Shu Matsui | Playwright, director, actor

Born in Tokyo in 1972. In 1996 Matsui entered the theatre company Seinendan as an actor. Still pursuing his activity as an actor, he started to write dramatic texts and has been nominated for the newcomer drama award of the Japan Playwrights Association twice. In addition to his activities as an actor at Seinendan, he founded his own company “Sample” that is regularly presenting new productions written and directed by Matsui. In 2008, Matsui’s recent play “Kazoku no Shouzou” (Portrait of a Family) was nominated for the Kunio Kishida Drama Award. He participated in the Festival/Tokyo 09 Spring with a staging of Marius von Mayenburg’s “Fireface” that won high acclaim for his subtle adaptation of a European play to the condition of contemporary Japanese society. Since 2009 he is receiving a scholarship of the Saison Foundation as a “junior fellow”. In February and March 2010 a new work produced by Matsui will show at the Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center