UNIT SOUZOU

Gesa Power House Theatre welcomes the incredible art of Unit Souzou on Friday, April 18, 2025 at 7:00PM. Funded in part by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, with lead funding from The Mellon Foundation and support from the Doris Duke Foundation.

‘Souzou’ can be written in three ways meaning ‘creation’ (創造), ‘imagination’ (想像), or ‘noisy’ (騒々), alluding to a force by which new ideas are born and take shape in the world. Inspired by these words, an expressive blend of taiko and Japanese folk dance, forging new traditions for evolving communities. The core of Unit Souzou’s artistic voice is personal and authentic, sound shaped and inspired by form and by movement. The essence of Unit Souzou is an expressive blend of taiko and Japanese folk dance, forging new traditions for evolving communities. In addition to creating groundbreaking professional theatrical works, Unit Souzou is deeply committed to share taiko through community performances and collaborations, public classes for adults and youth, and school-based education programs.

Unit Souzou was founded in 2014 by Co-directors Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe, relentless innovators at the forefront of a growing artistic movement within the taiko community. Fujii and Watanabe met at Warabi-za, Japan’s foremost traditional folk dance troupe based in Akita, Northern Japan. They have been guest artists and collaborators with many North American and international taiko groups.

Reserved seating tickets starting at $30 can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.