Soul Of The City at The Presidio Theatre

The Storyteller's beloved city, San Francisco, seems to have lost its way. Does a city have a soul? This perplexing question haunts The Storyteller. Feeling useless and lost, set upon by demons and ghosts, she hovers between life and death. Four precious talismans - a jade bracelet, a fan, a necklace, and a music box - the touchstones of her life, comfort her. Based on autobiographical stories of her mixed ethnic family tree, Master Storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki takes us on a magical journey to find the soul of San Francisco. Her precious talismans, like time capsules, reveal her rich family history that's woven into the origins of San Francisco Japantown and Chinatown. Remembering these stories, she realizes that her family was instrumental in the creation of San Francisco Japantown and that her family stories are reflections of lived American history - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Each of us has a story. Our stories connect with one another and over time, these stories become one big story. This Story lives on, long after its storytellers are gone and becomes the "Soul of the City."...

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The Storyteller's beloved city, San Francisco, seems to have lost its way. Does a city have a soul? This perplexing question haunts The Storyteller. Feeling useless and lost, set upon by demons and ghosts, she hovers between life and death. Four precious talismans - a jade bracelet, a fan, a necklace, and a music box - the touchstones of her life, comfort her. Based on autobiographical stories of her mixed ethnic family tree, Master Storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki takes us on a magical journey to find the soul of San Francisco. Her precious talismans, like time capsules, reveal her rich family history that's woven into the origins of San Francisco Japantown and Chinatown. Remembering these stories, she realizes that her family was instrumental in the creation of San Francisco Japantown and that her family stories are reflections of lived American history - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Each of us has a story. Our stories connect with one another and over time, these stories become one big story. This Story lives on, long after its storytellers are gone and becomes the "Soul of the City."

Celebrating the birthplace of Asia America, San Francisco, this show merges traditional arts, jazz, spoken word, dance, puppets, a dragon, digital collage to tell the story of one family's 127 years in the city. It will be captured live by Emmy award-winning filmmakers Emiko Omori and Wendy Slick.

Performers: San Francisco's Master Storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki, San Francisco 3rd Poet Laureate devorah major, Asian Jazz Pioneer Mark Izu, New York composer Mas Koga, legendary percussionist Kenneth Nash, Natori koto master Shoko Hikage, Natori taiko master Jimi Nakagawa.

Join us at the Presidio Theatre for a captivating journey to find the "Soul of the City." Be there on Saturday, June 1st at 7PM and Sunday, June 2nd at 4PM. Don't miss this unique experience!

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