Osaka-Style English Rakugo Comedy Performance and Workshop Events in Las Vegas

On Wednesday, April 5, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, in partnership with the Japan Foundation, presented a traditional Kamigata (Osaka-Style) English Rakugo (Japanese sit-down comedy) performance at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts’ Lowden Theater. This public event introduced attendees to the Kamigata style of Rakugo and the atmosphere of a Japanese performance hall. About 300 attended this event which featured performances by renowned English Rakugo performer Kaishi Katsura (Former Cultural Ambassador for the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs) and other Rakugo performers, as well as traditional Japanese Daikagura-style juggling and Japanese shamisen. Audience members experienced an authentic performance similar to the shows put on in Osaka, where Kamigata Rakugo originated.
 
Additionally, the Kamigata Rakugo performers held workshops at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Spring Valley High School. In total, about 370 students were introduced to the wonders of Rakugo through these performances