Join us for two evenings of “Arjuna’s Meditation”, a Balinese wayang with a live gamelan gender ensemble by Shadow Master (dalang) Larry Reed at UC Berkeley on April 18th and Bindlestiff Studio on May 9th!
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with an enchanting and interactive Shadow Play Workshop, hosted at the cozy and creative Red Poppy Art House. This free event invites children, families, and community members to dive into the magical world of shadow puppetry. Together, we will explore the art of storytelling and puppet-making, culminating in a collaborative shadow theater performance.
“Shadow Movements” is an ARTogether youth workshop series for newcomers, diaspora, and refugees, that blends traditional shadow puppetry with animation. An intersectional cohort of youth explored themes of home remedies, emotions, and heroes/villains through poetry, shadow puppetry, and animation.
At Red Poppy Art House, a few members of this youth cohort will screen their final films, talk about the impact of arts on newcomer and diaspora communities, and lead a workshop teaching audience members how to animate shadow puppetry with stop motion animation!
This program is a part of ShadowLight artists in residence at Red Poppy Art House, a Free Monthly program with hands-on workshop activities for families.
Featuring Artists:
Sabina Kariat
Iris Mendoza
Gia Ariela Pick Romero
Cindy L.
Eyner P.
Alona G.
Sunday, June 23rd, 2024
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
Admission: FREE
This event is free to the public.
This event is appropriate for children ages 3 to 12.
Admission is on a first come, first served basis.
Due to limited capacity, RSVP is strongly recommended.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Sabina Shanti Kariat is an Indian-American animator, artist, and filmmaker based in San Francisco. She has created animations for documentary films about the 1960’s American civil rights movement, the history of Japanese-American incarceration camps in California, the impact of the criminal justice system on refugees, and loss of native languages among immigrants. She is also a story artist on short animated films that bring BIPOC characters into surreal worlds. Sabina has been a teaching artist throughout San Francisco, and has led co-creation workshops in the Bay, in rural Jharkhand India, and in Istanbul and Reyhanli, Turkey. She has previously managed a puppetry and animation project with Syrian diaspora youth in Turkey, and is currently designing and managing the “Shadow Movements” program as a Public Arts Manager at ARTogether. She is a nerd about traditional shadow puppets, reads poems about horses, and is interested in the relationship between diaspora and memory.
Iris Mendoza
Hi, I’m Iris and I love art, it’s something that has helped me get out of my problems, many times I felt alone and sad but by making art I started to believe in myself and I realized that I can make someone better than me. What I thought, art is not easy to do, there are complications, but that doesn’t stop me. I love art, and thanks to it I have been able to smile again and in the future I want to be a great artist and see my parents proud of me, that It is my wish.
Gia Ariela Pick Romero
Gia is a 19-year-old artist who since she was little liked to be around art, she learned how to use a camera at the age of 5 years and she has been interested in art classes since 7. She is a very talented artist and has a great eye for photos when she is able to see beauty in this world.🌍 She loves to enjoy whatever she does with 100%. And she is a great student who will be a senior and graduate this next fall. She is grateful for ArtTogether with the opportunity of having fun doing what she most loves on this earth. That is her passion for being around artists, friends and meeting new people also being doing art which is her passion in this world. 🌍
Cindy L.
I’m Cindy, I do a bridge between digital art and traditional art with an interest in animation, I aspire to create art in hopes of inspiring others. My favorite sports are scuba diving and badminton!
Eyner P.
Mis intereses son la psicologia y la lectura. Y mi sueño en el futuro es convertirme en un gran psicologo y hacer grandes avanzes en la psicologia.
[My interests are psychology and reading. And my dream in the future is to become a great psychologist and make great advances in psychology.]
Alona G.
Since I was little I have been passionately drawn to art. I do not see art as just a hobby, It became a significant part of my way of seeing and perceiving the world. The idea of “creating” acquired a different, deeper meaning. My passion drove me to self-improvement, and every direction of art became interesting to me. I joined Oil painting classes, online graphic design courses, photography, anatomical drawing classes, and many other varieties of art I promoted independently. The more I learn the more passionate I become about it. My artworks allowed me to express things that I could not express with words, it became my power, my voice. Shadow Movements project it’s a great example of the expression of my feelings through art.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Red Poppy Art House has partnered up with Shadow Light Productions for a Live shadow play performance by ShadowLight artists for children and families followed by hands-on workshop. With instruction and guidance by ShadowLight teaching artists, attendees will be given the opportunity to make a shadow puppet, learn performance techniques, and use our screen and lights to perform their own short plays. This event is appropriate for children ages 3 to 12.
This FREE event creates an opportunity for youth in our neighborhood (Mission), who may otherwise not be able to attend such an event for lack of funds, to have access to art education with high caliber teaching artists. By providing an opportunity to watch, interact and play, we are encouraging participation and engagement with a vital storytelling art form. Storytelling is an important skill; it helps us to understand ourselves and one another, encouraging empathy.
ABOUT SHADOWLIGHT PRODUCTIONS:
ShadowLight Productions. ShadowLight was founded in 1972 by filmmaker/theatre director/shadow artist Larry Reed. We have served San Francisco as a non profit theater company for nearly 30 years.
The mission of ShadowLight Productions is to expose the general public to the art of Shadow Theater. The means of providing such exposure includes but is not limited to live theater, film and other media. We strive to preserve indigenous shadow theater traditions, and to explore and expand the possibilities of the shadow theater medium by creating innovative interdisciplinary, multicultural works.
Website: https://www.shadowlight.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShadowLightProductions
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowlightproductions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shadowlightproductions
ABOUT RED POPPY ART HOUSE:
The Red Poppy Art House is a neighborhood center for the intersection of cultural and inter-generational artistic engagement located in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District. The Poppy is an artist-driven organization that seeks to empower and transform society by addressing current social issues that impact our community and society at large through creative processes.
Operating from a neighborhood storefront in San Francisco’s Mission District, we demonstrate the unique, powerful, and irreplaceable capacity of intimate community spaces through hosting over 150 diverse performances, exhibitions, workshops, and artist residencies annually.
The Poppy exists as a true hub, facilitating relationships among cultural visionaries, institutions, communities, arts advocates, and, of course, artists. Acting as an incubator for artists of multiple disciplines, we provide a fertile, informal space for gathering, discussion, and artistic cross-pollination, out of which myriad collaborations form. The intent of Red Poppy Art House is to forge a bridge between high-caliber artistic work and community life through visibility and inclusiveness.
Website: https://redpoppyarthouse.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedPoppyArtHouse
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redpoppyart/
RED POPPY ART HOUSE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
EVENT TIME
When should I arrive? Doors open 30 minutes before the scheduled performance time. For example, if the show is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., the doors will open at 7:00 p.m., if it is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m., the doors will open at 7:30 p.m., and so on.
TICKETING & ADMISSION
If an event is sold out online, could I still purchase tickets?
No
Does purchasing an advance ticket guarantee seating?
Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee seats. Seating is first come, first served.
Does the Poppy accept debit or credit cards?
Only for online sales. The door sale is cash.
What's the refund policy?
Refunds are only available in the event of a canceled performance.
Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?
Is there a discount for children? No, this event is all ages. However, refreshments will be served at the concessions counter. Children 10 and under receive free general admission.
Where are my tickets?
Your tickets will be emailed to you as a PDF attachment from Eventbrite on behalf of the Red Poppy, or you may access them in the Eventbrite app. If you do not see your order confirmation in your inbox, make sure to check your junk/spam folder. Enter your email address here if you can’t find them, you’re having trouble printing, or you’re unsure if you have an Eventbrite account. For all other technical issues, you can find help here.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?
You may bring your printed ticket or show your ticket on your phone. Tickets will not be available for pick up at Will Call.
Is it ok if the name on my ticket or registration doesn't match the person who attends? Yes, you’re welcome to purchase tickets for someone else.
VENUE & LOCATION
Is the space ADA-accessible?
Yes, there is a ramp at our 23rd Street entrance.
What kind of seating do you have available?
For most of our events, we have folding chairs and a few couches.
What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?
Street parking is available but can be limited around the Red Poppy. We encourage you to take public transportation whenever possible. Several MUNI lines run close to the Red Poppy, and the 24th St. Mission BART station is just under half a mile away.
How can I donate to the Poppy and/or ShadowLight Productions?
You may bring cash, check, debit, or credit card, or donate online at http://redpoppyarthouse.org/participate/give/.
Where can I grab a bite to eat?
Nearby places include El Farolito, Taqueria Vallarta, Basa Seafood Express (sushi), and Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine.
How can I contact the organizer with any questions?
You can reach us at info@redpoppyarthouse.org OR info@shadowlight.org.
Join us for our monthly ShadowLight program at Red Poppy Art House with Odd Savvy’s performance of “The Ground”!
Odd Savvy’s “The Ground” will feature shadow puppetry and movement performance elements. Come out and get a sneak peek at a brand new show being built for premiere this August. Fred C Riley III will present a short excerpt from his upcoming production, “The Ground.” Afterward, he will walk the audience through the process of creating the work. There will be materials available so everyone can try their hand at making and moving a shadow puppet of their own, or you can try out the puppets from the show.
Appropriate for children and families. Puppet-making supplies and instruction will be provided by ShadowLight.
This program is part of ShadowLight artists in residence at Red Poppy Art House. It is a Free Monthly program with hands-on workshop activities for families on the fourth Sunday of each month.
Featuring Artists:
Fred C. Riley III of Odd Savvy
Sunday, May 26th, 2024
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Admission: FREE and Donation
This event is appropriate for both children and adults.
Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
This event is free to the public.
Due to limited capacity, RSVP is strongly recommended.
ABOUT ODD SAVVY:
Exploring the edges of narrative and movement is the driving force behind this new theater company.
There is so much in us that is out of the reach of language. So many things our minds can hold that can’t be contained in words. These new works are meant to show the greater essence that unites us all. I am moving past the intellect to an emotional core. I feel that using only the figure's breath and gesture gives me more direct access to an audience’s emotional core. I use as plain a figure as possible to give enough space for everyone to be able to project themselves onto. I have done abstract theater in the past and want to develop that language more deeply. I have found that being emotionally honest while being clear and clean with my movement can be a powerful force in awakening passions in the audience that they didn’t even know were there. I believe there lies potential in puppet theater to touch us with the same mysterious hand that music does. These new works are sonic visual poems.
We can find a direct line to the seeds of the soul in movement.
ABOUT FRED C. RILEY III (Founder/Artistic Director):
In 2023, Fred was the Associate Puppet Designer of Toto for A.C.T.’s The Wizard of OZ and puppet Designer (and trainer) for Shotgun Players’ Wolf Play. He was Puppet Coordinator, Performer, and Puppet Fabricator for Shadowlight Productions’ Sojourner ZY. Fred has worked and toured in the US and internationally. He cast and trained puppeteers in Japan and choreographed puppets for Ping Chong’s Kwadan and Obon. He was the assistant director and performer on the 2019 UNIMA award-winning Feathers of Fire. He has taught puppet theory and manipulation and directed and written for The Center for Puppetry Arts. He is now a core member of Shadowlight Productions and Artistic Director for Driveway Follies (a Halloween marionette review). His movement company, Odd Savvy, was awarded a production grant in 2024 by The Jim Henson Foundation for his new work, The Ground.
Jon Ludwig, Ping Chong, Janie Geiser, Yeng Feng, Josef Krofta, Larry Reed … These are just a few iconic directors Fred worked with and learned from over many years in puppet theater. He has performed marionettes from 9 feet to 7 inches tall. He has performed rod, moving mouth, Czech black, tabletop, mask, and every combination thereof. He has performed shadows with press screens, overhead, and 30-foot wide cinematics. He has directed and written for the Center for Puppetry Arts and many others. He choreographed for Ping Chong and Company. He has taught movement and puppet theory. He has voiced many puppets and has done voice-over work for many companies. He has recorded and done sound design. He is so grateful for all he has been able to do and accomplish.
This next chapter is about using all these skills toward something new and more personal. He wants to work from an emotional core, blending the styles and forms he has learned into a new landscape for the stage. Finding the essence of life force has been the root of all his work for decades. Breathing through these figures to listen rather than to tell.
For more information, visit the project website https://oddsavvy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odd_savvy/
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Red Poppy Art House has partnered up with ShadowLight Productions for free monthly programs by ShadowLight artists for children and families. With instruction and guidance by ShadowLight teaching artists, attendees will be given the opportunity to make a shadow puppet, learn performance techniques, and use our screen and lights to perform their own short plays. This event is appropriate for children ages 3 to 12.
This FREE event creates an opportunity for youth in our neighborhood (Mission), who may otherwise not be able to attend such an event for lack of funds, to have access to art education with high-caliber teaching artists. By providing an opportunity to watch, interact, and play, we are encouraging participation and engagement with a vital storytelling art form. Storytelling is an important skill; it helps us to understand ourselves and one another, encouraging empathy.
RSVP in advance for this event!
Join us for our monthly ShadowLight program at Red Poppy Art House with Lydia Greer’s performance of Facing West Shadows: The Endless End!
Lydia Greer will demonstrate a short segment of the extended cinema performance version of Facing West Shadows: The Endless End, demonstrating shadow and mirror puppetry (phantasmagoria) and guiding audiences to create their own shadow puppets inspired by the local Bay Area natural world.
Appropriate for children and families. Puppet-making supplies and instruction will be provided by ShadowLight.
This program is part of ShadowLight artists in residence at Red Poppy Art House. It is a Free Monthly program with hands-on workshop activities for families on the fourth Sunday of each month.
Featuring Artists:
Lydia Greer of Facing West Shadows
Sunday, April 28th, 2024
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Admission: FREE and Donation
This event is appropriate for both children and adults.
Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
This event is free to the public.
Due to limited capacity, RSVP is strongly recommended.
ABOUT FACING WEST SHADOWS:
Facing West Shadows: The Endless End is a cinematic, sculptural installation also performed as extended cinema that illuminates the perpetuation of extinction and survival; the disrupted life cycles of native plants and animals, aquatic systems, and fire ecologies as affected by anthropogenic climate change. The viewer’s attention is guided through projected moving images, hand-made animation, and cast shadows with a multi-dimensional soundscape. Collapsing and expanding time, species will live and die over the span of an hour of looping overlapping, multichannel, and multidirectional projection. In a sculptural environment, our role as animals within a system and as the planet’s apex predator is illuminated.
As in proto-cinematic cave paintings and ancient shadow theatre storytelling traditions, Facing West Shadows seeks to understand non-human species and our relationships with them. Among their inspirations are the Bay Area’s own precarious and diverse ecologies and Eadweard Muybridge’s electro-photographic investigation of consecutive phases of animal movements. By weaving multiple moving images of Bay Area ecologies, mycorrhizal networks, fire, and water, Facing West Shadows: The Endless End takes the viewer on a time-based and immersive journey through cycles of ecological and species extinction and sometimes, survival.
Facing West Shadows principal members: Lydia Greer (artistic director) and Caryl Kientz (theatrical director) in collaboration with artist Ya Wen Chien is a collective of artists, puppeteers, filmmakers, and musicians hybridizing art forms to create magical acts of rebellion as experimental art that is sustainable in the current gold rush climate of the Bay Area.
Facing West Shadows combines analog shadow theatre with original animation, video projection of found footage, and sometimes Opera performed live. Expanding into film, theatre, and installation, Facing West Shadows depicts stories re-imagined with unique visual storytelling to create surprising experiences for the audience by seamlessly combining old and new technologies and art forms.
For more information, visit the project website https://www.facingwestshadows.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCGu1LZhFrE/
ABOUT THE FEATURED ARTIST:
Lydia Greer is a widely exhibiting interdisciplinary visual artist, filmmaker, animator, and the artistic director of Facing West Shadows, a Lumia arts collective working with shadow casting/ hybridizing art forms to create magical acts of rebellion as experimental art in the gold rush climate of the San Francisco Bay Area. Expanding into film/animation, theater/opera, puppetry, and sculptural installation, Facing West Shadows creates surprising experiences for the audience by seamlessly combining old and new technologies and art forms. Her layered, mixed media work includes sculptural and video installation, hand-made stop motion animation, single and multiple channel video, puppet theater, and works with paper.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Red Poppy Art House has partnered up with ShadowLight Productions for free monthly programs by ShadowLight artists for children and families. With instruction and guidance by ShadowLight teaching artists, attendees will be given the opportunity to make a shadow puppet, learn performance techniques, and use our screen and lights to perform their own short plays. This event is appropriate for children ages 3 to 12.
This FREE event creates an opportunity for youth in our neighborhood (Mission), who may otherwise not be able to attend such an event for lack of funds, to have access to art education with high-caliber teaching artists. By providing an opportunity to watch, interact, and play, we are encouraging participation and engagement with a vital storytelling art form. Storytelling is an important skill; it helps us to understand ourselves and one another, encouraging empathy.
Join us for our monthly ShadowLight program at Red Poppy Art House with Jessica Nguyen’s performance of The Butterfly Effect!
The Butterfly Effect is a collection of shadow puppet ponderings on the magnificent local insects found in the Bay Area with a nod to our relationships to these local and endangered species. This is a short shadow play performance created and performed by visual artist and part-time entomologist, Jessica Nguyen. Sponsored by ShadowLight Productions and Red Poppy Art House. Following the performance, Jessica will talk about some of our Bay Area insects and their habitats. A hands-on insect shadow puppet-making workshop will follow the performance.
Appropriate for children and families. Puppet-making supplies and instruction will be provided by ShadowLight.
This program is part of ShadowLight artists in residence at Red Poppy Art House. It is a Free Monthly program with hands-on workshop activities for families on the fourth Sunday of each month.
Featuring Artists:
Jessica Nguyen – puppeteer
Sunday, March 24th, 2024
Time: 1:00pm – 3:30pm
Admission: FREE and Donation
This event is appropriate for children ages 3 and up.
Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
This event is free to the public.
Due to limited capacity, RSVP is strongly recommended.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Red Poppy Art House has partnered up with ShadowLight Productions for free monthly programs by ShadowLight artists for children and families. With instruction and guidance by ShadowLight teaching artists, attendees will be given the opportunity to make a shadow puppet, learn performance techniques, and use our screen and lights to perform their own short plays. This event is appropriate for children ages 3 to 12.
This FREE event creates an opportunity for youth in our neighborhood (Mission), who may otherwise not be able to attend such an event for lack of funds, to have access to art education with high-caliber teaching artists. By providing an opportunity to watch, interact, and play, we are encouraging participation and engagement with a vital storytelling art form. Storytelling is an important skill; it helps us to understand ourselves and one another, encouraging empathy.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Jessica Nguyen is a science illustrator, educator, dancer, shadow puppeteer, and circus artist turned to the dark side. Her favorite medium is mischief and punnery but confesses that a bit of paper and ink will always lift the spirits. She currently works and lurks in the East Bay, and loves waxing poetic about flora and fauna and bones and stones over a warm cup of tea.
Jessica is a frequent collaborator with ShadowLight Productions.
Website: https://bcrqt.com/
ShadowLight Productions was founded in 1972 by filmmaker/theatre director/shadow artist Larry Reed. We have served San Francisco as a nonprofit theater company for nearly 30 years.
The mission of ShadowLight Productions is to expose the general public to the art of Shadow Theater. The means of providing such exposure includes but is not limited to live theater, film, and other media. We strive to preserve indigenous shadow theater traditions and to explore and expand the possibilities of the shadow theater medium by creating innovative interdisciplinary, multicultural works.
Website: https://www.shadowlight.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShadowLightProductions
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shadowlightproductions/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shadowlightproductions
ShadowLight teaching artists Jessica Nguyen and Fred C. Riley III will perform a short shadow puppet play about the Lunar New Year. After the performance, take a tour backstage, learn about how to transform a children's story into a shadow play and make your own dragon puppet. (templates and other supplies provided).
Join us at Red Poppy Art House for a FREE shadow performance and hands-on workshop for kids and families!
Ages 3-12
Visiting artists Jessica Nguyen and Fred C. Riley III will be performing a shadow adaptation inspired by “Should I Share My Ice Cream?” by Moe Willems.
Guests will be guided on how to make and puppeteer their own shadow puppets
Visit the link below to register for this event!
Here is an easy to share link to the Eventbrite page for sign up.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shadowlight-productions-at-the-art-house-tickets-635769241917
RedPoppyArtHouse.org
Instagram: @redpoppyart
This event is outside. Some seating will be provided. Please dress for the weather!
Dalang: Larry Reed
Dalang assistant: Fred C. Riley III
Gamelan gender wayang musicians: Lisa Gold, Carla Fabrizio, Paul Miller
Vocalist Sekar Jaya Artist in Residence: Cok Istri Putri Rukmini
with traditional sitting pieces by Monali Varaiya and Gamelan Sekar Jaya Master Artist in Residence Ni Nyoman Srayamurtikanti
Experience the cinematic magic of shadow theater with a pioneering local company and try your hand at this fascinating art form with origins in Bali.
Larry Reed, dalang (shadow master) and Founding Artistic Director of ShadowLight Productions, will present excerpts from two films and demonstrate live “cinematic shadow theater” techniques and stagecraft. In conversation with the Asian Art Museum’s Associate Curator of Southeast Asian Art Natasha Reichle, Reed will tell the story of his work, beginning with his foundation in Balinese theater and moving through his explorations in cinematic shadow theater. The event will culminate in a live performance by ShadowLight artists; attendees will also be offered a rare opportunity to try using cinematic shadow theater puppets and masks.
Reserve tickets: http://calendar.asianart.org/.../shadowlight-50-years-of...
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Larry Reed, Founding Artistic Director of San Francisco’s ShadowLight Productions, is a trailblazer in the contemporary shadow theater field. He is one of the first Westerners to have trained in the traditional Balinese shadow theater (wayang kulit) and is a dalang, or “shadow master.” After years of working in this tradition, Reed began integrating modern theater and film styles. The outcome was a “live animation film” — a completely original way of using shadows in theatre that is not culture-bound. Performed using a 15’x 30’ screen, these works orchestrate silhouettes of puppets, actors, and cutouts illuminated by multiple light sources to create cinematic effects live on stage.
Jessica Nguyen is a science illustrator, educator, dancer, and circus artist turned to the dark side. Her favorite mediums are mischief and punnery, but she confesses that a bit of paper and ink will always lift her spirits. She currently works and lurks in the East Bay, where she loves waxing poetic about flora and fauna and bones and stones over a warm cup of tea.
Fred C. Riley III is an accomplished puppeteer specializing in forms including marionette, rod, moving mouth, Czech black, tabletop, mask, and shadow puppetry. He has directed and written for the Center for Puppetry Arts, among others; choreographed for Ping Chong and Co.; and is the Artistic Director of Driveway Follies. He has taught movement and puppet theory and voiced many puppets, and has worked with ShadowLight Productions on performances for over a decade.
Thursday Nights are supported by Wells Fargo.
Dalang: Larry Reed
Gamelan gender wayang musicians: Lisa Gold, Carla Fabrizio, Paul Miller, Sarah Willner
Gamelan musician and composer, specializing in gender wayang to perform traditional sitting pieces: Ni Nyoman Srayamurtikanti
Vocalist: Cok Istri Putri Rukmini
Dalang assistants: Fred C. Riley III, Monali Varaiya
Sponsored with the generous support of the Center for Southeast Asia Studies and UC-Berkeley Department of Music
“Sojourner ZY” is an original play written by Eugenie Chan with new music composer Paul Dresher performed by ShadowLight Productions in their signature large-scale cinematic shadow theater style, directed by Larry Reed.
Sojourner ZY is co-produced by ShadowLight Productions, New Performance Traditions/Paul Dresher Ensemble and The Presidio Theater.
SHOWTIMES:
Thursday, March 2, 2023 - 8pm (preview performance)
Friday, March 3, 2023 - 8pm
Saturday,March 4, 2023 - 8pm
Sunday, March 5, 2023 - 2pm
Running time ~70-80 minutes
Tickets: Regular $25, Youth $15 (25 and under)
Special pricing is available for the preview performance for those unable to afford a full-price ticket by contacting The Presidio Theatre Box Office.
Presidio Theatre Performing Arts Center
99 Moraga Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94129
Presidio Theatre Box Office:
(415) 960-3949
(Phone hours are Mon-Fri, 1–4pm)
Parking: https://www.presidio.gov/transportation/driving-and-parking
Dining: https://www.presidio.gov/food-internal
Sojourner ZY
The Setting
In a not-so-distant future, the Earth Federation has sent out spaceships to scour the universe for the resources necessary to sustain an environmentally depleted and damaged Earth. We follow the mission of Sojourner ZY, who pilots the last surviving spacecraft, as he communicates with Earth Federation’s Mission Control and with his wife scientist and devoted children, who struggle to survive on Earth’s ever-more precarious environment. And as he desperately tries to sack strange new worlds of their resources, he confronts uncomfortable choices and unforeseen consequences.
Audiences will be immersed in a primal, yet futuristic landscape of sound from composer Dresher’s invented instruments, cinematic-scale shadow puppet imagery and a fantastical story that follows the interplanetary journey of the space traveler Sojourner ZY. On his journey, he encounters a dizzying array of uniquely adapted and strange civilizations. The story is told via projected and live shadow sequences with dialogue and songs and seeks to address vital issues of all time—race, gender, identity, and the environmental crisis.
The Journey
In ZY’s galactic travel, he encounters an array of contrasting societies, from the uber-authoritarian to the uber-altruistic: in a liquid world where beings shapeshift among sexes, ethnic and sexual identities within miniature bubble-spheres in total anarchic paradise (until it’s not); a moonscape of mammal-headed creatures who find abundance by adopting the animal mind to live harmoniously with nature and who follow an authoritarian leader, (until they do not); and a light-filled asteroid of intangible beings—all female—who thrive by turning themselves into pure light and sound. While each alternative offers a solution to mankind’s survival, each also yields a flaw that threatens ZY’s vision of humanity and mankind itself.
ZY seeks a common cause with these mysterious entities. But in this pursuit, he is challenged to confront age-old beliefs about mankind’s place in the natural world and the cosmos itself. By dint of his own conception of being human, is he destined to keep replicating the actions that led to the Earth’s destruction in the first place? To confront this dilemma, he must journey deep into his own Being. His travel ends with the greatest challenge, in a journey to the ultimate planet—that of the sphere of the Self.
THE TEAM
Larry Reed, Director
Paul Dresher (composer, performer)
Joel Davel (percussionist)
Eugenie Chan (Playwright)
I Made Moja (co-lead designer-masks and puppets and lead shadow performer)
Ya Wen Chien (co-lead designer-scenery and shadow performer)
Sharon Shao (voice actor)
Ruby Day (voice actor)
Gianni Piña (voice actor)
Lydia Greer (projection/light operator)
Jessica Nguyen (Shadow Puppeteer/Puppet Fabricator/Storyboard Artist)
Truong Nguyen (Shadow Puppeteer and Puppet Fabricator)
Lindsay Ordesta (Shadow Puppeteer and Puppet Fabricator)
Fred C Riley III (Puppet Coordinator/Performer/Puppet Fabricator/Deer Design/Storyboard Artist)
Jacquelyn Serrano (Lead Video & Graphics Designer)
Samara Lotri Tana (Shadow Puppeteer and Video Designer)
Caryl Kientz (Producer/Production Manager)
Dresher | Davel Invented Instrument Duo
The music will be performed live by the electro-acoustic duo featuring composer Dresher performing on the Hurdy Grande and Quadrachord (created and constructed in collaboration with Daniel Schmidt) and acclaimed percussionist Joel Davel performing on Don Buchla’s invented mallet instrument, the Marimba Lumina.
Join us for an evening showing of The Tempest Project, a Balinese-style shadow puppet show in tribute to Peter Brook. Return to that magical island!
OCTOBER 15th, 7pm at Noe Valley Town Square, San Francisco, CA- Free!
We are so excited to be back at Noe Valley Town Square for another Balinese-style shadow performance.
This event will be OUTDOORS. Please dress appropriately for the weather. There will be limited seating provided by the Town Square, so please bring a chair, pillows or blankets to sit on if you’d like!
Picnics welcome too.
Peter Brook, who passed away recently at the age of 96, was known for his deep involvement with Shakespeare, and for his marathon staging of the Mahabharata. His last project was an exploration of Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest, with his international cast of actors. He was after the sense of magic, mystery, and ritual which was alive in Elizabethan England.
He did not consider this to be a new version of the Tempest, as much as a distillation of its essence, a quest for freedom and forgiveness. His metaphor for the stage is, An Empty Space,
where anything can happen.
My equivalent, as a shadow master, to his empty space is the blank white screen - a place for dreams, which can also be quite intimidating. I have been involved with various productions of the Tempest for the past sixty years, and Balinese culture for the past fifty. I played Caliban in high school, and fell in love with every aspect of the play. When I first saw Balinese theater in 1970, with its lively combination of high drama and low comedy, I was immediately reminded of Shakespeare.
Many years later, having become a shadow master, I performed a complete version of the Tempest as a traditional Balinese shadow play. It was easy to cast. The archetypal characters in Shakespeare had almost exact equivalents in Bali. We performed outdoors at a festival, and during the harpy scene the sprinklers went off and soaked the audience. I have come back to different versions of The Tempest every ten years since high school.
This Tempest Project is my exploration of Peter Brook’s last act. It was published this year in Jean-Claude Carriere’s excellent translation, and I am rendering his French back into Shakespeare. These two men are my greatest heroes, and I am very excited to share their discoveries with you. It is shorter, and lighter than the original. It is an offering in an age of violence to the healing power of music, dance and theater, and an ode to freedom and forgiveness.
Wayang Kulit, the Balinese shadow puppet theater, takes place on a small screen illuminated by a coconut oil flame. The dalang, or shadow master, plays all the parts and is accompanied by four musicians playing gamelan gender wayang, (dedicated shadow theater music). Our performance will take place outdoors.
– Larry Reed
Tune in this Thursday 10/13 at 12pm (PST) to KALX Berkeley 90.7FM and again at 1pm (PST) to KALW Bay Area 91.7FM to hear Larry talk about our unique performance this weekend: On A Magical Island - A tribute in Balinese shadows to Peter Brook’s Tempest Project. We hope to see you out at Noe Valley Town Square Sat. 10/15 at 7pm!
KALX Berkeley 90.7FM Listen LIVE! : https://www.kalx.berkeley.edu/live-streaming
KALW Bay Area 91.7FM Listen LIVE! : https://www.kalw.org/listen-to-kalw-right-now
Missed the live? Listen back! KALW 91.7 FM Interview with Larry Reed "On a Magical Island"
Join us for an evening of Wayang Bali at UC Berkeley!
SAT APRIL 2nd, 7:30PM at UC Berkeley
Morrison Hall Room 125
FREE ADMISSION
Featuring Dalang Larry Reed
We are so excited to be joining you for our first show of 2022! We are back indoors sharing a traditional Balinese shadow theater performance featuring a tale from the Mahabharata.
Live Gamelan musicians: Lisa Gold, Carla Fabrizio, Paul Miller
Vocalist/Assistant: Katie Harrell
Assistant: Fred C. Riley III
Sponsored in part by Grants for the Arts and co-sponsored by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies & Department of Music at UCB.
Join us for two evenings of Wayang Bali this fall!
OCTOBER 16th, 7pm at Noe Valley Town Square, San Francisco, CA- Free!
NOVEMBER 19th, 7pm at outside in Sconyers Plaza north of Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, UC Davis campus- Tickets Available HERE!
We are so excited to be back to performing live. These events are OUTDOORS. Please dress appropriately and bring a chair, pillows or blankets to sit on!
Picnics welcome too.
Join us in Davis, CA for an evening of Wayang Bali.
NOVEMBER 19th, 7pm at outside in Sconyers Plaza north of Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, UC Davis campus- Tickets Available HERE!
We are so excited to be back to performing live. This event is OUTDOORS. Please dress appropriately seating will be provided!
Join Shadows Across the Globe for a 45 min.ZOOM talk as we chat with Shadow Master Larry Reed from ShadowLight Productions in San Francisco.
Saturday, July 10th at 2:00PM, *tickets available through July 7th!
Be sure to check out the entire line-up for Shadows Across the Globe!
As part of Shadows Across the Globe, we welcome Shadow Master Larry Reed to an exclusive ZOOM chat to discuss all things travel, shadows, developing his signature style, and much more! Shadows Across The Globe is hosting multiple Artist Talks and classes as part of our online festival. Please check our full schedule on our Facebook and Instagram pages to get a wider view of our fantastic offerings! Shadows Across the Globe is a grassroots virtual shadow puppetry festival brought to you by Twisted Heart Puppetworks and sponsored by Backfence Society, The San Diego Guild of Puppetry, The LA Guild of Puppetry, Under The Puppet Podcast, and Storytellers of San Diego as well as many private doners like YOU.
Wrap up the end of the year with ShadowLight, and join us for our final Artist Talk for 2020! Director Larry Reed and his teacher I Nyoman Sumandhi will be discussing artistic process, educating western audiences on Wayang and gamelan, and over 40 years worth of collaboration.
Don’t miss out on these rich oral histories and insights on Tuesday, December 29th at 5:00PM PST / 8:00PM EST / Wednesday, December 30th at 1:00 AM UK / 8:00 AM Jakarta
Attend the live event at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89127461432#success
I Nyoman Sumandhi is a scholar and Dalang from Tunjuk, Tabanan, Bali-Indonesia who has taught and performed Wayang around the world. Pak Sumandhi is grandson of the renowned I Made Durya, and son of I Nyoman Rajeg, and had continued the familiy tradition as a practicing dalang.
In his career, he has pioneered teaching Wayang to non-Balinese people and encouraging women in Bali to practice as shadow masters. Pak Sumandhi was a founding teacher of the performing arts school, Kokar, selected to study ethnomusicology at UCLA by the JD Rockefeller Third Foundation and has taught in the US, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, and France. With his student Michael Tenzer, he was instrumental in helping to found the Berkeley CA group, Gamelan Sekar Jaya.
Larry Reed, founder of ShadowLight Productions and Fritz de Boer were his first foreign students. Larry went on to study with his father Pak Rajeg, becoming the first Westerner to learn Balinese Wayang.
Get the popcorn ready! We have a treat in store! Join us in watching A (Balinese) Tempest, on our website, followed by a live Zoom Q&A with Director Larry Reed, Music Director Carla Fabrizio & Art Director/Designer I Made Moja on May 23rd at 3pm PST. This Q&A will be broadcast on Facebook.
A (Balinese) Tempest will be available to stream for free May 15th - 24th.
Consider donating to ShadowLight Productions for our continued efforts in preserving the legacy of Shadow Theatre.
If you would like to participate on Zoom for the Live Q&A, click to register on the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pd68WDBPQFWCLKGt5MMeaw
A (Balinese) Tempest (2005) is an adaptation of Shakespeare's most musical and magical play. Set in shadows with live musical accompaniment from Gamelan Sekar Jaya using gamelan angklung, original compositions by I Made Terip from north Bali, Balinese vocals from I Nyoman Sumandhi, original puppets and sets from I Made Moja, the production fuses Balinese and Elizabethan theater.
In playwright Zara Houshmand’s retelling of the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, through the eyes of its key female character, Drupadi explores age-old stories through the perspective of the me-too era. Narrated by nationally acclaimed storyteller, Brenda Wong Aoki, and ShadowLight shadow master Larry Reed, and with choreography by Emiko Saraswati Susilo, the entire magically unwinding story will play out on a massive shadow screen. Gamelan Sekar Jaya guest music director, I Dewa Putu Berata, and guest dance director, I Made Suteja, join Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s iron metallophone gamelan semar pegulingan, a company of dancers, and a complement of ShadowLight artists in this collaborative production at San Francisco’s newest performing arts space: the Presidio Theatre.
This project is made possible in part by a grant from The Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund that also is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
In playwright Zara Houshmand’s retelling of the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, through the eyes of its key female character, Drupadi explores age-old stories through the perspective of the me-too era. Narrated by nationally acclaimed storyteller, Brenda Wong Aoki, and ShadowLight shadow master Larry Reed, and with choreography by Emiko Saraswati Susilo, the entire magically unwinding story will play out on a massive shadow screen. Gamelan Sekar Jaya guest music director, I Dewa Putu Berata, and guest dance director, I Made Suteja, join Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s iron metallophone gamelan semar pegulingan, a company of dancers, and a complement of ShadowLight artists in this collaborative production at San Francisco’s newest performing arts space: the Presidio Theatre.
This project is made possible in part by a grant from The Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund that also is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
In playwright Zara Houshmand’s retelling of the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, through the eyes of its key female character, Drupadi explores age-old stories through the perspective of the me-too era. Narrated by nationally acclaimed storyteller, Brenda Wong Aoki, and ShadowLight shadow master Larry Reed, and with choreography by Emiko Saraswati Susilo, the entire magically unwinding story will play out on a massive shadow screen. Gamelan Sekar Jaya guest music director, I Dewa Putu Berata, and guest dance director, I Made Suteja, join Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s iron metallophone gamelan semar pegulingan, a company of dancers, and a complement of ShadowLight artists in this collaborative production at San Francisco’s newest performing arts space: the Presidio Theatre.
This project is made possible in part by a grant from The Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund that also is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Click here to purchase tickets.
For more information, visit the Presidio Theatre’s event page.
We invite the public to see the creative process at work at this open dress rehearsal with sliding scale admission. Come back on Saturday or Sunday for the polished performance!
In playwright Zara Houshmand’s retelling of the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, through the eyes of its key female character, Drupadi explores age-old stories through the perspective of the me-too era. Narrated by nationally acclaimed storyteller, Brenda Wong Aoki, and ShadowLight shadow master Larry Reed, and with choreography by Emiko Saraswati Susilo, the entire magically unwinding story will play out on a massive shadow screen. Gamelan Sekar Jaya guest music director, I Dewa Putu Berata, and guest dance director, I Made Suteja, join Gamelan Sekar Jaya’s iron metallophone gamelan semar pegulingan, a company of dancers, and a complement of ShadowLight artists in this collaborative production at San Francisco’s newest performing arts space: the Presidio Theatre.
This project is made possible in part by a grant from The Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund that also is supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Click here to purchase tickets. Pay-what-you-can admission starts at $5.
For more information, visit the Presidio Theatre’s event page.
ShadowLight Productions Presents
An Evening of Balinese Shadow Theatre
with Dalang Larry Reed,
featuring ShadowLight gamelan gender musicians:
Lisa Gold, Suzanne La, Paul Miller, and Sarah Willner with singer Katie Harrell
Date & Time: Monday, October 14, 7:30PM
Location: 125 Morrison Hall, The Albert Elks Room,UC Berkeley.
FREE PERFORMANCE
Larry Reed with ShadowLight's Gamelan Gender Wayang featuring Lisa Gold, Suzanne La, Paul Miller, and Sarah Willner, led by Gamelan Sekar Jaya's master artist in residence, I Wayan Suweca will be performing "Wayang Bali: An Evening of Balinese Shadows. Wayang Bali, the Balinese shadow play, is one of the most revered traditional art forms in the world. Plots for Wayang Bali are drawn from the Mahabharata myth cycle, in which five brothers are pitted against one hundred jealous cousins in a struggle for power involving gods, demons, magical weapons, and the inevitable beautiful princess. Larry Reed and the Gamelan Gender Wayang musicians make it possible for Western audiences to enjoy this classical form of storytelling. Learn more.
FREE PERFORMANCE!
Larry Reed is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed Shadow Master. In 1972, he founded ShadowLight Productions to nurture indigenous shadow theatre traditions, as well as to explore and expand the possibilities of the shadow theatre medium. He is one of the first Westerners to have trained in the traditional Balinese shadow theatre (wayang kulit) and is a dalang or “shadow master,” who manipulates over 20 carved leather shadow puppets while simultaneously serving as the conductor of the accompanying gamelan orchestra, the director, and the stage manager.
Larry assisted by
Katie Harrell (singer), Yawen Winnie Chen and Fred C. Riley III.
Music performed by
ShadowLight's gamelan gender wayang featuring Lisa Gold, Carla Fabrizio, Paul Miller, and Sarah Willner with Gamelan Sekar Jaya's master artist in residence, I Wayan Suweca
Red Poppy Art House and ShadowLight Productions present An Evening of Balinese Shadow Theatre featuring Dalang Larry Reed and Gamelan Gender Wayang.
Date: Friday, May 24, 2019
Time: 7pm doors, 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale GET TICKETS HERE
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
Wayang Bali, the Balinese shadow play, is one of the most revered traditional art forms in the world. Plots for Wayang Bali are drawn from the Mahabharata myth cycle, in which five brothers are pitted against one hundred jealous cousins in a struggle for power involving gods, demons, magical weapons, and the inevitable beautiful princess. Larry Reed and the Gamelan musicians make it possible for Western audiences to enjoy this classical form of storytelling.
FEATURING:
Carla Fabrizio - gamelan gender
Lisa Gold - gamelan gender
Paul Miller - gamelan gender
Sarah Willner - gamelan gender
with vocalist Katie Harrell
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Larry Reed is a nationally and internationally acclaimed theatre artist and is a trailblazer in the contemporary shadow theatre field. In 1972, he founded ShadowLight Productions to nurture indigenous shadow theatre traditions, as well as to explore and expand the possibilities of the shadow theatre medium. He is one of the first Westerners to have trained in the traditional Balinese shadow theatre (wayang kulit) and is a “dalang,” or “shadow master,” who manipulates over 20 carved leather shadow puppets while simultaneously serving as the conductor of the accompanying gamelan orchestra, the director, and the stage manager.
LEARN MORE:
www.shadowlight.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwwFKZ4VHYs&t=52s
http://redpoppyarthouse.org/event/shadowlight-gamelan-20190524/
Saturday, March 9, 2019
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
St. Cyprian’s Church (map)
Performed by Artistic Director and Shadow Master Larry Reed
With I Made Moja
Featuring ShadowLight Gamelan Gender Wayang: Carla Fabrizio, Lisa Gold, Paul Miller and Sarah Willner
Tickets: $20 Advance / $25 Door for general admission, $18 for students, children, & seniors
PURCHASE: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4064321
Box Office: (415) 454-5238
For more information, visit: www.sflivearts.org
Wayang Bali, the Balinese Shadow Play, is one of the most revered traditional art forms in the world. Plots for Wayang Bali are drawn from the Mahabharata myth cycle, in which five brothers are pitted against one hundred jealous cousins in a struggle for power involving gods, demons, magical weapons, and the inevitable beautiful princess. Larry and the Gamelan musicians make it possible for Western audiences to enjoy this classical form of storytelling.
Funded in part by the San Francisco Grants for the Arts, the Hewlett Foundation, and individual donors.
The Oakland Asian Cultural Center will present a screening of the award winning documentary "Finding Kukan" in partnership with the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) Oakland Lodge and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). Plus, filmmaker Robin Lung will be visiting from Hawaii and available for Questions and Answers after the screening. This film features shadow sequences created in collaboration with Larry Reed from ShadowLight Productions.
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/539957783042009/
The Chinese Culture Center (CCC) of San Francisco is thrilled to host a screening of the award winning documentary "Finding Kukan" in partnership with the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) San Francisco Lodge and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM). Plus, filmmaker Robin Lung will be visiting from Hawaii and available for Questions and Answers after the screening. She’ll be joined by creative collaborator Larry Reed, Artistic Director of Bay Area’s ShadowLight Productions.
To purchase tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/finding-kukan-screening-and-qa-with-filmmaker-robin-lung-tickets-43912419228
ShadowLight Productions’ performance of Wayang Bali: An Evening with Balinese Shadows
Tickets: FREE / Sponsored by UC Berkeley Department of Music
Performed by Artistic Director and Shadow Master Larry Reed
Assisted by I Made Moja and Monali Varaiya
Featuring ShadowLight Gamelan Gender Wayang: Carla Fabrizio, Lisa Gold, Paul Miller and Sarah Willner
ShadowLight Productions’ performance of Wayang Bali: Balinese Shadow Play
Tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3220927
Performed by Artistic Director and Shadow Master Larry Reed
Assisted by I Made Moja
Featuring ShadowLight Gamelan Gender Wayang: Carla Fabrizio, Lisa Gold, Paul Miller and Pete Steele
