In this season of blossoms, we are delighted to welcome you back to our seasonal performances of classical Japanese Kyogen in English at NOHSpace. We are excited to present Futari Daimyo (Two Lords) and Busu (Sweet Poison), performed by our wonderful ensemble!
Yugen’s productions bring forward the wit, rhythm, and precision at the heart of Kyogen, grounded in our ongoing training in this centuries-old art and our continued exploration of its timeless vitality - where cleverness turns the tables and surprises unfold with playful delight.
We invite you to join us at NOHSpace and experience the laughter that reminds us of our shared humanity across time and culture!
Directed by Lluís Valls
Featuring
Joe Galang, Nick Ishimaru, Ryan Marchand, Fenner Merlick, Kate Patrick, and Lluís Valls
DATES AND TIMES:
Thursday, April 23, 8PM
Friday, April 24, 8PM
Saturday, April 25, 5PM
Sunday, April 26, 2PM
RUNNING TIME: About 1 hour 20 minutes with Intermission
VENUE: Theatre of Yugen’s NOHSpace (2840 Mariposa St., San Francisco, CA 94110) [ACCESS INFORMATION]
TICKETS: General Admission $30 (Regular) & $20 (Community Discount - if the price is a barrier)
Program
Futari Daimyo (Two Lords)
Two arrogant lords set out for a stroll and press a passing man into service, making him carry their swords and mocking him for sport. Through the man’s cunning, the balance of power quickly flips. At the servant’s command, the proud lords are reduced to imitating dogs, chickens, and tumbling dolls - an escalating display of absurdity in this brisk, physical Kyogen farce.
Busu (Sweet Poison)
Before leaving the house to their care, the master points to a large jar and says to his servants, “Don't get close to the Busu (Poison).” But Taro-kaja and Jiro-kaja can not get Busu out of their mind. Finally Taro-kaja decides to approach the jar. Busu looks very delicious, and Taro-kaja can’t resist the temptation to take a lick...
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.
Joe Galang (he/him) [Apprentice] is thrilled to participate in this production and to begin learning this wonderful theater artform. Primarily a musical theater performer and musician, Joe was last onstage in Hillbarn Theatre's production of Anastasia this past December. Other recent credits include Prop Fiction at PlaygroundSF (directed by Nick Ishimaru), Pickpocket at Musical Cafe, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at Ohlone Summerfest, Spongebob in The Spongebob Musical at Palo Alto Players, and the Minstrel / Chef in Something Rotten! at West Valley Light Opera. When not in theater, Joe is a biotech professional, and can be found reading, participating in music events and jam sessions all around the Bay, folding dumplings, eating dumplings, and spending time with his partner Elliott and their two kittens named after dumplings. ありがとうございます and maraming salamat po!
