I am joyed to be collaborating again with Natsu Onoda Power (now two-time Helen Hayes Award-winning), after having worked with her on Alice in Wonderland (National Players/Olney Theatre Center), Bronx Express (Theater J), and the Svanda Theatre residency (Georgetown University). Our current adventure will be the world premiere of an early-career Tennessee Williams play titled The Lady from the Village of Falling Flowers, in which I will be playing Emperor Nijo. Natsu will both direct and design, and the remaining ensemble consists of fellow National Players Tour 69 alumni Melissa Carter and Jared Graham. It’s a reunion tour!
The piece, though produced by and previewed at Spooky Action Theatre, will be featured as one of the headlining works in this year’s Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival in Provincetown, MA. The production will be performed via bicycles site-specifically at different venues three times a day, each day of the Festival, which runs from September 26 through 29. Click here for a schedule of performances. Learn more about the Festival here. Previews at Spooky Action Theatre in Washington, DC, occur September 20 & 21. Get those tickets here.
Subtitled “a Japanese fantasy,” The Lady from the Village of Falling Flowers is a punchy send-up of love, the perils of first impressions, and our earthly attempts to touch something eternal. The power of poetry seals two strangers’ fates in this charming one-act romance set by Williams in ancient Japan. Our pop-up productions will play all around town in the Japanese kami-shibai style using illustrations, some of which will be sketched live by the performers as Williams’ romantic fantasy unfolds.
