Programmes
(listed in order of opening dates)
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION PROJECTS
En Company Ibsen Special Ghosts
and John Gabriel Borkman
Sept. 18-27 Kinokuniya Southern Theater
Directed by Terje Maerli (Ghosts);Tetsuo Anzai (John Gabriel Borkman)
The inspiration behind the development of early modern Japanese theater, Henrik Ibsen's dramaturgy still reverberates through the contemporary theater scene. The two plays are performed by leading Japanese actors under the respectivedirection of a Norwegian and a Japanese director. This production will also be staged as part of the Visions of Norway 97-98.
Dance Dong Feng-Track of Wind, Stone of Breath
A Series of Collaborations with Asian Artists
Sept. 26-28 Setagaya Public Theatre
Directed by Makoto Sato, choreography by Teru Goi, Naraphong Charassri and Keiko Takeya
Since 1993, the Dance Dong Feng Series, conceived by Keiko Takeya, has featured artists from various parts of Southeast Asia. This third project unites choreographers, dancers and musicians from Bali and Thailand with leading Japanese artists of modern dance and theater.
King Lear
Sept. 26-28 Tokyo Globe Theatre
Directed by Jeong 0k Kim
Six of the ITI (International Theater Institute) member nations here work together under the direction of Kim, chair of the Institute. ITI's King Lear uses the political chaos of war-torn Southeast Asia two thousand years ago as a tumultuous backdrop for this Shakespearian tragedy.
Macbeth
Oct. 8-25 Kinokuniya Hall
Directed by Alexandru Darie
Well loved by Japanese theatergoers, the Romanian director in his 4th visit to Japan undertakes work with Japanese actors. The dramatic events that unfold are portrayed as an electrifying stream of nightmarish images that assault thesenses of the performers and the audience alike.
Min Tanaka and the Norwegian Dancers:
Munch:The Dance of Life
Oct. 22-26 Setagaya Public Theatre
Choreography by Min Tanaka
Performed by a Japanese Butoh master with dancers selected in Norway this piece was first commissioned for the 1994 Lillehammer Winter 0lympics. A Butoh performance inspired by the life and art of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, it celebrates the very human feelings of fear, madness, solitude and love. The Tokyo premiere also forms part of the Visions of Norway 97-98.
A Monologue:Yaya
Oct. 22-26 Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijo
(Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space) Sho Hall 2
This play by Seiichi Yashiro, one of Japan's leading contemporary playwrights, depicts the life of the mistress of a famous priest in ancient Japan. Two different productions are interpreted by two different actresses. The first is a Japanese production with Tomoko Mariya directing herself while the second is a Lithuanian version directed by Ketutis Marciulynas and starring Egle Mikulionyte. Performed back-to-back, these productions (in double-bill) reveal some stark differences between the two cultures.
Princess Ivona
Oct. 24 - Nov. 3 Theater X (CAI)
Directed by Japan Peszek
This is Japan's first taste of avant garde Polish playwright Witld Gombrowicz (1904-69). Given form by Japanese actors under the direction of fellow Pole, Jan Peszek, Gombrowicz's ideas and theatrical techniques retain their cutting-edge today. Mr. Peszek has been a regular visitor to the Tokyo theater scene since l990, both to perform and to hold workshop sessions for Japanese admirers.
Jacob's Pillow 97 PAN Dancers:
E. A. Poe and the Space of Butoh.
Oct. 30 - Nov. 11 Kameari Lilio Hall
Choreography by Min Tanaka
In a concept co-developed with cultural critic and author Susan Sontag, Butoh master Min Tanaka directs and dances with American performers in a novel interpretation of the feverish domains of terror and dark ecstasies conceived by this renowned l9th Century author.
AT NET 21:A Comedy:Romeo and Juliette
Oct. 30-Nov. 9 Shimokitazawa Geki Sho Gekijo
Directed by Kiyota Yamamoto and Socrates Tapacio
Jointly scripted by Yamamoto and Rody Vera, this is a collaboration between Japan's Black Tent and the Philippines'PETA. Using the historically complex relationship between the two countries as the backdrop, the original tragedy of star-crossed lovers is rewritten as the process by which people with an unfortunate history can overcome the past, going on to build new and positive relationships.
DOMESTIC PRODUCTIONS
Yu Kikai Zenjido Theater:Kowareta Omocha
(Broken Toys)
Sept. 4-21 Setagaya Public Theatre
Directed by Akira Shirai
With Atsuko Takaizumi as playwright and leading actress, YKZT is the cream of the crop of young, independent theater groups. Broken Toys, their latest work queries the promises and illusions of the 'exquisite' bond of family in the modern world.
Dai-San Erotica:Oedipus, WHY?
Sept. 17-21 Theatre Tram
Written and directed by Takeshi Kawamura
Using a Classical Greek play as the inspiration behind his new work, Kawamura reveals another side to present-day Tokyo. He traces the story of two men of the same generation but with totally different backgrounds, living in Tokyo, who follow in the footsteps of the Greek tragic hero.
Dance Selection'97
Spt. 19-25 Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijo
(Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space) Sho Hall 1
This year, instead of promoting young, up-and-coming contemporary dancers and choreographers, this project, now in its eighth year brings together Man Uno, Akira Kasai, Min Tanaka, Bonjin Atsugi and Yoshimichi Takei, Ken'ichi Tanno, six highly accomplished male dancers. While the first three are stars in the Butoh firmament, the fifth is a modern ballet choreographer and the last two, having broken with their background in Performance Arts have recently begun contributing to the alternative dance scene.
Nohgaku Kamiasobi: Funa-benkei
Sept. 25-28 Theatre Tram
Directed by Hideo Kanze
A group of young Noh performers, Kamiasobi introduces Funa-Benkei, a story which is both accessible and popular, is performed at this modern, alternative space to attract a broader and less exclusive public. Director Hideo Kanze, noh master, is well known for his experimental theater projects.
