Throne of Blood

Part of the 2010 Next Wave Festival

Nov 10—13, 2010, 7:30pm

NY Premiere

Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Adapted and directed by Ping Chong
Based on the film directed by Akira Kurosawa

"Mr. Chong is a theatrical magician with heart and an acute sense of history." —The New York Times

Distant, ritualized, and mysterious, Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood is the definitive film adaptation of Macbeth. Made in 1957 and set in feudal Japan, the film ingeniously compresses Shakespeare’s tragedy into a cinematic masterwork that has inspired yet another transformation. In honor of Kurosawa’s centenary, award-winning theater director Ping Chong calls on his avant-garde roots and interdisciplinary approach to adapt the film for the stage.

Merging iconic film imagery and modern scenic elements, Chong recalls, expands, and comments on Kurosawa’s vision. A large company of classically trained actors from the prestigious Oregon Shakespeare Festival brings the characters to life—chief among them, the thunderous Washizu (Macbeth) and the conniving Asaji (Lady Macbeth). Powerful visuals and sound are key, and here they evoke stately Noh theater, the bewitching forest, and the undercurrent of crisis that drives this timeless story.

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
90min, no intermission
Tickets: $25, 40, 60

Set design by Christopher Acebo
Costume design by Stefani Mar
Lighting design by Darren McCroom
Projection design by Maya Ciarrocchi
Sound and music design by Todd Barton

Original Screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Ryuzo Kikushima

Commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival and by BAM for the 2010 Next Wave Festival.