.
Acclaimed theatre creator, Tetsuro Shigematsu, is well known for work that explores the modern experience. His solo works, two time sold-out Cultch hit Empire of the Son, and 1 Hour Photo, both of which premiered with vAct at The Cultch, explores his personal and lived experience as a Japanese Canadian. Kuroko marks a change in Shigematsu’s work. Instead of taking the stage himself, five well know Canadian Asian actors—Kanon Hewitt, Lou Ticzon, Manami Hara, Donna Soares, and John Ng (Kim's Convenience CBC/Netflix show) will bring Kuroko to life. “It is a new experience for me,” says Shigematsu. “This time around I am taking on a more traditional role for a playwright, and I am excited to see my words come to life in the hands of such an incredible cast, under the direction of Amiel Gladstone.”
In traditional Japanese kabuki, kuroko are stagehands, clad all in black, who—though conventionally considered unseen—progress the action, enabling the actors to perform the seemingly impossible. In Tetsuro Shigematsu’s Kuroko, he explores how each of the characters in our lives empower us to achieve things we have never considered possible. Is there a kuroko in your life?
WHEN: NOV 6–17, 2019
Nov 6, 7:30PM: Preview
Nov 7, 7:30PM: Opening
Nov 8–9, 12–16, 7:30PM
Nov 10 & 17, 2PM
Post-show Artist Talkback: Nov 10, 12
WHERE: Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables
TICKETS: Tickets from $26. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or www.tickets.thecultch.com.
Photo by Raymond Shum
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