Culturescapes Presenst Contemporary Theatre from Japan

Common ground social criticism - different aspects in the spotlight

‹MON PÈRE, GIACOMETTI› self-reflexively muses on creative processes on one hand; on the other the play thematizes the generational gap and aging itself - a virulent topic in aging societies such as Japan and Switzerland. It is a family play in more than one respect: The Swiss painter Giacometti and his model in the 1950s' Paris, the Japanese student Isaku Yanaihara, share a father-son-like relationship. This journey in time, however, just takes place in an elderly Japanese painter's mind, who, caused by beginning dementia, believes himself to be Giacometti and his care-taking son to be Yanaihara. Finally, these two characters are played by performer Noriyuki Kiguchi and his father Keizo Kiguchi. In that way, the Akumanoshirushi collective addresses family relations on and off stage. Click HERE for a trailer.

The Niwagekidan Penino group's focus is on the achievement-oriented society: ‹BOX IN THE BIG TRUNK›, alluding Marcel Duchamp's ‹Box in a Valise›, presents in deliberately loaded pictures, the pressure to perform and the danger of neglecting personal needs. Click HERE for a preview trailer.

An international star, Toshiki Okada and his chelfitsch Theatre Company ask their audience to immerse themselves into consumption: In their play ‹SUPER PREMIUM SOFT DOUBLE VANILLA RICH› world has shrunk to one of Japan's typical 24 hours convenience stores. It is just the constant availabilty of the overabundance of goods that can show the limits of purchasable happiness. Click HERE for a preview trailer.