Basil Twist’s Dogugaeshi

Originally commissioned, produced, and premiered by Japan Society in November, 2004, this intimate and intricately beautiful theater work by renowned puppet artist Basil Twist was inspired by Japanese dogugaeshi, based on a stage-set sliding screen mechanism in Japanese puppet theater traditions. Accompanied by live shamisen music composed and performed by Yumiko Tanaka, a sly, snow-white fox leads an abstract journey through images of ancient and modern Japan as a rapturously never-ending series of decorated screens open upon themselves.