an In a Memory Palace workshop and performance series
WORKSHOPS
A Writer’s Workshop - Writing New Noh: Architectures of Poetry and Time
with Theatre Nohgaku Founding Company Member David Crandall
Sunday July 26, 2026, 10:00am – 1:00pm in Conference Room 2 at JCCCNC. 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
A workshop for English-speaking writers, musicians, performers and the intellectually curious who seek insight into how noh are constructed. Emphasis will be placed on the underlying building blocks of noh called shōdan, which consist of both verbal and musical elements. After an explanation of some of noh’s textual characteristics, participants will be invited to write small sections following traditional norms. The instructor will then chant some of these sections with drum patterns so that participants can hear how their work would sound in a typical noh setting.
$50 (limit 8)
A Movement Workshop – A Practice of Stillness in Time
(co-sponsor JCCCNC)
With Theatre Nohgaku Founding Company Member Jubilith Moore
Saturday August 1, 2026,10:00am – 12:00pm in the Issei Memorial Hall at the JCCCNC. 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
A workshop for actors, directors, dancers, musicians, and academics interested in learning about a non-Western performance tradition. Offering a multifaceted live experience, it introduces noh movement and chant and explores some of noh’s underlying theatrical tenets to suggest how they might inform contemporary work.
$50 (limit 25)
To register or for more information please visit: www.theatreofyugen.org
PERFORMANCES
A Lecture / Demonstration - Getting To Noh
With Theatre Nohgaku Company Members and special guest artists
Tuesday July 28, 2026, 7:00 – 8:00pm at NOHSpace. 2840 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
A live introduction to noh chant, dance and musical instruments with performance of excerpts from both traditional and new noh in Japanese and English.
Free
Reservations required
To reserve or for more information please visit: www.theatreofyugen.org
Composing Noh in Waltz Time - A Music Performance and Discussion
With co-composers David Crandall, Dr. Kevin Salfen, members of the In a Memory Palace cast and creative team.
Friday July 31, 2026, 1:00pm – 2:00pm in the Koret Auditorium at the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library. 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Noh is usually performed on a bare wooden stage and accompanied by a chorus, drums and flute. Theatre Nohgaku crafts new noh in English, but In a Memory Palace expands the traditional noh ensemble by including cello, piano, and piccolo to evoke the opulence of early twentieth-century Vienna. The result is perhaps the most integrated conversation ever attempted between noh and European concert music.
Free
No reservations required
DISCUSSIONS
Post performance discussion with members of the In a Memory Palace cast and creative team.
Friday July 31, 2026, at ~ 8:15pm at Z Space, 450 Florida St. San Francisco, CA 94110
Pre-performance discussion with members of the In a Memory Palace creative team.
Saturday August 1, 2026, at 5:30pm at Z Space, 450 Florida St. San Francisco, CA 94110
These events are free for In a Memory Palace ticket holders
For more information and to purchase performance tickets please visit: inamemorypalace.org
Theatre Nohgaku is an international performance ensemble comprised of Japan and North American based members whose mission is to create and present plays in traditional noh style, complete with Hayashi musicians, masks, costumes and stage sets. The company serves as a unique cultural and artistic intermediary between Japan and the English-speaking world. Theatre Nohgaku performs contemporary work that reaches across boundaries of culture and language to tell stories that reflect our shared humanity.
This series was made possible with funding by the National Endowment for the Arts, Sam Mazza Foundation, Tri-M Foundation, Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, The Puffin Foundation, Japan Foundation and was co-sponsored in part by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California.
