Japan Classic Includes Nation’s First Lady and Former Environmental Minister
In one of just a handful of U.S. appearances–the others for the UN and the Smithsonian–Japan Classic Live for the United Nations, the ecologically focused international troupe that includes Japan’s First Lady, Miyuki Hatoyama, and former Environmental Minister, Wakako Hironaka, as participants, will visit Stony Brook Southampton’s Avram Theater on Tuesday, November 3, at 7:00 pm. The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend this riveting, future-focused gala production.
The performance is a blend of Japanese music and the music of Bach, Beethoven, Gershwin, and Mozart accompanied by a mix of traditional and modern dances of Japanese and western origin.
“Our Blue Planet: Will It Survive Until Tomorrow?” is an eclectic theater piece with elaborate song and dance numbers by more than 50 performers interspersed with serious messages about environmental disaster if we do not take precautions today. The Southampton production will be filmed and later aired in Japan and at the COP 15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“Our environmental musical sets the stage for 2100, when mankind and the Earth are facing a critical moment of self-destruction, and offers a warning to our generations now to do everything possible to prevent such natural and human disasters,” said Seikei University Professor Emeritus Ryokichi Hirono, who translated Mariko Hashimoto’s inventive script and helps lead the troupe in the U.S.
Japan Classic Live for the United Nations is a non-profit organization with co-sponsorships from the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office, Foreign, Education, Environment ministries and national NGOs, in addition to funding support from government and private foundations.
Japan Classic will celebrate its 18th anniversary with this year’s performance. During the past 10 years, Japan Classic has performed with an environmental message throughout Japan, Asia, Europe, and the U.S. In 2008 they performed in cooperation with G-8 Tokkai Summit and received a letter of appreciation from the Prime Minister of Japan.
The performance is 90 minutes with three acts. The event is sponsored by Stony Brook Southampton Dean and Vice President Mary Pearl and the campus’ Sustainability Forum, organized by noted professor and former UN environmental official Nay Htun.
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