artsed4all Community, Drama / Theatre, Media Arts, Music

Brenda Wong Aoki’s “Soul of the City”

Co-presented by First Voice and the Presidio Theatre, Soul of The City by Brenda Wong Aoki, premieres with two performances at the Presidio Theatre on Saturday, September 30 at 4:00 pm and Sunday, October 1 at 4:00 pm.

Reserve tickets at the Presidio Theatre Box Office www.presidiotheatre.org

Commissioned by The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), this multi-disciplinary work received one of the prestigious 2018 Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions awards for theater, musical theater, and spoken word.

In December of 2018, Upon receiving the Hewlett 50 award, Brenda noted, “The seismic shifts taking place in Japantown and Chinatown compel us to not only capture people and places before they are gone and forgotten, but to support our communities while they are under attack from gentrification, even as we make a work of art.”

Who would have predicted that the City’s performing artists would soon need to deal with a global pandemic?

Brenda Wong Aoki as The Storyteller, and devorah major as MOTHER. Photo by Mark Shigenaga.

A Journey to the Heart of San Francisco

“Soul of The City” is a new work by the nation’s first Asian American storyteller, Brenda Wong Aoki. Told through storytelling, multimedia, live music and dance, “Soul of The City” is a performance ritual for us all. Brenda tells true stories from the nation’s first Chinatown and Japantown based on her family’s 132-year history against the backdrop of today.

Soul of the City – In Creation (June 22, 2023 Lab Time at the Presidio Theatre). Photo by Terry Lorant.

“Soul of the City” is an allegorical story about the city of San Francisco and in particular, Brenda’s life spent living here. It is rooted in API history and looks at the soul of our beloved San Francisco, the birthplace of Asian America, through the sharing of personal stories and lineage. It also serves as a rallying call for the true citizens of the city to overcome all the doom and gloom and come together as a unified community to push back hatred of any group of people and to revive the soul of the city.

Based on many autobiographical stories of her mixed ethnic family tree, she follows how they all come to San Francisco and become a major part of the history of the City and follows her own path here as a performer, teacher, social activist and a proud long time San Franciscan. With the premise of a storyteller who feels she has no more stories to tell and being attacked for her Asian heritage, she hovers between life and death. With the appearance of the Mother (played by esteemed SF poet laureate devorah major) the storyteller is taken on a journey of self-discovery and decision.

The piece will be a moving and inspiring mix of spoken word, poetry, musical styles (featuring seven musicians representing jazz, taiko, koto, African percussion) and movement (drawing upon Asian theatre forms one will see influences such as Kabuki and Noh) and ultimately will hopefully have the audience reenergized and bring the soul of the City back to a newly vibrant state.

Prior to entering the theatre there will be events happening in the plaza outside where audience members will have the opportunity to write their own wishes and prayers to hang on the Tree of Life (a special ikebana installation) as well as be blessed and offer prayers for peace and in honor of the Ancestors.

Soul of The City Creative Team

Written by Brenda Wong Aoki. Directed by David Furumoto with musical direction by Masaru Koga. Original music by Mark Izu, Masaru Koga, and Derek Nakamoto. Multimedia by Andi Wong and Olivia Ting. Costumes by Lydia Tanji. Performers include Brenda Wong Aoki, Caroline Cabading, Masaru Koga, devorah major, Shoko Hikage, Jimi Nakagawa, and Kenneth Nash.

For more about the artists: https://www.firstvoice.org/soul

Soul of The City: A Healing Ritual

Music Director Mas Koga shares a special moment – Healing Ritual music by Mark Izu (sho) and Kenneth Nash (percussion). Music rehearsal, September 15, 2023.

Before the performance in the courtyard, the audience is invited to add their prayers, thoughts and wishes on the Soul of The City sacred tree. At the conclusion of the performance, we will return to the garden for refreshments, renewed, recharged and inspired to carry on.

Sacred Tree, photo by Mark Shigenaga

Be sure to pick up a copy of Mark Izu’s brand new CD, “Songs for J-Town,” at the show!

artsed4all Community, Music

Mark Izu’s “Songs for J-Town”

Emmy Award winning composer Mark Izu presents an evening of American jazz infused with traditional Japanese Gagaku music and poetry about San Francisco’s Japantown.

For one performance only, Songs for J-Town will feature music from the history of San Francisco’s Japantown. The evening will begin with the story of the Sun Goddess by Brenda Wong Aoki and a blessing by Konko Priest Mas Kawahatsu, followed by an instrumental jazz performance infused with Gagaku, a 1500-year-old ceremonial Japanese music that Izu studied for 26 years under his mentor Togi Suenobu.

Saturday, April 23, 7:30pm, Presidio Theatre, San Francisco

For tickets, visit https://www.presidiotheatre.org/show/2022songsforjtown/

Creative Team

Compositions by Emmy Award Winning Mark Izu (Contrabass and Sho) with Mas Koga (Shakuhachi, Flute, Saxophones), Jimi Nakagawa (Taiko & Traps), Jim Norton (Woodwinds), Caroline Cabading (Vocals), devorah major (Spoken Word), Sara Sithi-Amnuai (Trumpet & Sheng), and Brenda Wong Aoki (Storyteller). Blessing by Rev. Mas Kawahatsu, Digital Collage by Andi Wong, Film by Tonilyn Sideco.

Pre-show Sacred Tree & Post-Show Reception

A classic yorishiro: a giant tree from Kyoto, Japan 
Photo by Chris Gladis (MShades) is marked with CC BY 2.0. 

Sacred trees, called shinboku, are a deeply ingrained part of a Japanese culture that has historically viewed itself as being united with nature, rather than separate from nature; thus, recognizing the sacredness of trees, stones, mountains, forests, and the elements has been a relatively constant theme in Japanese culture for thousands of years.

“BLESSINGS” are the wondrous gifts all people receive each day that allows us to live: sun, air, rain, food, shelter, our heartbeat.

The evening’s program will begin with a purification blessing by Reverend Masato Kawahatsu, Minister at Konko Church of San Francisco. After the performance, enjoy tea and sweets in the courtyard.

Support Provided By

This work was commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission with support from Grants for the Arts, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Office of Economic Workforce Development, City and County of San Francisco. In partnership with the JapanTown Task Force, Center for Asian American Media, and co-presented by the Presidio Theatre. Produced by First Voice.