AKUTAGAWA is a stage portrait of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, father of the modern Japanese short novel and author of In a Grove, the basis of Akira Kurosawa’s landmark 1950 film Rashomon. Told through the traditional puppetry style kuruma ningyo blended with dynamic video images, AKUTAGAWA is an amalgam of five of his famous short stories—including Rashomon, Hell Screen (Jigokuhen), The Dragon, Toshishun and Kappa. The show explores the author’s artistic insight and fragile emotional state. This production is made through an international collaboration between puppeteers Koryu Nishikawa V (Tokyo) and Tom Lee (Chicago), with live music by Yukio Tsuji (New York).

AKUTAGAWA in Pittsburgh is presented by The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, The University of Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts 6–12.

Pittsburgh Taiko will have a special performance at 6:30 PM.

Be sure to check out the programs related to this event the following week:

Tuesday, February 7: Talkback on the Performance

Wednesday, February 8: AKUTAGAWA Japan-Pittsburgh Puppetry Conversation

Saturday, February 11: Children's Museum Puppetry Workshops

This engagement of Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo Puppet Company and Tom Lee is made possible in part through the ArtsCONNECT program of Mid Atlantic Arts with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and Japan Iron and Steel Federation and Mitsubishi Endowments at the University of Pittsburgh.

Kappa 河童 Sponsors

John F. and Nancy L. Oyler Charitable Trust

AKUTAGAWA is supported by Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture) and The Osaka Community Foundation / anonymous fund No.22.