The Wabash College’s Visiting Artist Series presents the Koryu Nishikawa Troupe on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center’s Ball Theater.
The troupe will present, “Akutagawa,” an international puppetry collaboration based on the life and work of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, one of Japan’s most important early 20th century writers. Tom Lee and Koryu Nishikawa will tell the story using figurative puppets inspired by Kuruma Ningyo, traditional Japanese puppetry that dates to the 19th century, as well as projections, shadows, and live feed video of manipulated objects.
This is a rare opportunity to see Kuruma Ningyo puppetry performed by a Japanese master in America. The performance will be in English.
Celebrated in Japan as the father of the Japanese short story, “Akutagawa” is most widely known in the west through Akira Kurosawa’s landmark film “Rashomon,” based on two of Akutagawa’s stories, “Rashomon” and “In the Bamboo Grove.”
Tickets are free, but are required, for Visiting Artist Series events. For more information please visit: www.wabash.edu/boxoffice, or phone 765-361-6411.