OUR PLANET will take audiences on a tour of Japan Society and the world itself
Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
November 20-24, December 5-8, $28, 7:30
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org
In February 2012, Japan Society presented a reading of Katsunori and Miharu Obata’s translation of Yukio Shiba’s Our Planet as part of the program “Play Reading Series: Contemporary Japanese Plays in English Translation.” Shiba’s work, which was loosely inspired by Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and won the 2010 Kishida Kunio Drama Award, explores the everyday life of a family in relation to the birth and death of Earth. The reading was directed by Hoi Polloi artistic director Alec Duffy, who is now back at Japan Society for the world premiere of the full production of Our Planet, running November 20-24 and December 5-8. The ninety-minute show, featuring Julian Rozzell Jr. as Terri and Jenny Seastone Stern as Luna, takes place throughout the landmark building, which was designed by Junzo Yoshimura, opened in 1971, and went through a major renovation in 1998. Each performance is limited to thirty people, who will be led through galleries, offices, hidden stairwells, and other areas usually not available to the public. The scenic design is by Mimi Lien, with costumes by Becky Lasky, lighting by Jiyoun Chang, music and sound by Tei Blow, and projections by Nobuyuki Hanabusa. Several performances are already sold out, so you better act quickly if you want to take advantage of this unique opportunity.