There’s a new kind of performance coming to the city this fall, one that puts a fresh twist on the traditional ghost story.
Schreiben the Conjurer and Envoute Entertainment will present a strictly limited engagement of ‘Kaidan: Tales of Moonlight and Rain’, following a successful run at Plays and Players during last Fringe season. As the company notes, next month’s set of performances moves beyond the traditional theater setting and into the historic Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center in Fairmount Park — a setting fit for a show based in Japanese ghost stories and eerie illusions.
Inspired by the haunting works of Lafcadio Hearn and Ueda Akinari’s Ugetsu 'Monogatari' (created in 1776), the source of the production’s name, 'Kaidan' invites a small circle of guests into the shadowy world of pre-modern Japan. Shofuso’s authentic architecture (including its traditional tatami mats and sliding fusuma screens) will become part of the experience for this small set of shows.
'Kaidan' ultimately “brings the supernatural within inches of the audience” with an evening that unfolds through the ghost stories of old Japan—stories that range from vengeful spirits and shapeshifters to tales exploring the moral complexities of Japanese society from the Heian period through the Meiji Restoration.
Schreiben the Conjurer will lead the performance as narrator and medium. Cited as a master of the hidden arts, Schreiben will guide audiences through the evening’s “100 Spirits” ritual, joined by a stylized Abe No Seimei.
Developed in collaboration with Cultural Competency Dramaturg Rob Buscher, the production is grounded in extensive anthropological research.
“We wanted to strip away the artifice of the theatre and bring the spirits home,” says the production team for 'Kaidan'. “Shofuso provides a sacred, quiet space where these stories can breathe. In a room this intimate, the boundary between our world and the next feels incredibly thin.”
'Kaidan: Tales of Moonlight and Rain' will take place at the historic Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center (Lansdowne and Horticultural Drives) in Philadelphia on Sept. 18 and 19, with intimate performances scheduled at 7 and 9 p.m. each evening. Capacity is strictly limited, with reservations required. Proceeds from ticket sales (starting at $68 via Bucketlisters) will support Shofuso’s ongoing upkeep, programs, and renovations.
For more information, visit japanphilly.org/shofuso
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