Plays and Players Theater
1714 Delancey St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 | Directions

Showtimes:
Sept. 5th, 8:00 – 10:00 PM
Sept. 6th, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
September 7th, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

SOLD OUT

Combining magic and traditional Japanese performance arts with traditional Japanese storytelling and ghost stories, “Kaidan: An Evening of 100 Spirits” will be performed for the first time at Plays and Players. With the help of Dwight Sora (Japanese-American writer, actor, and folklorist) and Rob Buscher (Cultural Competency Coach and Anthropological Support) and a cast of Asian American performance artists, “Kaidan” promises to be not only a unique experience for the audiences of Philly and its surrounding areas but also an educational and awe-inspiring one unlike anything ever produced in the area.

The Hyaku-Monogatari Kaidanki is a Japanese, Heian-era pastime of telling ghost stories to one another of increasing intensity with the hopes one of these spirits does not appear in your parlor. Drawing from the rich history of Japanese folklore and Victorian spiritualism this is a parlor and stage magic show encased in the mysterious and often eerie world of yurei and yokai. The production is a multi-media and performance evening combining illusions, history, storytelling, bunraku, kabuki, noh, and more to weave a creepy web of scary stories each paired with a performance or art piece to transport the audience to a time of onmyōji and 10th Century court pastimes. Educational, beautifully macabre, distinctly Japanese, and entertaining of course. Featuring Schreiben the Conjurer as he takes you through this peculiar world of spirits, investigating it through a Westerner’s perspective while tackling biases and misconceptions to spirit the audience away to another time and place in our world’s history.