Towa Mura by Tom Pow: The Galloway Agreement & Bird Theatre

'There is a deep forest surrounding the valley where Towa Mura stands. It is almost autumn blossom time has passed and winter will not be long in arriving.'Towa Murais a profound international collaboration between writer Tom Pow, the musicians of The Galloway Agreement from South West Scotland, and the acclaimed Bird Theatre from Tottori, Japan. Drawing on shared experiences of rural life and depopulation, the work intertwines poetry, theatre, and music to tell a local and universal story.Set in an imagined village, Towa Mura is an evocative exploration of social cohesion, rural life & what is being lost from rural communities. The play presents an argument, one that is carried by memory, myth and imagination as well as by the dilemmas an ageing rural population faces as it chooses its fate.The play is a rich combination of Scottish and Japanese culture, combining Tom Pows poetic writing, Makoto Nakashimas direction (Bird Theatre), three Japanese and one Scottish actor (Bird Theatre / Matthew Zajac), and the five musicians of The Galloway Agreement: Wendy Stewart (clarsach, vocals), Ruth Morris (nyckelharpa), Gavin Marwick (fiddle), Stuart Macpherson (double bass), and Beth Porter (cello, vocals, ukulele).Bird Theatre operates in a rural context in Japans least populated prefecture, a place which has many parallels with rural D&G. It faces the same challenges, the same reasons people choose to stay, leave, or arrive.Based on Tom Pows research extending over ten years, Towa Mura looks at the dilemmas communities face, the human impact of rural depopulation and the decline of communities.Towa Mura is performed in English and Japanese with surtitle captions. The 2pm performance will be fully captioned, 7:30pm Japanese to English Translations.Organisers:
Bird Theatre, Ruth Morris, Peter Renwick- CatStrand.
Co-Organiser: The Japan Foundation
Co-Production: Bird Theatre, Ruth Morris, Peter Renwick- CatStrand, The Japan FoundationSupported by The Japan Foundation, Creative Scotland, British Council, and the Great Britain Sasakawa FoundationOriginal Script: Tom Pow
Original Score: The Galloway Agreement
Director: Makoto Nakashima (Bird Theatre)
Dramaturg: Matthew Zajac (Dogstar)
Lighting design: tba (Bird Theatre)
Actors: Matthew Zajac (Dogstar); Rena Nakagawa,
Maya Yasuda & Hiroshi Kosuge (Bird Theatre)
Producers: Ruth Morris, Peter Renwick (CatStrand) &
Sachiko Nishio (arts knot)
Producer/translator: Nao Miyauchi (arts knot)
Musicians: The Galloway Agreement -
Ruth Morris, Gavin Marwick, Wendy Stewart,
Stuart Macpherson & Beth Porter
Lighting tech & Stage Manager: Alberto Santos Bellido
Sound tech: tba (Bird Theatre)
Kakashi Puppets made by Alex Rigg (Oceanallover)
Video: Emma DovePresented as part of the Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival
Image (C) Ian Biggar