Kwaidan at Spooky Action Theater

Kwaidan

Spooky Action Theater
1810 16th St NW Washington

“Ghostly Japan,” as captured by American novelist Lafcadio Hearn. These folk tales and supernatural stories are embedded in the Japanese mind and heart – they speak to a world of spirit everywhere around us, revealed in astonishing ways. Kwaidan is rich in visual imagery, movement and puppetry inspired by traditional Japanese forms, combined with modern stagecraft.

Thru - Jun 22, 2014

Price: $25 - $35

Running Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, no intermission

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Kwaidan Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Highly Recommended

"...Director Izumi Ashizawa packs some fetching coups de théâtre into “Kwaidan,” an ingeniously devised and mostly well-executed Japanese ghost-story fantasia mounted by Spooky Action Theater. The striking and eerie images don’t just unfurl in front of you. They surround you, absorb you, sometimes loom above or below you: “Kwaidan” is a site-specific production that scales the levels and roams the nooks of the Universalist National Memorial Church, whose ecclesiastical architecture and furnishings enhance the play’s air of mysterious solemnity."

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- Celia Wren

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...The invention and innovativeness of Spooky Action Theater are endless, and for the first time they are using the entire physical space of The Universalist National Memorial Church – where they have made their theatrical home for the last four years – to mount their latest milestone, Kwaidan. The transportive debut of this theatrical staging marks the Company’s first site- specific performance, and Spooky Action Theater was awarded a $10,000 NEA Challenge America Fast-Track grant to support the production of Kwaidan and related outreach activities."

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- Sydney-Chanele Dawkins

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

"...As a narrative experience, this Kwaidan imparts a desire to explore (or revisit) the stories it represents. As a sensual one, it’s a richly gratifying experience in its own right. It’s only too bad Spooky Action couldn’t wait for the cooler, shorter days of October to bring Ashizawa’s arresting vision to life, because only the latest performances on the schedule, which begin at 8:30 p.m., will take place after sunset. Some stories are better told in darkness."

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- Chris Klimek

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

"...The stories, adapted by artistic director Richard Henrich and director Izumi Ashizawa (who also did the costumes), generally work well in their individual environments. They are acted out decently without having actors having to poke, jump out or otherwise yell “Boo!” to the crowd."

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- Roger Catlin

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

Kwaidan, a collection of “stories and studies of strange things” is a journey through Ghostly Japan being presented by the appropriately named Spooky Action Theater. With text described as poetic, and dream-like, the stories are hauntingly beautiful, eerie, and some even downright, well, spooky.

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- Debbie Jackson

Kwaidan Photo Gallery

Kwaidan at Spooky Action Theater

Kwaidan

Kwaidan Reviews

Washington Post - Highly Recommended

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

Kwaidan Photo Gallery

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