Edgy and Classic: Japanese Contemporary Theater

One of Japan's most provocative playwrights, Takeshi Kawamura, is presenting two classic tales from Japan's literary past in the US this Spring. "Aoi" is a surreal story of jealousy and murder, and is set in a hair salon. "Komachi" a postmodern twilight zone that plays tricks with past and present. Both one-act plays are being produced by a Japanese troupe at Dartmouth College's Hopkins Center. We'll talk about the role of history and suspence with Yoko Shioya, the Program Director at the Japan Society and also with Dennis Washburn, Chair and Professor of Japanese and Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College.