Japan Society Presents TRANCE, 11/15

Japan Society proudly presents a staged reading of the hit Japanese comedy Trance by Shoji Kokami with English translation by Amy Kassai, directed by OBIE Award winner Ken Rus Schmoll. As part of Japan Society's Performing Arts Season spanning Fall 2010 through Spring 2011, Trance marks a presentation of the annual Play Reading Series of contemporary Japanese plays in English translation. The annual Play Reading Series reflects a continued commitment to introduce the wide range of contemporary Japanese plays to American audiences, while seeding future collaborations. Performance is Monday, November 15 at 7:30 PM at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street)

OBIE Award-winning director Ken Rus Schmoll leads this staged reading of Shoji Kokami's absurdist comedy Trance, in which three friends unite under bizarre circumstances 15 years after they were in school together. As the handsome but troubled Masa battles delusions that he is the emperor of Japan, the psychiatrist Reiko and the drag queen Sanzo struggle to bring him back to reality while trying to curb their own long-repressed desire for him. This irreverent yet poignant comedy drew strong reviews in its English-language premiere at London's Bush Theatre.

Hailed "the leading figure of his generation in Japanese theatre" by The Independent, Shoji Kokami  is one of Japan's most celebrated contemporary playwrights. A prominent figure in Japanese theater since the 1980s, Kokami started the theater group Daisan Butai or Third Stage in 1981 to present work that appealed to him but was not being done anywhere else.

Kokami recently announced that Daisan Butai is would be on a temporary hiatus in order to give Kokami the opportunity to work with younger pick-up actors of his own choosing under the group name Kyoko no Gekidan or Theater of Illusion. In addition to his work as a playwright and director, Kokami is an essayist, radio personality, television host and film director. His serial column Donis in its 13th year in ShukanSPA! Kokami has also published numerous books Quixote's Pierce including Lessons for Voice and Body, based on a year spent in England doing research on performance workshops. He is the recipient of the Kinokuniya Performance Award, Golden Arrow Award, and prestigious Kishida Drama Prize as a playwright and the Grand Prize for Tokyo Game in the short film category of the San Diego Film Festival, among others. He writes and directs for his Production Company KOKAMI@network and other organizations. Kokami is a board member of the Japan playwrights Association, Japan Directors Association and Association of Japanese Theatre Companies. Trance was first staged in 1993, with an English language premiere in 2007 at the Bush Theatre in London.

Since the inception of the Performing Arts Program in 1953, Japan Society has introduced more than 600 of Japan's finest performing arts to an extensive American audience. Programs range from the traditional arts of noh, kyogen, bunraku and kabuki to cutting-Edge Theater, dance and music. The Program also commissions new works, produces national tours, organizes residency programs for American and Japanese artists and develops and distributes educational programs. "At once diverse and daring, the program stands toe to toe with some of the most comprehensive cultural exchange endeavors today" (Back Stage).

The current Performing Arts season features a variety of arts disciplines, including the spellbinding audiovisual concert datamatics [ver. 2.0] by Ryoji Ikeda, renowned actor Yoshi Oida in his comic one-man play Interrogations: Words of the Zen Masters, and the always-anticipated annua Contemporary Dance Showcase. The centerpiece of the season is the New York debut of Kyotobased  Kashu-Juku Noh Theater, offering audiences the opportunity to experience the 600 year-old tradition of noh and kyogen performed back-to-back. Spring 2011 also serves up the 2nd annual j-, which drew thousands to Japan Society in April 2010 for a one-day-only open-house CATION bursting with food tastings, live performances, cultural workshops and more.

Tickets are $10/$8 Japan Society members. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (212) 715-1258 or in person at Japan Society (M-F 11:00 AM-6:00 PM and Sat-Sun 11:00 AM-5:00 PM). Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street, between First and Second Avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E and V at Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street).

For more information call (212) 832-1155 or visit www.japansociety.org.

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