Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists presents an immersive performance: Hisako’s House

Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists (RMW&A) presents Hisako’s House, the compelling, immersive performance-based experience developed by artist, RMW&A director and recipient of the Walder Foundation Platform Award, Robyn Mineko Williams from August 16-25, 2024. Tickets start at $32 and are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hisakos-house-by-robyn-mineko-williams-and-artists-tickets-928068035477.

Hosted in the 1950’s mid-century home in Lombard, IL where Williams’ grandmother, Nancy Hisako Nishimura and family lived and gathered for decades, the 50-minute cinematic, promenade-style work features renowned dance artists Isaac Aoki, Jesse Obremski, Jie-Hung Connie Shiau, and Stephanie Terasaki. Music and soundscapes for Hisako’s House are composed by acclaimed Chicago instrumentalist and musician Macie Stewart. On August 25, 7:30p, RMW&A offers an extended multi-sensory experience, pairing the performance with a post-show family style meal of Japanese American comfort food with the artists. Tickets are limited - reserve your spot now!

Hisako’s House is a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary work rooted in artist Robyn Mineko Williams' exploration of her Japanese-American lineage, her family's experiences surrounding the incarceration of WWII and the intergenerational ripples of trauma, love, and resilience that followed. Part live performance and part documentary film, the project blends archival research, dance, film, music, interviews, and documentation. Hisako's House features original music and soundscapes by Macie Stewart and filmmaking by Mike Gibisser. The performative component of Hisako’s House premiered for a private audience at Robyn’s grandmother’s home in Lombard, IL in June 2023. The documentary is currently in production.

From Robyn Mineko Williams

In 1942, my grandparents, aunties, and uncles were among the 120,000+ Japanese-Americans forcibly removed from their homes on the west coast and placed in concentration camps set in remote and desolate locales throughout the West and in Arkansas. They and their families lived in barracks surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers. A few anecdotes about “camp” were mentioned here and there by my family as I was growing up – however, many of their experiences went untold. Post-war, my family found their way to Chicago, a hub for Japanese-Americans during the resettlement period, where they raised their families and remained throughout the spans of their lives. My late grandmother, Nancy Hisako Nishimura, lived for decades in the same midcentury home she and my grandfather built together in Lombard, IL during the late 1950's. It's the house where my family gathered around the dining room table together and a place that has been witness to the stories, dynamics, connections and ripples that I'm attempting to learn about today. It is a very special place to me. I decided to use my grandma's home as a container for the building and realization of Hisako's House.

Hisako’s House

Friday, August 16, 7:30pm

Saturday, August 17, 3p & 7:30p

Sunday, August 18, 3p

Saturday, August 24, 7:30p*

Sunday, August 25, 3p

*Performance & Family Meal

The Nishimura Residence

1S140 Pine Lane

Lombard, IL 60148

$40: General Admission ticket

$80: Performance & Family Meal ticket

Special Early Bird Offer: Purchase a GA ticket before July 4 and receive 20% off

Tickets will be treated as donations and received by Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists's fiscal sponsor, Unique Projects, Inc. Unique Projects, Inc. is a not-for-profit fiscal sponsorship program administered by Pentacle/Dance Works, Inc.

The performances are site-specific and will move from room to room throughout the house, indoors and outdoors. As a guest, you are encouraged to experience the work as you wish, moving through the house and on the grounds as you choose. At times throughout the show, the artists may be in close proximity to the audience members. The Nishimura Residence is private property. We ask that guests are respectful of the home, artists and neighbors while in attendance. There will be a limited amount of seating available. Unfortunately, the house is not ADA accessible. Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions or requests regarding accessibility.

Acknowledgments

Hisako’s House is made possible by a 2022 Princess Grace Foundation - USA Special Project Grant and 2023 Chicago Cultural Center Dance Studio Residency, supported by the Walder Foundation and DCASE. Special thank you to Densho, Emma Saito Lincoln, Japanese American Service Committee, Jay and Donna Williams, Rick Nishimura, Meredith Dincolo and Alejandro Segura, The Nishimura Family, The Williams Family, The Yamasaki Family, Jacqui Smalley, Jason Matsumoto, Tonko Doi and Knox & Andrew Murdock.

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