''The Diver'' is a

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

tic

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

written in 2008 by

Hideki Noda is a Japanese professional racing driver. He participated in three Formula One Grands Prix, débuting in the 1994 European Grand Prix, but did not score any championship points. He replaced Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse car for the last thre ...

and

Colin Teevan Colin Teevan (born 1961 in Dublin) is an Irish playwright, radio dramatist, translator and academic. Teevan has premiered works in the National Theatres of Ireland, Scotland and the Royal National Theatre in London, He has been a regular collabo ...

. It premiered in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 2008 at the

Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces. The the ...

and the US premiere occurred in 2010 at

The University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. The play combines a modern psychiatric case with traditional Japanese Noh theatre and includes elements of the world's first novel, '' The Tale of Genji'' and a Noh play, ''Ama'' (also the term for Japanese pearl divers).

Plot

The show focuses around a Japanese woman named Yumi Yamanaka who is accused of murdering her lover's two children. As she spends time with a Psychiatrist, she drifts in and out of reality and assumes characters from both '' The Tale of Genji'' and ''Ama'' while a Prosecutor and the Chief of Police work to determine her guilt.

Productions

''The Diver'' was originally performed from June 19-July 19 in 2008 under the direction of

. The cast included

Kathryn Hunter Aikaterini Hadjipateras ( el, Αικατερίνη Χατζηπατέρας; born 9 April 1957), known professionally as Kathryn Hunter, is an American-born British actress and theatre director, known for her appearances as Arabella Figg in th ...

, Harry Gostelow, and Glyn Pritchard. The production team included Denzaemon Tanaka as composer, design by Catherine Chapman, lighting design by Christoph Wagner, and sound design by

Paul Arditti Paul Arditti is a British sound designer, working mainly in the UK and the US. He specialises in designing sound systems and sound scores for theatre. He has won awards for his work on both musicals and plays, including a Tony Award, an Olivier Aw ...

.Soho theatre
the driver
The first production in the US of ''The Diver'' was performed at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

from October 21–23 in 2010 under the direction of Rebecca Spooner.

References

External links

* http://www.sohotheatre.com * Review: http://www.curtainup.com/diverlond.html * Review: http://www.performingarts.jp/E/play/0810/1.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Diver Japanese plays 2008 plays Works based on The Tale of Genji Plays based on other plays Plays based on novels