Rakugo Workshop

Rakugo is a 400-year-old tradition of storytelling in Japan. A minimalistic performing art, Rakugo features a lone storyteller dressed in kimono, kneeling on a cushion, who, using only a fan and a hand towel as props, entertains the audience with a comic prelude followed by a traditional story.

The workshop will include:

• A lecture on Rakugo as an art of Storytelling by Kazumi Hatasa
• Introduction to Yose Theatre by Kazumi Hatasa
• Demonstration of Shigusa gestures used in Rakugo by Kazumi Hatasa and Ryūtei Saryū
• Rakugo Performance by Ryūtei Saryū, with a brief introduction by Kazumi Hatasa
• Performance by Penn Japanese Language Program students (co-sponsored by the UPenn Japanese Language Program)

Host or Publisher Center for East Asian Studies