The Ephemera Trilogy NYC Reviews and Tickets

84%

(32 Reviews)

Positive

97%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Great staging, Clever, Ambitious

About the Show

The Tank presents a trio of sand drawing and shadow performances that examine memory, home, and transcultural identity. Created and performed by Japanese-American artist Kimi Maeda.

Paper and sand, light and shadow, memory and identity, the familiar and the strange; woven together these are the elements that compose Kimi Maeda’s 'Ephemera Trilogy.' Developed over a period of six years, these three short solo pieces employ a range of innovative storytelling techniques and visuals to explore the artist’s bicultural identity and family history, from a Japanese American internment camp during World War II, to postwar Japan, to suburban New England. Part of The Tank’s Flint & Tinder series.

Member Reviews (32)

Ambitious, Lyrical, Imaginative, Unusual, Slow

See it if you enjoy performance art that creates great visual images. The storytelling is engaging, but slow, repetitive, and sometimes muddled.

Don't see it if you are frustrated by muddy narration. The voiceover can be hard to decipher. And the autobio story, weaving 2 tales, is hard to follow. Read more

Absorbing, Exquisite, Great staging, Resonant, Ambitious

See it if you enjoy unique theatrical forms like storytelling & performance art. Act 1 is charming while Act 2 is fascinating. Sit in the front row!

Don't see it if you prefer well made plays. The stories have characters, plots and themes but are not presented in the traditional way.

Lyrical and lovely, Kimi is a talented and thoughtful artist., Non-traditional theater and storytelling., Absorbing and entertaining., A little slow, but keeps your interest.

See it if Are open to new theater experiences, have interest in cultural themes and artistic expression, have some knowledge of history. Creative.

Don't see it if Don't enjoy memory pieces, memoir, experimental theater or dreamy story. Don't like documentaries, no interest in history, want fast-paced. Read more

Absorbing, Clever, Exquisite, Masterful, Informative

See it if You really want to see something different. You want to see an artist share her history through video, sand art and shadow art.

Don't see it if You need something fast paced. You don't like a performance that incorporates video. You are not interested in anything history. Read more

Great staging, Masterful

See it if You're interested in various methods of "puppetry" or telling stories through video, shadows, and more.

Don't see it if You like things with more action, this show is mainly autobiography and can be slow.

Absorbing, Entertaining, Enchanting, Great staging, Thought-provoking

See it if you're interested in very cool shadow puppetry, sand art, or learning about Japanese internment camps. Very relevant to ideas today.

Don't see it if you don't like one woman shows, shadow puppets, or sand art.

Absorbing, Exquisite, Intense, Must see, Masterful

See it if A simple presentation of delightful & intense stories gets to your soul - if you enjoyed Allegience you will find this just as absorbing

Don't see it if You prefer staging and interaction among performers or dislike storytelling or performance art which is the only way i can categorize this

Clever, Entertaining, Masterful

See it if you want to be amazed by live animation. Truly amazing technique and mastery of her media.

Don't see it if you don't like shadow puppets.

Critic Reviews (8)

"In 'Bend,' the third and longest part of 'The Ephemera Trilogy, Kimi Maeda turns her complicated, and not entirely happy, family history into an elegant piece of performance art...The first part, which is much shorter, consists of two pieces...Neither is particularly interesting, and the visuals are less than compelling...In any case, the first half passes quickly and one is soon immersed in the many-layered meditation that is 'Bend.'"
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“'The Ephemera Trilogy' is a deeply personal and solitary piece. The narrations alone are written in a tone that is personable and poetic; it might have come out of an episode of 'This American Life.' Coupled with materials that are of quintessentially ephemeral nature, the storytelling becomes exponentially intriguing…Witnessing all that the ephemera trilogy has to offer is a truly rewarding experience. There is layer upon layer of love in this performance of solitude and discipline.”
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"That the tales are so compelling with so few dramatic flourishes is a testament to the power these stories hold, though the piece sometimes gets muddled by the massive themes it’s trying to convey. What truly drives the piece, however, are Maeda’s artistic visuals, which transform her straightforward stories into masterful works of art...By relying not only on sand art but on the fleeting form of theatre itself, 'The Ephemera Trilogy' asserts its purpose in its actions as much as its words."
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“The first two segments are graceful but gentle inquiries that on their own leave an indistinct impression. But the final piece proves the densest, strongest, and most visually provocative…Maeda calls upon a remarkable visual craft, but the trilogy could use some narrative tightening to make the themes she raises in each part resonate collectively...Given a more focused approach to how the stories are told, we could better appreciate Maeda's complex ideas regarding borders, memory, and history."
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"This work will stay with me forever…It is exceptional…Maeda has been able to transcend the traditional form on about seven thousand levels and each new discovery is even more deeply satisfying than the one before…This is more than a great text, performance, artwork—it’s something else—it’s a portal to instantaneous self-reflection...I think Maeda may be the light worker of our time, taking us into the next step in our much needed evolution...It’s a sacred experience.”
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“‘Bend’ alone is worth the price of admission, making the first two visually stunning, strikingly creative pieces gifts of light and beauty. The recommendation is to make 'The Ephemera Trilogy' a priority; it is breathtaking, both for the bold and open approach to its subject and the subtle beauty of its expression…The whole performance is mesmerizing...'Bend' commands us to look at one of our country’s most shameful moments and learn from that generation’s mistakes."
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“A visually stunning piece of theater. It combines puppetry, shadow art and sand work to create a very unique experience…The first act is certainly the strongest; the stories are intriguing, universal, and well told…The second act, however, leaves something to be desired…Unless you have an established interest in her family, it is difficult to really engage with the piece…Overall, Maeda combines many different aspects to create a cohesive whole which is ambitious, unique and effective.”
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For a previous production

"It’s difficult to leave a performance of Kimi Maeda’s 'Ephemera Trilogy' without your head buzzing with questions...Each section of 'Ephemera,' which was developed over a period of six years, employs a different stunning and innovative method of telling a story, each of which foregrounds its storytelling artifice while at the same time reaching for something that feels true, that feels real, in the process...A rich, nuanced, and simply extraordinary piece of artwork."
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