Yama – Tales of Shonai

Japanese theatre group, Doubtful Sound (in collaboration with the SOAS Minyo group) gives audiences a new perspective on Japanese identity through ancient folktales. The stories  were created, evolved, and cherished in country-side  towns, where the culture was a world away from the  artificial and stereotypical one being created by  modern advertising campaigns today. The images most people associate with Japan have very little to do with the way most people led their lives. These stories from Shonai are about young brothers killing over missing potatoes, foxes arguing over an old man's tumour, mysterious floating coffins, regional lying competitions, complaints from the Lord of the Underworld, and a young woman plotting the death of her mother-in-law. They represent a different image of Japan, a strange and spacious one that is worth remembering and celebrating.

Yama stirs up fresh, new and exciting images of a forgotten Japan.

(Supported by the Sasakawa Foundation and Exchange Theatre)

 

Ticket: £19.50 (£18 and £15 concessions, £10 preview 12 July)