Photo of Veda Hille, James Long and Maiko Bae Yamamoto by Itai Erdal

Off the side of a BC highway, a man runs madly through the woods. He is in search of a mysterious woman he picked up hitchhiking. She was right here only a minute ago, by his truck that swerved unexplainably off the road. He can't see a thing - it's too dark. The only light comes from the stars high above and a flashlight that grows dimmer by the second. He thinks he sees her; he hears her voice, but where is she? Out of nowhere, blinding lights suddenly appear above him. Something is descending. He lets out a scream.

YU-FO follows the interactions one fateful night between a Canadian man and the mysterious Japanese woman he encounters at a side-of-the-road diner off the breathtaking Sea-To-Sky Highway. An exploration on themes of alienation and how far we humans can crawl into our own shells, YU-FO plays with the notion of musical story-telling and features the musical composition and direction of acclaimed local musician and Theatre Replacement in-house designer Veda Hille, who provides a powerful live accompaniment to the show. YU-FO is directed by Amiel Gladstone, with movement direction by international dance artist Sarah Chase, and lighting design by Itai Erdal. Written and performed by Maiko Bae Yamamoto and James Long, YU-FO premiered at Rumble Production's TREMORS Festival from March 27 - 31, 2007 at Performance Works on Granville Island.

“The Tremors Festival closes with Theatre Replacement presenting its latest test of the limits of creativity. If they go too far and leave us scratching our heads, so much the better for futhering Vancouver's reputation as a laboratory for theatrical innovation.”
-The Vancouver Sun

“Yu-fo feels like the love child of Hello Kitty and R2D2: unsettling and absolutely charming. Vancouver's Theatre Replacement, which is at the forefront of the city's thriving expreimental scene, has rarely looked better.”
-The Georgia Straight