Entrenched in an elite sumo training facility in Tokyo, six men practice, eat, love, play and ultimately fight.Akio arrives as an angry, ambitious 18 year old with a lot to learn. Expecting validation, dominance and fame, and desperate to move up the ranks, he slams headlong into his fellow wrestlers, especially Mitsuo, the highest ranked fighter. With sponsorship money at stake, their bodies on the line, and their futures at risk, the wrestlers struggle to carve themselves – and one another – into the men they dream of being.

Lisa Sanaye Dring has painted a vivid world with poetic precision, mixing ancient, divine ritual with the guttural ferocity of competition. SUMO was a hit as part of our DNA New Work Series in 2021. Directed by Ralph B. Peña (artistic director of Ma-Yi Theater) and featuring live taiko drumming, we are thrilled to bring this tenderly drawn and unique work to life for San Diego audiences.

“Welcome to the dohyō. Where the national heroes of Japan are made. These men are not gods, they are sumo. But sumo wrestlers were once gods.”