About the project

The Tohoku Project
Dramatic Reading of Sumidagawa, by Kanze Motomasa
Directed and Adapted by Bryan Doerries
Facilitated by Setsu Hanasaki
Translated by Nao Suzuki
Developed in collaboration with the Global Mental Health Program at Columbia University and Setagaya Public Theatre
The Tohoku Project: Sumidagawa presents powerful dramatic readings by professional actors of Sumidagawa, a Noh play from the early 15th Century that timelessly depicts the unique challenges faced by parents in the wake of unimaginable disaster. Each reading is followed by the responses of community panelists, culminating in a lively, facilitated audience discussion. This interactive event promotes healthy, constructive dialogue about the lasting impact of the Tohoku disaster upon individuals, families, and communities—fostering compassion, understanding, awareness, and positive action.
About the play
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Sumidagawa by Kanze Motomasa
A Noh play from the early 15th Century in which a grief-stricken woman searches frantically for her son who has been taken by slave traders. As a ferryman transports her across the Sumida river, she notices a memorial service on the opposite bank, and discovers that it is for her son.
Explore Projects
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Theater of War Productions and Margaret Atwood return to the Toronto International Festival of Authors with an exciting new collaboration exploring power and control, domestic violence, and family dynamics by way of two versions of the same story, one written by Giovanni Boccaccio in 1348 during the bubonic plague and the other by Atwood in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Bocaccio’s version, a woman named Griselda remains in an abusive and controlling relationship, showing great patience and forbearance in the face of her husband’s sadism and cruelty. In Atwood’s version, Griselda takes matters in her own hands and, with the help of her sister, turns the tables on her husband.
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Co-presented by Theater of War Productions and Toronto International Festival of Authors.
This hybrid presentation took place in person at the Toronto Harbourfront Centre Theatre and on Zoom Webinar on September 30, 2023.
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