GHOST STORIES TOLD THROUGH PUPPETS.Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer By combining the art of puppetry puppetry Art of creating and manipulating puppets in a theatrical show. Puppets are figures that are moved by human rather than mechanical aid. They may be controlled by one or several puppeteers, who are screened from the spectators. and storytelling with dramatic lighting, visual artist Ping Chong Ping Chong (Chinese name: ; pinyin: Zhāng Jiāpíng; b. Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1946) is an American contemporary theater director, choreographer, video and installation artist. He was born in Toronto and raised in the Chinatown section of New York City. has managed to create the most elaborately staged puppet show ever made. ``Kwaidan'' - Japanese for ``ghost stories'' - opens Nov. 30 for five performances only at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. But don't be mistaken, this is no kiddie kid·die or kid·dy n. pl. kid·dies Slang A small child. kiddie Noun Informal a child show. A cast of handcrafted hand·craft n. Variant of handicraft. tr.v. hand·craft·ed, hand·craft·ing, hand·crafts To fashion or make by hand. hand·craft puppets enact three stories by Lafcadio Hearn, a best-selling author who penned them in 1904. Instead of relying on the gruesome to induce terror, Hearn's stories are simple in nature. ``They're very pure stories,'' says Chong. ``They're pure and magical in a way that is so empathetic em·pa·thet·ic adj. Empathic. em  pa·thet i·cal·ly adv. to the kind of world we live in.'' Without giving too much away, Chong describes Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi, the only story to feature a live actor. He stars as a blind boy who goes to live in a Buddhist monastery. As the story goes, the boy is permitted to stay in the monastery because he is gifted at the biwa, a Japanese stringed instrument similar to a lute lute, musical instrument that has a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, which are plucked with the fingers. The long lute, with its neck much longer than its body, seems to have been older than the short lute, existing very early . His playing delights the priest. But he's not the only one. The boy's playing has summoned ghosts who insist that he come play for them. Unable to see what he's getting into, the boy goes, unaware of what's to come. ``Of course, there are consequences when you go play for ghosts,'' says Chong. ``That's all I'm going to say about that.'' Since ``Kwaidan'' debuted in 1998, the show has sold out in cities all over the world. This year's show concludes Dec. 3 in Los Angeles. ``KWAIDAN'' Where: UCLA's Freud Playhouse. When: 8 p.m. Nov. 30, Dec. 1-2; 2 p.m. Dec. 2-3. Tickets: $40. Call (310) 825-2101. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: ``Kwaidan'' has five performances at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. |
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