Road to Kumano at David Henry Hwang Theater

A pair of L.A.'s most esteemed Asian-American performance groups -- the East West Players (now celebrating their 50th anniversary) and the traditional drum troupe Taikoproject -- team up for the very first time for this exciting new dance theater work. Based on the popular Buddhist tale Dojoji, a powerful story of unrequited love, Road to Kumano is choreographed by and stars Chieko Kojima, one of the only female members of the world-famous taiko group Kodo. Once called "the Rockettes of Japanese folk music," Kodo's members and staff live and work together in a village on the island of Sado, Japan, when they're not traveling the globe, recording one of their more than 20 albums, and winning awards for their signature brand of choreographed drumming. Taikoproject's racked up its own share of acclaim, after becoming the first American group to win the prestigious Tokyo International Taiko Contest in '05. Since then, they've appeared on the Oscar and Grammy Award show broadcasts, as well as The Voice, Conan, James Corden and Jimmy Kimmel Live. This much-anticipated collaboration now hits the stage at the David Henry Hwang Theater.