The Koryū Nishikawa Troupe brings a collaborative puppet performance by Chicago-based puppet artist Tom Lee and Japanese traditional puppeteer Koryū Nishikawa V. This beautifully detailed production combines traditional kuruma ningyo puppetry with contemporary staging to share a Western perspective on the life of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the father of the Japanese short story form

Koryū Nishikawa is the fifth generation master of the kuruma ningyō style, a 160-year-old solo puppetry tradition recognized as a national cultural asset by Japan. In kuruma ningyō, or cart puppetry, a performer sits on a small wheeled box holding the puppet's feet between his toes and the puppets head and arms with his hands. Related to the three-person Bunraku-style, kuruma ningyō is one of the most unique puppet forms on the planet allowing a powerful and virtuosic performance rooted in deep spiritual power. Tom Lee is a puppet artist, designer and director. He appeared on Broadway in War Horse, in Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera and creates original work that often explores the synthesis of manipulated objects, miniatures and puppets with the language of film and animation.Mr. Lee is co-director of the Chicago Puppet Lab and Chicago Puppet Studio. www.tomleeprojects.com