A story of migration, identity, integration, and personal strength.
Yasuke tells the human story of an African boy taken from his homeland who finds himself as a trusted warrior in the court of Oda Nobunaga, the great unifier of 16th Century Japan at the height of the age of the Samurai. Yasuke’s ultimate quest, however, is to discover who he truly is for himself.
An African man in feudal Japan becomes a modern-day myth, confronting a world that still struggles to understand Black presence, power, complexity and belonging outside Western narratives.
Yasuke is opera re-imagined, written and composed by Ivor Novello Award-winning music creator and Hackney Empire Creative Futures alumni Renell Shaw.
Opera singers, actors and musicians come together on stage, bringing together performers from Sinfonia Cymru and musicians rooted in African, Japanese and jazz traditions.
A co-production by Music Theatre Wales, Glyndebourne and Britten Pears Arts.
