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Ishinha: Epic theatre for our times |
No one who has ever seen one of Ishinha's stunning semi-mime productions can ever forget the clown-like performers moving in unison over the vast sets, chanting in Osaka dialect. Ishinha are the possibly most visionary theatre company in Japan and without doubt among the most ambitious. Since 2007 the troupe has been engaged in created an epic series of plays surrounding travel, "A Journey with Him: A Twentieth Century Trilogy". From "nostalgia", which followed the peripatetic adventures of Japanese emigrants in South America, to last year's "Kokyukikai" [Respirator], set in Eastern Europe, staged on the banks of Lake Biwa and winner of the Eighth Asahi Performing Arts Artist Award (for director Yukichi Matsumoto), Ishinha have crafted tales of beauty, lyricism and magnitude. The opening show to F/T 09 Autumn, "Rojishiki" is the preview to Ishinha's conclusion of the series, the eventual full production to be staged in 2010. Now Ishinha turn to Asia and the nature of the roji, the alley or halfway place. Since they started their now famous large-scale open-air performances, Ishinha have built yataimura (food stalls market) at the sites of the productions. For this first Tokyo performance in six years, Ishinha will bring the yataimura into the front yard of the Nishi-Sugamo Arts Factory, a former middle school. Before and after performances, audiences can enjoy live music, drinks and food. The attendees at the Ishinha Open Studio event were treated to a sneak preview of the food stalls being erected at the Nishi-Sugamo Arts Factory, and to a showing of "Kokyukikai". "Rojishiki" runs from October 23 to November 3 at the Nishi-Sugamo Arts Factory. By William Andrews |
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