(TOP image) The work of Karin Abe, a member of Art de Vivre, has been selected as the main visual for Kanagawa Prefecture's "Symbiosis and Co-creation Project."
The place where plays are born
File.2 Coexistence and co-creation project: Living together, creating together - KANAGAWA ALL-COMERS STAGE -
(Koichi Imai/editor/writer)
The Kanagawa Arts Foundation, which operates the Kanagawa Arts Theatre, Kanagawa Prefectural Hall, and Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall, has started the coexistence and co-creation project "Living Together, Creating Together - KANAGAWA ALL-COMERS STAGE" this year. As a commissioned project from Kanagawa Prefecture, the foundation will hold new stage performances and workshops that everyone can participate in and enjoy, from children to adults, regardless of disabilities or age. Utilizing the foundation's know-how in project planning and facility management, the foundation will take practical steps toward borderless creative activities through the performing arts.
The first "Human Resources Development Course," which served as a kickoff lecture, was held in July, and was attended by the head of the Culture Division of the Kanagawa International Culture and Tourism Bureau, the director of the Coexistence Society Promotion Section of the Welfare, Children and Future Bureau, which is promoting the "Kanagawa Charter for a Society Where We Live Together," and the head of the Pre-Disease Prevention Section of the Health and Medical Affairs Department of the Health and Medical Affairs Bureau, which is promoting the "Kanagawa Pre-Disease Improvement Declaration."
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With less than two years left until the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, we see information about the Paralympics and athletes aiming to participate almost every day. Although it is not yet widely known, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are not only a festival of sports, but are also said to be a festival of culture. The cultural program includes many performances by artists with disabilities, and aims to provide opportunities for more people to participate.
On the other hand, Japan is the world's fastest-growing country with an aging population and is approaching the age of 100 years of life. It's been a long time since people said they were worried about what their fathers should do after retirement. As our lives get longer in the future, it will likely be suggested that we spend our time in contact with culture.
Furthermore, in recent years, attention has been focused on "social inclusion." "Social inclusion" refers to considering each and every citizen as a member of society, and is an effort to lower or eliminate the barriers that people (socially vulnerable people) face in participating in society. According to the Daijisen dictionary, a socially vulnerable person is "a person who is socially disadvantaged, with limited income, physical ability, or voice due to differences in employment or education opportunities, race, religion, nationality, or gender, or illness (such as the elderly, disabled, children, women, unemployed people, ethnic minorities, refugees, and the poor)."
In light of these various changes in the environment, theaters and other arts and culture facilities have recently been given the new mission of using the attractive material of "culture" to promote "social inclusion." Following the amendment of the "Basic Act on the Promotion of Culture and the Arts" in June 2017 to create the "Basic Act on Culture and the Arts," the "Basic Plan for the Promotion of Culture and the Arts" was approved by the Cabinet in March 2018.
The following is an excerpt:
(The significance of social inclusion through culture and the arts)
○ The Basic Act on Culture and the Arts proclaims that "creating and enjoying culture and the arts is the birthright of the people," and that "everyone should have equal access to culture and the arts, regardless of their age, disability, economic situation, or place of residence." Culture and the arts also have the function of social inclusion, respecting diverse values and promoting mutual understanding with others through opportunities for people to participate in them.
For these reasons, it is desirable to create an environment in which everyone, from children to the elderly, people with disabilities, and foreign residents, can enjoy equal opportunities to experience cultural and artistic activities throughout their lives, regardless of the region they live in. At the same time, in order to maintain, pass on, develop, and create the diversity and richness of Japan's culture and arts themselves, there is a need to promote culture and arts in accordance with the characteristics of each region, such as culture rooted in the history and faith of each region and distinctive regional cultures.
In response to these social demands, the "Symbiosis and Co-creation Project" was launched. Going forward, we plan to create and disseminate attractive content that is conscious of realizing a symbiotic society.
First, to commemorate the launch, the Saitama Gold Theater, a theater group for seniors, will perform "Wareware no Moromoro 2018" at the Prefectural Citizens' Mutual Aid Hall on Saturday, October 13th and Sunday, October 14th.
Saitama Gold Theater is a theater group launched in 2006 under the direction of the late artistic director Yukio Ninagawa. The group currently consists of 36 members (as of April 2018) ranging in age from 67 to 92, and has also performed overseas.
Starting with this performance, many different performances and workshops are being prepared for the future.
■ Vietnam "Ah-Oh Show" Workshop
Date: Mid-November 2018 (schedule to be determined)
Venue: Prefectural Mutual Aid Hall
* All production, staff work, performance and musical performance are handled by Vietnamese people. This workshop, which is open to both children and adults, is run by a performing arts company that has toured around the world, including France, the home of circuses, and has received high praise.
■Türksoy (International Turkic Cultural Organization) 25th Anniversary Concert "Great Heritage of the Turkic World"
Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018
Venue: Prefectural Mutual Aid Hall
*A concert in Japan by Türksoy, a Turkic-speaking national cultural organization made up of six Central Asian countries and Russia.
■Experimental Gig "Futuramax"
Date: December 24, 2018 (Monday, Shinkyu)
Venue: Prefectural Mutual Aid Hall
*An unusual Christmas concert featuring virtuoso jazz pianist Suga Dairo and 85-year-old bassist Suzuki Isao.
■Blue Print Present “SAKEBU”
Date: January 16th (Wed) - 20th (Sun), 2019
Venue: Prefectural Mutual Aid Hall
* Featuring dancers in their teens and twenties who are garnering worldwide attention. This dance performance depicts the past and future of these dancers who have been involved in dance since childhood, and have struggled and toiled in harsh environments.
■TPAM - International Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama 2019 Related Events
Date: Thursday, February 14th and Friday, February 15th, 2019
Venue: Prefectural Mutual Aid Hall
*Showcases and other events are held as part of the international performing arts platform "TPAM," which is held in various locations in Yokohama every February.
■Stopgap Dance Company "Enormous Room"
Date: Sunday, March 3, 2019
Venue: Earth Plaza (Kanagawa Prefectural Global Citizen Kanagawa Plaza)
*A leading British dance company whose members include wheelchair dancers, dancers with Down's syndrome, and able-bodied dancers. Workshops will also be held from March 4th (Mon) to 6th (Wed).
Kanagawa Senior Citizens' Creative Creation Project "Challenge of the Silver" Presentation & Briefing
Date: Sunday, March 16, 2019
Venue: Prefectural Mutual Aid Hall
*A creative project program centered on the elderly. Directed by Yoko Ando, a dancer and choreographer from Kanagawa, this project aims to help the elderly discover new possibilities and discover new possibilities for their bodies through physical expression, and to "create together" with the elderly. In addition to the stage presentation, an information session will be held to recruit participants.
