Join us on Saturday, June 15th for a production of Kamishibai story-telling by a teaching artist from the Youth Theatre Northwest, Cory Southwell.
Kamishibai is a form of Japanese street theatre that was popularized in the early 1900’s and through the Great Depression. Stories were told through a series of 12-16 large paper panels placed in a wooden frame strapped to the back of a bicycle to make it easy to transport from town to town.
Children gather around a Kamishibai storytime on a street
6/15 Performance Schedule: (Each story is approximately 10-20 minutes long)
First Set @11:00 a.m.
“The Three Magic Charms” – A young boy uses three paper charms gifted to him by a wise priest to outwit a wicked Yamamba, or Mountain Woman, in this silly adventure story.
“The Wizard of Oz” – Travel with Dorothy from the dusty land of Kansas to the colorful and enchanting world of Oz in this kamishibai take on a beloved film and classic story. Visual Artist: Cory Southwell
Second Set @12:00 p.m.
“The Kappa and the Carpenter” – Inspired by ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ story from Lewis Carroll’s Alice Through The Looking-Glass, artist Terukina Takamitsu brings a fun Japanese twist on this classic poem. Visual Artist: Teru Takamitsu
“The Ogre That Wanted to be Human” – Also from the artistic genius of Teru Takamitsu comes a traditional Japanese folklore story of an ogre on a quest to find a place in the world of humans in this beautiful and colorful retelling.
Youth Theatre Northwest is located on Mercer Island and provides a wide range of programming for children and young adults. YTN offers year-round classes and produces 12 professional shows each year. For more information about Youth Theatre Northwest, please visit https://www.youththeatre.org/
Cory Southwell is a theatre-teaching artist around the greater Seattle area and designs, manages and directs stage productions. His most recent work includes designing and building props for Seattle’s MoPOP. Cory is currently a teacher at Three Dragons Academy.
Free admission to all youth 12 and younger from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Family Saturday.