Comic Storyteller Brings Ancient Japanese Art Form to SoHo Playhouse Tonight with RAKUGO

This month, the SoHo Playhouse is hosting celebrated comic storyteller, Katsura Sunshine, as he brings Rakugo (runing tonight, November 16, through December 3), the 400-year-old art of Japanese comic storytelling, to New York City.

Tickets for Rakugo are $30 and Guilty Noodle Workshop are $10 and are available at www.sohoplayhouse.com.

Katsura Sunshine's RAKUGO is hilarious, charming, traditional, universally funny and yet so very Japanese. Sunshine makes his highly-anticipated off-Broadway debut! Fresh off 10 smash-hit performances in London's West End at the Leicester Square Theatre! RAKUGO is a 400-year-old tradition of comic storytelling in Japan. With a minimal set, Rakugo features a lone storyteller dressed in kimono, kneeling on a cushion, who, using only a fan and a hand towel for props, entertains the audience with a comic monologue followed by a traditional story. In Japan, Rakugo has over 800 professional storytellers. Sunshine is the first Westerner to complete the grueling 3-year apprenticeship under a Rakugo Master and receive a name in the history of the Osaka Rakugo Tradition! For more info: www.rakugo.lol.

Watch a preview for the show below!

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In order to become a recognized professional Rakugo storyteller, one must apprentice to a Rakugo Master, from whom one receives a stage name. The apprenticeship lasts for three to four years, and is very strict. Depending on the master, the apprentice may not drink, smoke, or go on dates, and is subject to a strict curfew during the apprenticeship period. The apprentice cleans the master's house, does laundry, cooking, preparing and folding kimonos, and other chores, and learns the art of storytelling by watching the master perform and imitating. Throughout one's career, one is only allowed to perform a given story once permission to do that story has been granted by a master storyteller.

Katsura Sunshine's RAKUGO starts previews tonight, November 16, for a run through December 3, 2017. Tickets are $30. For tickets and more information can be found at www.SoHoPlayhouse.com. Schedule: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Running Time is 75 Minutes.

Katsura Sunshine was born in Toronto, Ontario, to parents of Slovenian origin. He studied classics at the University of Toronto.

In September, 1995, his version of Aristophanes' "Clouds" opened at the Poor Alex Theatre in Toronto, and, buoyed by almost universally positive reviews, ran for 15 months before embarking on a national tour of Canada.

Sunshine went to Japan in 1999 to pursue studies in Noh and Kabuki Theatre. On September 1st, 2008, Sunshine was accepted as an apprentice to the great Rakugo storytelling Master, Katsura Bunshi VI and received the name Katsura Sunshine. Sunshine received his professional debut in Singapore the following year, and completed his three-year Rakugo apprenticeship in November, 2011. Sunshine is the first ever Western Rakugo storyteller in the history of the "Kamigata" Rakugo tradition, based in Osaka, and only the second ever in the history of Japan.

Sunshine has performed in Singapore, the United States and Canada, London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Paris, Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Thailand, Nepal, Ghana, Senegal, Gabon, South Africa, as well as throughout Japan. He currently divides his time between London and Tokyo.

Sunshine has been appointed Cultural Ambassador for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and Friendship Ambassador for Japan and the Republic of Slovenia. He was also Artist in Residence at The Forge Venue in Camden, London.

Katsumi Sakakura (born in 1963 in Nagoya, Japan) developed an original dance style as composite art to showcase the unique elements of traditional Japan - "movement, rhythm and spirit". He first learned Karate from his father at the age of five and started receiving training from Karate experts at the age of 10. He then moved on to Boxing while studying in university. He took up Hip-Hop dancing in his early twenties and copied American Hip-Hop dancers. He was inspired by a simple question asked by a famous American choreographer - "Why do you copy foreign styles while there are so many cool elements in Japanese art and culture". He has devoted himself to pursuing the concept of cool Japan ever since. After years of trial and error, he created an original dance style based on the movements and rhythm of Japanese traditional dance. He also invented "Street Nunchaku" by combining dance moves and Nunchaku, which is an art of self-defense he learned alongside Karate. He then developed a new performance style "Projection Live" by synchronizing live dance and projected images. He first presented this new performance at JAPAN EXPO 2004 in L.A. Katsumi's new performance style "Projection Live" is highly praised around the world. He has performed in 39 countries by invitation and been on TV in 15 countries. He also holds lectures on "Cool Japan worth sharing with the world" in and outside Japan (including Moscow State University, Aoyama University, Obirin University, Nagoya Gakuin University and London SOAS university).In 2015, Katsumi performed at the opening ceremony for the 128th General Assembly of the International Olympic Committee in Kuala Lumpur.He is also known as a talented designer, who designs and crafts his own clothes, costumes and accessories for both stage and private use.

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