Jyoen

Drawing on the Japanese traditional theatre forms of Kabuki and Noh, Jyoen is an operetta set in Edo Period Japan and tells the story of Kaede, a young Shinto Shrine Maiden, offered in marriage to a retired samurai in appreciation for his service. The tale charts the unraveling of the once great warrior Tsuruoka Yasunobu, Kaede’s ill-fated attempt to attain agency over her life and a low class gardener’s misguided effort to seek revenge for his father’s death.

Through innovative story-telling, writer/directors, Lee Douglass and Toshinori Hamada, have created a world that uses traditional forms and timeless themes to illuminate universal human issues that resonate with the modern world. Jyoen is performed to an original score for shamisen, koto, shakuhachi and voice by composer, Kento Iwasaki and uses traditional Japanese and lyrical modern dance to weave a tale of honor, love, vengeance and truth. The text is in classical Japanese with English subtitles.