UMO Ensemble heads to China with ‘Red Tiger Tales’

Vashon’s UMO Ensemble has been invited to perform its original play “Red Tiger Tales” at the Daliangshan International Theatre Festival in Xichang City, China, this November — marking the first-ever U.S. representation in the festival’s seven-year history.

Months in the making, the trip was nearly derailed when the National Endowment for the Arts canceled its international funding grant. In response, UMO turned to the Vashon community — and islanders stepped up, donating more than $11,000 in just a few weeks to ensure the ensemble could make the journey.

The team of eight artists — ensemble members Meghan Ames, David Godsey, Janet McAlpin, Elizabeth Klob, Lyam White, joined by Sierra Tinhof, Marchette DuBois and Charlotte Tiencken — will leave Nov. 8 for China.

But first, as a thank you to the community, UMO Ensemble will perform the show on Vashon at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at Open Space for Arts & Community. All ages are welcome, with admission free or by donation.

Off to the festival

The 10-day Daliangshan International Theatre Festival draws audiences as large as 50,000 and showcases performers from around the globe, with past productions from Brazil, Armenia, Iraq and Germany.

UMO Ensemble’s director Elizabeth Klob said she is excited to connect with the international theater community and hopes the exchange will spark future collaborations.

“Now more than ever, it’s important to create conversations with folks around the world — to laugh together and hopefully learn something from each other,” she said.

This year’s festival theme, “Return and Gaze” – referencing “returning to the heart of theater and gazing at the true nature of life” — is a perfect fit for “Red Tiger Tales.”

Inspired by teaching stories from various spiritual traditions, UMO’s red-nosed clowns deliver a series of parables with the ensemble’s signature humor and dynamic physicality in the show.

The invitation to China came about through a long-standing friendship between Vashon Repertory Theatre’s artistic director, Charlotte Tiencken, and Wan Ling, director of the Chinese Theatre Association.

The two first met in 2008, when Tiencken attended an arts festival in China and Wan served as her translator. They stayed in touch over the years, leading to Tiencken directing “Romeo and Juliet” in China – and now, helping UMO cross the Pacific for this milestone opportunity.

“I think it will be a great experience for UMO Ensemble, and they’ll get to meet some amazing artists from all over the world,” said Tiencken.

A long history on Vashon

UMO Ensemble’s history dates back to 1989, when a bright-eyed band of six young theater artists arrived on Vashon’s shores.

Those performers — Esther Edelman, Martha Enson, David Godsey, Kevin Joyce, Janet McAlpin and Steffon Moody — were eager to create their own brand of muscular, kinetic theater, and soon after settling on Vashon, they organized themselves as a cutting-edge troupe.

Over the years, the ensemble has welcomed new members and worked with a crew of associate artists, but has stayed rooted in physical theater. Improvisations in movement, character, vocalization, and writing are the basis for the group’s creation and development of new works.

The company has now performed in theaters and at festivals and schools throughout the Pacific Northwest, the United States, Canada, and Europe, creating more than 30 original shows. The company also works to inspire the next generation of artists through the UMO School of Physical Arts.

Find out more about UMO’s Nov. 2 performance and reserve seats at openspacevashon.com, and learn more about the company at umo.org.

Myles Weber is a staff member of Open Space for Arts & Community. Elizabeth Shepherd contributed to this article.