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SENJO
VIDEO CLIP (Quicktime)
SENJO
PHOTO GALLERY
Directed
by Jyana S. Gregory
Music
by Rika Iino
Libretto
by Lucas Hnath
Additional
Text by Toshiro Suzue
Scenic
and Projection Design by Cathy Braasch Lighting Design by
Miriam Crowe Stage Managed by Dan Dinero
Featuring
Dawn Eshelman, Andrew Grusetskie, Kristine Kuroiwa, Sophie
Malleret, John Summerour, Mio Takada, and live string
quartet performance by counter)induction.
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SENJO: AN OPERA IN FOUR PARTS
is an adaptation of a Zen koan, or old Zen story which has been investigated and re-investigated by masters and students for centuries in their efforts for enlightenment, entitled
Senjo and her Soul are Separated. In this story, a young woman, Senjo, separates body from soul in a moment of desperate indecision leading to the question, "Who is Senjo - body or soul?" Koan study, which usually takes the form of meditation, places the emphasis on approaching the question with openness of heart and mind.
Instead of meditation, our study of this koan takes the form of an operatic work for the stage complete with strings, chants, dance, acting, and poetry.
The openness will manifest both in the layered, rich treatment of the story as well as in the integrated, textured interweaving of the artistic disciplines as we search for answers to this old question through a performance piece that engages the audience viscerally, intellectually, and emotionally.
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