SAN FRANCISCO DIRECTOR YUKIHIRO GOTO

BLENDS WEST AND EASTON PITT REP’S STAGE WITHRASHOMON

Japanese Fable Combines Kabuki Style, Butoh Dance, and Western Realism

to Tell Same Story from Many Different Points of View at the CharityRandallTheatre

Rashomonweaves its mystery at the University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre from February 16-27, 2005, for 12 performances in the CharityRandallTheatre at Pitt’s landmark Stephen Foster Memorial. The play, set before the medieval ruins of the Rashomon Gate, tells the story of a murder and a rape from four points of view, leaving the audience to make up their own minds about what really happened.

“So much of truth depends on subjectivity,” says Yukihiro Goto, the project’s guest director and professor at San FranciscoStateUniversity. “But theatre and art are the only fields that make us think about the world and ourselves with the proper distance, to evaluate who we are, who we’ve been, and who we will become.”

Dr. Goto, who previously directed a stunning production of Clytemnestra at Pitt Rep in 1996, is thrilled to return to the University of Pittsburgh. “The students are excellent.It’s a privilege to work with such talented faculty designers, and I love being asked to share what I know—that’s why I exist. Returning to Pittsburgh is a formidable challenge for me—it keeps me on my toes!”

The production will draw heavily on the Medieval Japanese culture for props and costumes, venturing into a more symbolic, imaginative realm for the scenic design. Goto’s vision of the play fuses styles of Western realism with Japanese traditions such as Kabuki theatre, and the Butoh dance form. All three come together in a unique and powerful way, commenting as much on the value of intercultural communication and artmaking as on the play itself. The acting company is comprised of Pitt Teaching Artists-in-Residence and both graduate and undergraduate students.

The story opens at the ruins of the ancient Rashomon Gate in Kyoto, where a priest (Ryan McKelvey), a woodcutter (Parag Gohel) and a wig maker (Jef Awada) find themselves gathered during a rainstorm and recall the events of a samurai warrior’s death and his wife’s rape at the hands of a bandit. Teaching Artists-in-Residence Doug Mertz and Doug Pona portray the Husband and the Bandit, respectively, and Kate Castonguay plays the Wife. Conflicting accounts of the violent encounter emerge during a court inquiry, including the husband’s account as told through a medium, played by Insoo Lee. The facts are twisted and subjective in this play, as the three men argue over the meaning of the tale and the nature of truth itself. The cast also includes Kevin Mitchell as the Deputy and Lindsay Palmer as the Mother. Pammi Bhullar, Sarah Evans, and Das Baker act as the Kurogo, those who, in the tradition of Kabuki theatre, ‘animate’ the landscape around the actors.

This is the third time Dr. Goto has directed Rashomon, and the second time with a student cast. “It’s a blessing for me to do the same play with different people—my own perspective matures, and inspires new collaborators that go in exciting and sometimes surprising directions.”

The play, written by Fay and Michael Kanin in 1959, takes its inspiration from Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 film, which was in turn based on the Japanese folktale. Designers for this production include faculty members Julie Allardice-Ray, set; Don Mangone, costumes; Gianni Downs, lights; and senior theatre major Ashley Hanson, sound.

Ticket prices are $17 for the Wednesday, Feb. 16 preview and $19 for reserved seating for the entire run. Student tickets are $10 each. Seniors and groups of 10 or more are eligible for a 20% discount. Pitt Alumni Association, faculty, and staff receive a 10% discount on single tickets. A special daytime matinee, presented by Shakespeare-in-the-Schools, will be performed on Thursday, February 24 at 10 am. Student tickets are $8, and the show is open to the community at the same admission charge.

SUNDAYS IN JAPAN: Experience Rashomon and Kawase Hasui: Landscapes of Modern Japan, featuring more than 70 prints from the Carnegie Museum of Art’s James B. Austin Collection, Nov. 13, 2004 through Feb. 27, 2005. Our dual ticket package includes admission to the Museum and a Rashomon matinee for just $25 (that’s $2 off each regular admission). Order by phone, 412-624-PLAY (7529) and receive a coupon good for museum admission with your theatre ticket.

The Encore! Card, Pitt Rep’s flexible season pass offers saves of $11 off of four admissions for any Repertory Theatre shows. It is on sale now for $65 and is good for four (4) Pitt Rep tickets for any show on any date for Rashomon and the final production of the season, Tammy Ryan’s The Boundary.

For information visit: or call 412-624-PLAY (7529).

RASHOMON Performance Calendar

Rashomon by Fay and Michael Kanin will be performed in the CharityRandallTheatre in the landmark Stephen Foster Memorial, Forbes and Bigelow on the University of Pittsburgh’s Oakland campus.

Wednesday, Feb. 168 pmPreview

Thursday, Feb. 178 pmOpening Night

Friday, Feb. 188 pm

Saturday, Feb. 198 pm

Sunday, Feb. 202 pm

Tuesday, Feb. 228 pm

Wednesday, Feb. 238 pm

Thursday, Feb. 2410 amStudent Matinee Performance

8 pmPITT ARTS Talk Back—audience members

can meet director & cast after the show

Friday, Feb. 258 pm

Saturday, Feb. 268 pm

Sunday, Feb. 272 pmClosing Performance

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