MULTI-AWARD WINNING SHOW, BUTOH MEDEA LANDS AT HOLLYWOOD FRINGE 2018!
Butoh Medea
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2018
Contact to: Yoshiko Usami
[email protected]
www.butohmedea.com
East meets West in Butoh Medea: Japanese Butoh dance
breathes new life into the ancient Greek tale of Medea.
*This is a part of A Woman’s Story Project.
The Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre (5636 Melrose Ave, Los Angels, CA)
June 8-20
Friday June 8th @ 6pm WYCP (Suggested $15)
Thursday June 14th @ 3pm $12
Friday June 15th @9pm $15
Wednesday June 20th @10pm $15
Adapting this production from Euripides’ Medea and Greek Tragedy, and using Japanese Butoh Dance and original texts, Yokko brings the spirit of Medea to life. This fusion of Eastern dance and Western drama invites the audience inside Medea’s dark and desperate struggle. Trapped in the underworld, she is forever cursed to relive her tragic journey through love, hate, and ultimate loss. Butoh Medea received four awards at United Solo 2014: Best One-Woman Show, Best Lighting Design, Best Costume Design and Best Choreography. It was the official selection of United Solo Europe in Warsaw, Poland in 2015. Nominated The Asian Arts Award at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015, and received Best Physical Theatre at United Solo 2015. It has been touring nationally and internationally. Writer: Sean Michael Welch. Director: Brian Rhinehart. Co-Choreographer: Jordan Rosin. Costume Design: Deepsikha Chatterjee. Lighting Design: Derek Van Heel.
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“Butoh Medea is a deeply touching performance." (-Teatr Del Was, Warsaw, Poland)
“Yokko strikes that near-perfect balance between the popular and the niche. It’s a revelatory performance in an astonishing piece of physical theatre.” (-A Differing View, Edinburgh, UK)
“Yokko’s performance is hauntingly striking. It deserves to be experienced.” (-Fest, Edinburgh, UK)
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Brian Rhinehart (Director) is an actor, director, professor and Fulbright scholar. An expert in devised theatre and collaborative playmaking, he has worked as a freelance theatre director in Florida and New York for the last seventeen years. He holds an M.F.A. in Directing from The Actors Studio Drama School, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Florida. He is a Member of AEA and SDC.
Sean Michael Welch (Writer, Adapter) was awarded the 1999 Kennedy Center / American College Theatre Festival John Cauble Short Play Award for Earl the Vampire, and won the 2000 KC/ACTF Region III Ten-Minute Play Competition for Charleston’s Finger. His novel 1897: Aliens! Vampires! Zombies! is released in October 2015.
Yokko (Performer, Choreographer, Adapter) is an actor, a movement & Butoh Artist, solo Performer from Japan. She has acted in, devised and choreographed a variety of local and international shows, having won several awards, including “Best One-Woman Show” for Butoh Medea (United Solo 2014 at Theatre Row). Butoh Medea was selected to perform in Warsaw, Poland. (United Solo Europe 2015, Teatre Syrena), toured Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2015, nominated The Asian Arts Award. Other Theatre credits include: BALDY (CRS, United Solo 2013, HFF 2013, Fringe NYC 2012), ISIS Variation (Fringe NYC 2014), FACET (Irondale Center, Wave Rising Series, HFF 2013), Butoh Electra (Irondale Center, Fringe NYC 2011). Yokko also acted in several of local and international films, one of which is the Student Academy Winner film, Cloud-Kumo (2016).She is the associate artistic director of The Ume Group as well as the artistic director of Ren Gyo Soh in NYC. Winner of Best Physical Theatre Show, Best Choreography (Butoh Medea, United Solo 2015, 2014). Deep gratitude to the amazing team and everyone who has been supporting this project since 2014. B.A in Theatre (UAlbany), MFA in Acting (The Actors Studio). www.yokko-online.com
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