Taiko Drumming
I studied taiko drumming for six years, and it's still a source of fascination to me. In fact, I was so fascinated with taiko that I created a fictional drum group and wrote several stories about the group members, which eventually became two short screenplays!
Taiko True
Taiko True is a story about drum players. Each character’s involvement in taiko drumming is how they find themselves… how they find courage within themselves to overcome challenges in their past (and present)… learn to trust in another person… and eventually find love.
How I tell that story, though, is different and decidedly more high-energy. Dialogue is interspersed with songs that communicate emotion – hope, anguish, shame, and so on. In Taiko True, those emotions are communicated using the taiko drum – and, of course, the movement of the body.
The energy of taiko is raw and powerful, and I wanted to harness that – along with dramatic movement – to communicate emotion and tell a story. Here is the story…
Taiko True Drum Musical
Taiko True Drum Musical
Taiko True: a Musical Drama with Big Drums
Taiko True: a Musical Love Story with Big Drums (Rehearsal Day)
Taiko True Taiko Drum Musical/Video: Meet the Players: Charlotte
Restless Beat
Restless Beat is a story of rivalry and relationships. A story of old versus new, of learning how to let the past go so you can embrace the possibilities in your future.
It’s a story about drum players and how they use the drums to find courage within themselves to overcome challenges in their past (and present).
Dialogue is interspersed with songs that communicate emotion – hope, anguish, shame, and so on. In Restless Beat, these emotions are communicated using large drums (taiko drums) – and, of course, the movement of the body.
The energy of the drums is raw and powerful, and I wanted to harness that – along with dramatic movement – to communicate emotion and tell a story.
The Restless Beat story came alive for two weeks in August 2016 at the Minnesota Fringe Festival!