White Light Festival Theater Advisory
Tenth Anniversary of Festival Includes Two U.S. Theater Production Premieres
The premiere of Sugimoto Bunraku Sonezaki Shinju: The Love Suicides at Sonezaki from celebrated artist Hiroshi Sugimoto in a bold, contemporary reinterpretation of the classic Japanese play incorporating bunraku puppet theater, original music, and video The premiere of DruidShakespeare: Richard III from Ireland’s Druid theater company and Tony Award-winning director Garry Hynes, starring Aaron Monaghan |
| For its tenth anniversary season, the 2019 White Light Festival will feature events presented in eight venues across the city, including U.S. and New York premieres and the return of festival favorites, from October 19 through November 24.
“The resonance of the White Light Festival has only deepened during its first decade, as we have moved into far more challenging times here and around the world,” said Jane Moss, Ehrenkranz Artistic Director of Lincoln Center. “The Festival’s central theme, namely the singular capacity of artistic expression to illuminate what is inside ourselves and connect us to others, is more relevant than ever. This 10th anniversary edition spanning disparate countries, cultures, disciplines, and genres emphasizes that the elevation of the spirit the arts inspires uniquely unites us and expands who we are.”
The 2019 White Light Festival opens on Saturday, October 19 with Sugimoto Bunraku Sonezaki Shinju: The Love Suicides at Sonezaki told through Japanese bunraku puppet theater in a contemporary interpretation directed by renowned artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. Incorporating music by Seiji Tsurusawa (designated by Japan as a Living National Treasure) and video by Tabaimo and Sugimoto, this U.S. production premiere is a bold staging of Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s classic 18th-century drama. Based upon actual events, the piece is a rare opportunity to experience bunraku in New York City.
The darker side of human nature is on display in DruidShakespeare: Richard III, a chilling story of power and ambition in a wickedly comic production from Ireland’s Druid theater company and director Garry Hynes, opening on November 9. The production stars Aaron Monaghan, who appeared as Estragon in Druid’s acclaimed Waiting for Godot in the 2018 White Light Festival.
As in prior years, the 2019 White Light Festival will offer opportunities for audiences to delve further into the themes of the festival with pre- and post-performance artist talks, as well as a special panel discussion moderated by John Schaefer. White Light Lounges follow many performances: these receptions are exclusive to White Light Festival ticketholders and provide opportunities to mingle with artists and fellow audience members while enjoying a complimentary glass of wine or sparkling water.
Tickets for the 2019 White Light Festival are available online at WhiteLightFestival.org, by calling CenterCharge at 212.721.6500, or at the David Geffen or Alice Tully Hall Box Office (Broadway and 65th Street).
The White Light Festival is one of many programs offered by Lincoln Center that annually activates the campus’s indoor and outdoor spaces across a wide range of the performing arts. Additional presentations include the Mostly Mozart Festival, Great Performers, American Songbook, Midsummer Night Swing, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, ongoing free performances at the David Rubenstein Atrium, and Live From Lincoln Center broadcasts that reach beyond the iconic campus. Lincoln Center also presents a myriad of education programs and presentations for families throughout the year.
Please click here to download high-resolution images and artist biographies. Please click here for the 2019 White Light Festival press release.
Theater Programs listed in chronological order Sugimoto Bunraku Sonezaki Shinju: The Love Suicides at Sonezaki (U.S. production premiere) Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 7:30 pm Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 3:00 pm Monday, October 21, 2019 at 7:30 pm Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 7:30 pm Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall
Original text by Chikamatsu Monzaemon Tomogoro Yamamura, choreography Cast: Rodayu Toyotake, Seiji Tsurusawa, Tamasuke Yoshida, and others Performed in Japanese with English supertitles
Performance length: Two hours and 30 minutes, including intermission
At the turn of 18th-century Japan, a clerk and a courtesan committed suicide in the forest of Tenjin. The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, a tragic play based upon these actual events, was banned after its 1703 premiere for more than two centuries. For this U.S. production premiere, renowned artist Hiroshi Sugimoto presents a bold, contemporary interpretation of the classic drama using bunraku puppet theater with music by Seiji Tsurusawa, who has been designated by Japan as a Living National Treasure, and video by Tabaimo and Sugimoto. The puppets, imbued with life, captivate audiences with their lively movements rivaling the eloquence of actual human beings.
Presented in association with The Japan Foundation and Odawara Art Foundation. Sugimoto Bunraku Sonezaki Shinju: The Love Suicides at Sonezaki is part of Japan 2019, a series of events highlighting Japanese arts and culture in the United States throughout 2019.
In cooperation with National Bunraku Theatre, BUNRAKU KYOKAI and Setagaya Arts Foundation/Setagaya Public Theatre.
Corporate support is provided by Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, J.C.C. Fund, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York, and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal U.S.A., Inc. Additional support is made possible in part by The Jim Henson Foundation. DruidShakespeare: Richard III (U.S. production premiere) Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 7:00 pm (preview performance) Friday, November 8, 2019 at 7:00 pm (preview performance) Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 7:00 pm Sunday, November 10, 2019 at 3:00 pm Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 7:00 pm Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at 7:00 pm Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 7:00 pm Friday, November 15, 2019 at 7:00 pm Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 2:00 and 7:00 pm Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 3:00 pm Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 7:00 pm Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 7:00 pm Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 7:00 pm Friday, November 22, 2019 at 7:00 pm Saturday, November 23, 2019 at 2:00 pm Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College
Directed by Garry Hynes Produced by Druid Starring Aaron Monaghan as Richard III Francis O’Connor, set and costume design James F. Ingalls, lighting design Gregory Clarke, sound design Conor Linehan, music David Bolger, movement and fight choreography Doreen McKenna, co-costume design
Performance length: Three hours, including intermission
Shakespeare depicts one of the world’s greatest villains in Richard III, a chilling and darkly comic story of power and ambition. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, portrayed by Aaron Monaghan, sets about bending the world to his own desires, vanquishing his better angels in pursuit of the crown. The Bard’s ruthless monarch resonates through the ages in this award-winning production from Ireland’s Druid theater company and Tony Award-winning director Garry Hynes. A continuation of the company’s exploration of Shakespeare’s kings, the production reunites the creative team and members of the Druid ensemble behind the celebrated DruidShakespeare: Richard II, Henry IV (Pts. 1 & 2) and Henry V, which played Lincoln Center in 2015. Druid’s acclaimed run of Waiting for Godot, also directed by Hynes and starring Monaghan as Estragon, was featured in the 2018 White Light Festival.
There will be a pre-performance discussion with Garry Hynes and Robert Marx on Sunday, November 10 at 1:45 pm in the John Jay College Lecture Hall.
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Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA)serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community engagement, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of thousands of free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and educational activities annually, LCPA offers a variety of festivals and programs, including American Songbook, Avery Fisher Career Grants and Artist Program, David Rubenstein Atrium programming, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Awards, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lincoln Center Vera List Art Project, LC Kids, Midsummer Night Swing, Mostly Mozart Festival, White Light Festival, the Emmy Award-winningLive From Lincoln Center, which airs nationally on PBS, and Lincoln Center Education, which is celebrating more than four decades enriching the lives of students, educators, and lifelong learners. As manager of the Lincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the Lincoln Center complex and the 11 resident organizations: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film at Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, School of American Ballet, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Lincoln Center is committed to providing and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. For information, contact Accessibility at Lincoln Center at access@lincolncenter.org or 212.875.5375.
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The White Light Festival 2019 is made possible by The Shubert Foundation, The Katzenberger Foundation, Inc., Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, The Joelson Foundation, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, J.C.C. Fund, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York, Great Performers Circle, Chairman’s Council and Friends of Lincoln Center.
Endowment support is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Blavatnik Family Foundation Fund for Dance.
Public support is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature
NewYork-Presbyterian is the Official Hospital of Lincoln Center |
Press: Michelle Tabnick
Photos–Love Suicides : Hajime Watanabe; Richard III: Robbie Jack
