We would like to acknowledge the Ramaytush Ohlone people, who are the traditional custodians of this land. We pay our respects to the Ramaytush Ohlone elders, past, present, and future who call this place, the land that we sit upon, their home. We are proud to continue their tradition of coming together and growing as a community. We thank the Ramaytush Ohlone community for their stewardship and support, and we look forward to strengthening our ties as we continue our relationship of mutual respect and understanding.

Visit www.ramaytush.org/donate.html to support the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone.

Program

About 1 hour 20 min without intermission

Directed by Lluís Valls

Featuring

Nick Ishimaru, Ryan Marchand, Fenner Merlick, Kate Patrick, and Lluís Valls

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Kyogen Kaki Yamabushi

(Persimmon Mountain Priest)

After years of ascetic training, a thirsty Yamabushi (mountain priest) stumbles into a persimmon orchard and steals some fruit. When the owner appears, he hides and frantically mimics monkeys, dogs, and finally a hawk, leaping from the tree. With clever antics and playful mockery, Kaki Yamabushi is a timeless Kyogen classic, celebrated for its witty portrayal of pride, folly, and human absurdity, even featured in Japanese school textbooks.

Farmer: Lluís Valls

Yamabushi: Fenner Merlick

Koken: Nick Ishimaru

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Introduction to Nohgaku by Nick Ishimaru

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Shimai Dance Yuya

A Shimai, or dance excerpt, from the Noh play Yuya. Yuya was written by Zeami in the 15th century and tells the story of a courtesan who serves the powerful general Taira no Munemori. She longs to return home to care for her ailing mother, but her request is refused. In this Shimai, Yuya dances to express her deep sorrow and longing, while also reflecting on the beauty of spring, aware of how fleeting both life and blossoms can be. Unlike a full Noh performance, a Shimai is performed without mask or costume, allowing us to focus on the pure essence of the dance and chant. Through these simple yet profound movements, we glimpse the quiet elegance and emotional depth at the heart of Noh.

Dance; Kate Patrick

Chant: Nick Ishimaru

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Komai Dance Tsu no Kuni (County of Tsu)

In the spirited realm of classical Kyogen performance, the Komai (“small dance”) Tsu no Kuni offers a lively yet subtly artful interlude. Set in the county of Tsu in present-day Mie Prefecture, the dance evokes everyday provincial life through a blend of ritualized movement and witty nuance. The piece invites audiences into a textured moment of local colour - voices and gestures hinting at the quirks of rural judgement, status, and custom, while its formal dance vocabulary anchors it in the theatrical tradition of laughter and reflection. In its modest setting of Tsu, the work becomes both an affectionate portrait of place and a playful reminder that even the most familiar scenes can be theatrical, layered, and deeply human.

Dance: Nick Ishimaru

Chant: Kate Patrick

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Kyogen Shuron

(A Religious Dispute)

On the road home, two monks strike up a conversation and decide to travel together. But trouble brews when they discover they follow rival sects - one returning from a pilgrimage to Mount Minobu as a devout Nichiren monk, the other a Jodoshu (Pure Land) follower coming back from Zenkoji. What begins as friendly chatter turns into a heated debate: each insists the other abandon his sect, brandishing lofty doctrines to prove his point. Their quarrel escalates from chanting to comic dancing until exhaustion finally overtakes them.

Jodoshu (Pure Land Sect) Priest: Lluís Valls

Hokkeshu (Lotus Sutra Sect) Priest: Ryan Marchand

Innkeeper: Fenner Merlick

Koken: Kate Patrick

Artists

Lluís Valls acts, directs, and writes for the theatre. He has studied Noh with Richard Emmert, Akira Matsui, and Teruhisa Oshima (Kita school), Kyogen with Yukio Ishida, Go Iida and Yuriko Doi (Izumi school), and Kotsuzumi Noh drum with Mitsuo Kama (Ko school), as well as training in butoh, Suzuki method, and clowning. A graduate of SFSU, Lluís has been a disciple of founder Yuriko Doi since 1993 and served as Theatre of Yugen’s Joint Artistic Director with Jubilith Moore and Libby Zilber from 2002 - 2008. He has been a main actor for Yugen since 1997 and currently serves as the Director of the Kyogen Company. Lluís is also a founding member of the local Clown company Clowns on a Stick, as well as international Noh troupe Theatre Nohgaku with whom he has toured throughout Europe, Asia and the US.

Nick Ishimaru (he/him) is a co-founder of San Francisco-based Kunoichi Productions. Prior to working with Kunoichi, he served as the Artistic Director of Theatre of Yugen from 2016 to 2020. He holds a BA in Performing Arts from Colorado State University, where he directed a kabuki adaptation of Macbeth, a Masters in Drama from San Francisco State University, and did additional doctorate work at the University of Hawaii. He has trained in noh and kyōgen for over 10 years with San Francisco’s Theatre of Yugen, Theatre Nohgaku, and the Kita school noh master Oshima Teruhisa in Tokyo. Ishimaru has also studied kabuki, jingju (Beijing Opera), and nihon buyo (traditional Japanese dance). He has led master classes on various performing arts topics for all levels from elementary school through university, and has presented work at conferences and university lectures both in the Bay Area and internationally.

Ishimaru has directed many productions including The Red Demon, A Noh Christmas Carol, Seen/By Everyone, The True Tale of Princess Kaguya, Fun Home, Never Mind, and Anything Goes. He has performed in A Noh Christmas Carol, Puppets and Poe, The True Tale of Princess Kaguya, Bellini’s Norma, Carmen, Mame, and dozens of English language kyōgen, among others.

Ryan Marchand began performing with Theater of Yugen in 2009. A Los Angeles native, he moved to the Bay Area to attend San Francisco State University, where he first trained in Noh and Kyogen. As a theater maker, he has worked with a variety of companies including Crowded Fire, Shotgun Players, African American Shakespeare Company, Bindelstiff Studios, Kunoichi Productions, and Playwright’s Foundation. Ryan is the current Director of San Francisco Opera’s Department of Diversity, Equity and Community.

Fenner Merlick is a performing and teaching artist in the Bay Area. Pedagogically rooted in Kyogen and Noh theater, clown, and bouffon, viewpoints, suzuki, butoh, and viewpoints. They studied Theater at UC Berkeley, trained at Dell Arte International, and are a company member of Theatre of Yugen and Kismet Arts Tangent. They have performed with Cutting Ball, Custom Made, foolsFury, Ragged Wing Ensemble, Liar Liar Theater, PACE Gallery in Menlo Park, and won Best of the SF Fringe in 2013 and 2022 for collaboratively created shows. In 2022 they were awarded an excellence in theater award by the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.

Kate Patrick, currently based in San Francisco, has been an ensemble member with Theatre of Yugen since 2019. Most recently she has appeared as the Crab Spirit in Kani Yamabushi, the Master in Busu, and Corvino in last year's adaptation of Volpone, Act I and II. Next Spring, she is excited to reprise her role for Volpone, as well as design and build special costume pieces for this production. She has also done costume work for various local theaters including San Francisco Opera, Actors Ensemble of Berkeley and New Conservatory Theatre Center. Previous experience in traditional Japanese theater includes her role as the second Yamabushi in University of Hawai’i, Mānoa’s 2016 production of a new kyogen play, Futari Yamabushi, and a 2017-18 Fulbright Research Grant to study traditional ji-kabuki costumes and practices under Sachie Oguri at the Museum Nakasendou and Aioi-za Theater in Mizunami, Japan. While there she performed in two kabuki classics, Sodehagi Saimon as Hachiman Taro Yoshiie, and Fuji Musume. Kate has an MFA in Costume Design from University of Hawai’i, Mānoa.

Kaori Yamashita (they/them), Stage Manager, is a multifaceted performing arts professional with extensive experience in technical theater and performance. Their journey began in 1996 at the Body Weather Farm, where they cultivated a deep understanding of experimental movement. Working closely with Min Tanaka, Kaori developed expertise in costume design, prop creation, tour management, and technical operations for light and sound. A significant milestone was serving as stage manager for Dance Across the Border at the Bard College Dance Festival, demonstrating their ability to coordinate complex performing arts productions. They continue evolving with inkboat, contributing to “Clouds from a Crumbling Giant” both as a performer and behind the scenes, scheduled to premiere in May 2026. Currently, Kaori is immersed in Kyogen, Japan’s traditional comic theater, further enriching their diverse theatrical background.

About Nohgaku and Noh Stage

Nohgaku is a traditional Japanese performing art that combines Noh, a serious and elegant form of lyric drama, and Kyogen, a comic counterpart. It is a highly stylized art form that includes poetry, dance, music, chanting, and elaborate costumes and masks, all passed down through generations for over six centuries. Recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, Nohgaku performances often focus on spiritual and psychological themes, with audiences expected to use imagination to interpret the meaning. Traditionally, Noh and Kyogen are performed together.

The noh stage, which was originally outdoors but is now usually located within a larger structure, is itself a work of art. The main stage, measuring six by six meters, is built of polished Japanese cypress and covered by a Shinto-style roof, and there is a bridge (hashigakari) that serves as a passageway to the stage. To the right and rear of the main stage are areas where the musicians and chorus sit. The pine tree painted on the back wall serves as the only background for all plays, the setting being established by the words of the actors and chorus. The three or four musicians (hayashikata) sit at the back of the stage and play the flute, the small hand drum (kotsuzumi), the large hand drum (otsuzumi), and, when the play requires it, the large floor drum (taiko). The chorus (jiutai), whose main role is to sing the words and thoughts of the leading character, sits at the right of the stage.

Theatre of Yugen is grateful for the generous support of the following Foundation and Government funders, as well as individual donors.

Support Us

Theatre of Yugen is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that depends on support from individuals and the community.

Please support us today by giving a tax-deductible donation.

About Theatre of Yugen

Theatre of Yugen, founded in 1978 by Yuriko Doi, is an innovative nonprofit theatre producer and presenter with a trained ensemble that is rooted in Noh drama and Kyogen comedy, the oldest continuous theatre traditions of Japan. Fusing contemporary and classical materials, we create and offer intercultural theatrical experiences that engage and inspire diverse peoples in the San Francisco Bay Area and the world.

Ensemble Members

Sheila Devitt, Nick Ishimaru, Meryn MacDougall, Ryan Marchand, Fenner Merlick, Kate Patrick, Lluís Valls

Programs & Operations

Kyoko Yoshida, Miwa Kaneko, Lucas Conde

Board of Directors

Haruko DeArth (President); Nina Bazan-Sakamoto (Secretary); Mariko Grady (Treasurer); Yuriko Doi-Walker (Founder); Jock Walker; Kyoko Yoshida