Performing Fukushima

©Keiko Sasaoka

marebito theater company
Performing Fukushima

Written and Directed by marebito theater company

Neither history nor narrative, a portrait of the daily incidents that embody Fukushima today This is the third appearance at F/T for the long-term project by marebito theater company, which started in 2016. A team of playwrights visited Fukushima and wrote a series of short plays extracting a part of the local situation from their various perspectives. Staged in a highly minimal space, this is an attempt to turn these texts into “incidents” through the bodies of the actors. The series has attracted attention for its reinterpretation of the relationship between reality and theatre as well as play text and performance, realism and creation, and the possibilities of the actor’s body. The previous two stagings of the project have created a body of 51 plays. Many of them capture fragments of everyday life that seem mundane occurrences on the surface. However, through staging the plays collectively arranged as a single work each time, this conjures up the distinct time and space of a “performed Fukushima.” This year the project stages a set of plays by eight playwrights four times over four days. Neither history nor narrative, witness and absorb these performed incidents that take place only once.

Venue	Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Theatre East)
Dates	10/25 (Thu) 19:30 10/26 (Fri) 19:30 10/27 (Sat) 18:00* 10/28 (Sun) 14:00* *Post-show talk Each performance is a different staging of plays written by Mitsuru Aida, Keisuke Kamiya, Natsuka Kusano, Takashi Shima, Tomoyuki Takahashi, Masataka Matsuda, Ippei Miyake, and Saki Yamada. The performed scripts and structures will be subsequently published on the F/T and marebito theater company websites. Box office opens 60 minutes before. Doors open 15 minutes before.
Running Time	10/25 (Thu) approx. 140 min (TBC, with interval) 10/26 (Fri) approx. 140 min (TBC, with interval) 10/27 (Sat) approx. 170 min (TBC, with interval) 10/28 (Sun) approx. 155 min (TBC, with interval)
Language	Performed in Japanese

Tickets	Unreserved seating Advance: ¥4,000 / Bench Seats: ¥3,000 / Same Day: ¥4,500 / Same Day (Bench Seats): ¥3,500 / Students: ¥2,600 / 4-Performance Set: ¥14,000 / Other tickets available Festival Passes (3 Performances and 5 Performances) can be used to watch multiple performances of this production. Only available from the F/T Ticket Center. Bench seats are located in the front row.
	Early Bird Discount	￥2,800
	Festival Pass (5 Performances)	￥3,200
	Festival Pass (3 Performances)	￥3,400
	Students Student ID required	￥2,600
	High School Students and Under Student ID or proof of age required	￥1,000

: marebito theater company

Founded in 2003, its work includes a series about Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2009 and 2010, “Record of a Journey to Antigone, and Its Performance” (2012) about the relationship between media and society in post-Fukushima Japan, and “Performing Nagasaki” (2013–16), which created a multifaceted portrait of the city through multiple plays. Exploring this theme of cities that have experienced unprecedented events, it continues to develop new performance formats while searching for things overlooked by history.; Masataka Matsuda
Director of marebito theater company

Born in Nagasaki in 1962, Masataka Matsuda established the experimental theatre group marebito theater company in 2003. His major work includes “cryptograph” (2007), “Voiceprints City – Letters to Father” (2009), “Park City” (2009, created with the photographer Keiko Sasaoka), “Hiroshima-Hapcheon: Doubled Cities in Exhibition” (2010), “Record of a Journey to Antigone, and Its Performance” (2012), and “Performing Nagasaki” (2013–16). He currently teaches at Rikkyo University’s College of Contemporary Psychology Body Expression and Cinematic Arts course.

Written by	Mitsuru Aida, Keisuke Kamiya, Natsuka Kusano, Takashi Shima, Tomoyuki Takahashi, Masataka Matsuda, Ippei Miyake, Saki Yamada
Directed by	Ikuko Sekita, Nanase Terauchi, Hajime Matsuo, Masataka Matsuda, Ippei Miyake, Saki Yamada
Performers	Mitsuru Aida, Satoshi Ikuzane, Ai Ishiwata, Mikito Kato, Azusa Kamimura, Chiaki Kirisawa, Kazuya Sakai, Komiki Sato, Takashi Shima, Yume Tanaka, Maki Nishiyama, Akihiro Mima, Keita Yamashina, Mana Yumii, Shingo Yoshizawa, Wakaba Yonekura
Stage Manager:	Junichi Takahashi
Lighting:	Ayumi Kito
Publicity Design:	Yujiro Sagami
Publicity Photography:	Keiko Sasaoka
Documentation Photography:	Masanobu Nishino
Video Documentation:	Mikihiro Endo
Production Coordinators:	Shuichi Ishimoto, Minami Nakamura, Ayano Misao, Mariko Mori (marebito theater company), Mayuko Arakawa, Wakana Arai (Festival/Tokyo)
Assistant Production Coordinators:	Yuichiro Yoshida (marebito theater company)
Interns:	Sumire Enjoji, Emi Kobori, Makiko Yamazato
In cooperation with	Integrated Dance Company Kyo, Seinendan, TENNIS COURT, Fossette concierge, letre

Presented by	Festival/Tokyo, marebito
Planned by	marebito theater company

1-8-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo
2 minutes’ walk from the West Exit of Ikebukuro Station on the JR and other lines. (Direct connection to the theatre from Exit 2b.)