Theater groups gather from all over Japan and overseas! A short theater that spreads its wings from Yokohama to the world! "2nd Kanagawa Kamome Short Film Festival" Report

全国＆海外から演劇集団が集結！横浜から世界に羽ばたく短編演劇を！「第2回神奈川かもめ短編演劇祭」レポート

The Kanagawa Kamome Short Film Festival has a unique feature not found in other theater festivals: the 12 participating groups are divided into two groups, A Block and B Block, with 3 performances each over 4 days. Then, on the final day of the public judging, it must be a battle format in which the ranking is contested based on the total score obtained by adding the votes of 6 judges. It is almost the same as " Gekioh Kanagawa V " held in Kanagawa Prefecture last October, where the winner is determined by votes by the audience and judges.
With this voting system, each group has three chances to perform, so for the performers, it's not a one-time match, so it has the advantage of being able to brush up on the content each time while checking the reactions of a wide range of audiences. At the same time, the strength of the ground is required to be able to constantly demonstrate their abilities in all three performances. Since evaluations by professional judges and general audiences are mixed, it is difficult to find points to appeal to, and the differences in the theatrical views of both the performers and the audience become apparent. It can be said that it is a theater contest that is not easy.

On the final day of March 5th, after the performances of Block A and Block B, a public judging and awards ceremony were held on stage. The best work was decided by publishing the comments and scores of the judges on each work from the six judges. From here, we will introduce the performances on the final day in order of appearance.

[Block A]

Shikoku District Representative / Shaka Riki “Wolf Boy”

With a dramatic line that repeats "Don't lie" as a keyword, the past is attacked by a boy who blindly loves his abusive father and mother who brings only hamburgers once a week, even though he is teased for being a liar. Both the future and the present, absurd scenes that are neither delusion nor reality unfold one after another. The dialogue that was folded along with the word play created a thrilling theater space where you could not know what would happen while sometimes producing laughter.

Representative from Taiwan / Tomorrow Wago Co-coism "Concrete Jungle" (with subtitles)

A story of a homosexual couple's love, conflict, anguish, and parting, unfolding in a room in a cluttered urban building where you can even feel the atmosphere. From the conversation between the two of them with a young man who visits a certain doctor, the story flows naturally and shifts our gaze to the lives of lovers. The conversation between the two, who are on good terms, gradually becomes more tense, and "he" tells "him" that he will "marry (a woman) for the sake of his parents." The scene in which he strangles his lover in a fit of passion creates tension, and at the end, the sadness of “him” who remains alone in the room touches my heart.

Ashitawago Seisakusho Co-coism "Sekitai Forest Concrete Jungle"

Drama Selected Representative / Selected Drama Team "Ashita no Koto"

Plays selected from 108 public submissions will be performed by a special team organized for this festival. One day, a friend returns from overseas and visits a man's room with a souvenir. On that day, a terrorist incident broke out in Japan. While watching the news saying "That's crazy", I had a bad feeling about the shocking experience that my friend gave me a souvenir, "I shot people", and things rolled out of his bag. teeth……. The socialist conversational play unfolded in stylish all-white art was full of shocking eerieness that threatened the peaceful daily life.

Hokkaido District Representative / Doggies “Love is always a layup? 』

A high school basketball club with only one member remaining due to the rule of "prohibition of love". The member finally fell in love. A member of the club who is in agony and decides to give up his first love in order to continue playing basketball, a shocking confession from the advisor, who should have been ``prohibited from dating'', ``actually has a girlfriend''! A complete change from the serious plays of the previous two groups. The comical dialogue that unfolds while bumping into each other on stage invites bursts of laughter. At the end, the actor who plays the role of the ball appears! Yanya applauded the performance of the come-from-behind performance where the basketball goal was lowered and the shot was scored.

Kansai Region Representative / ThE 2VS2 "Contradiction / National High School Girls Championship"

"Contradiction" is a fierce battle on the Saikyo Line during rush hour between a man who boasts of a molesting technique that will never be found out and a woman who falsely accuses her of molesting her buttocks that you can't help but touch. A double feature of the "National High School Girls Championship" where a live announcer and a commentator are enthusiastically relaying a fictitious competition battle in which two high school girls catch men's hearts with various tricks. The exchange of passionate lines and flashy action are also typical of a Kansai theater company. They entertained us with a sharp laughter comedy full of laughter service spirit.

Tokyo District Representative / Nichion -bion- "Ferris Wheel"

A woman with a fear of heights and a man who smokes heavily who are obligated to ride on the same Ferris wheel every year on their birthdays. The two, who are wary of each other, start a conversation, and when the Ferris wheel suddenly stops in the sky, they begin to talk about each other's lives. The clumsy way of life of the two men and women, revealed by the accumulation of quiet and polite lines, is endearing. The casual comedy drama born in casual everyday life cleansed my heart, and the stage art full of nostalgia also caught my eye.

[B block]

Tohoku Region Representative / Gin's Bar "Ihatov Snow"

A port town in Iwate Prefecture right after the Great East Japan Earthquake. A man who continues to search for his relatives who comes to the school gymnasium that has become a morgue. As a funeral director, he carefully mourns the bodies whose families have yet to come to pick them up, and talks quietly to them as if they were still alive... A one-man play with the theme of the Great East Japan Earthquake draws you in from the moment it begins, with its poignant narrative. Never let the events of that day fade away. The various thoughts of Gintaro Ibuse, who lives in the disaster area, touched my heart.

Korea representative / Theatrical company masterpiece "The place where the clock was" (with subtitles)

A new work by South Korea, which won both the "Kamome Award" and the "Drama Award" at the "1st Kanagawa Kamome Theater Festival". The father, who ran a watch shop who passed away after a long battle with illness, appears rejuvenated to his daughter, who is left behind. It was a pity that the actor who played the father could not appear in the third performance due to family reasons, and the performance was hurriedly replaced by a substitute. The stage art is also beautiful, and the saxophone and guitar music played on the stage skillfully produced a heartrending and warm scene.

Theatrical company masterpiece Cornfield "Where the clock was"

Kyushu District Representative / Blue Egonaku “There is”

A story about two men who form a comedy duo and a girl who is a childhood friend who marries one of them. The story, which started with the appearance of a duo who became old and performed comedy at home, goes back in time to the days when they were young, and the three people sometimes pass each other and connect again, spinning a heartrending friendship episode and life. go. It was a challenging work that made the complicated script of going backwards in time and finally returning to the present simple.

Tokai District Representative / Tokai Union “And she is”

A unique work in which a girl who works as a librarian comically talks about her feelings and fantasies about her favorite senior who comes to the library to borrow books. Actors other than the main girl, including the senior role, do a mime on stage but do not say a word. For 20 minutes, the power of the actress who keeps talking about the scenes and feelings of the girl and seniors, and the detailed script that looks like a novel is a masterpiece. When the senior who made the audience imagine that he was a cool guy appeared, laughter also occurred in the big twist.

Chugoku Region Representative / Com Tantan “Mole in the Moon”

A barber shop woman and her customer who met outside the store for the first time today. The man tells the woman, who is trying to change her miserable life with false moles, that "the moon has moles," and the two begin a mysterious spell ritual to make their wishes come true... A woman who lies to extract money from a man, and a man who knows that he is lying and gives him money. A woman covered in debt who rejects a man who says he loves her. A stage filled with the loneliness and sadness of two people who wish for happiness.

Kanagawa District Representative / Chile Reactors “Shirazu Uchi”

A work that won the honor of "Drama King" in "Drama King Kanagawa V" last October. A laughing conversation drama between a mother's boy who neglects "Oyashirazu" and "Oyashirazu" himself who urges him to "Get out of me before he gets cavities!" It is impressive that the production has been brushed up for KAAT's large studio and grown into a work that is easier to understand and can be enjoyed straight. The ability of the three actors to perform rhythmically with a good tempo (the singing that appears as a production is also considerable!) also shined more than "Gekioh V".

Public judging & awards ceremony

After the last performances of blocks A and B, the six judges gathered together at the public screening and awards ceremony that took place after 5:30 p.m. Stage designer Rei Koike, playwright/director Yutaka Narui, representative of the theater group Caramel Box, screenwriter Kazuhiko Ban, playwright/director/choreographer/dancer Mikuni Yanaihara of Nibroll, Magcal Playwright/director Kensuke Yokouchi and director/actor LaSalle Ishii, both table members of Tobiraza, gave comments on the 12 works.

At this theater festival, which gathered a wide variety of works, it was impressive that each of the judges gave multifaceted reviews from their own areas of expertise. Mr. Narui, Mr. Ban, and Mr. Yokouchi made detailed requests about how to finish the script and direction, as well as hints on how to make it a better work. Mr. LaSalle Ishii explained the mechanisms that create laughter, mainly in comedy works, and Mr. Yanaihara also mentioned how actors use their bodies. Ms. Koike will also give advice on how to create effective stage art and directing methods, which are not often talked about. It gave not only the performers but also the audience a perspective unique to theater that made them wonder if they could see things this way.

Each award will be announced before the "Kamome Award" is decided. The "drama award" that caused heated debate among the judges was Nichion -bion-'s "Ferris wheel". The "Direction Award" went to Taiwan's representative, Tomorrow Wago Co-coism, for "Shikui Forest Concrete Jungle." The Best Actor Award was given to Ms. Akiko Iwase, the author, director, and lead actress of Nion-bion's "Ferris Wheel," which also won the Drama Award, and received thunderous applause from the audience.

The next announcement will be the Audience Award, which will be determined by tallying the audience votes from the first day of March 2nd to today's final day. According to the results of the votes projected on the screen, Chireactors' "Shirazu Uchi ni" won 104 votes and won the "Audience Award", 2nd place was Nichion -bion- "Ferris wheel", 3rd place was Wanwanz " Love is always a layup? ’ was the result.

Finally, it was time to announce the “Kamome Award” given to the best work and the team. The audience was thrilled with the thrilling announcement format in which the judges' points were assigned to each group based on the results of the audience votes that had just been announced and added up in front of their eyes. Every time the judges voted, there was a stir, and the winner of the prestigious "Kamome Award" was the Chile Reactors, representatives of the Kanagawa district, who showed their strength in the audience vote!

Mr. Takashi Oshima, the writer/director who played the role of ``Oyashirazu,'' holding the microphone with an excited expression, exchanged hugs with the members of the theater company and said, ``I'm surprised. , We are surprised how we can face it from now on (laugh), but I want this competition to be more exciting, and it's really fun to get together and interact with idiots who burn their lives in short theater all over the country. From now on, Chireactors will continue to be based in Kanagawa, so please remember your name and go home!” I think it was a work worthy of the Kamome Award, with a deep and interesting finish.”

At the end, the participating groups in the audience came up to the stage, and Tomofumi Nakayama (theater 045 syndicate), who has been the MC since the block competition, Ichika Majima (Resitter Kikaku), Satoshi Maruo, the chairman of the executive committee of this theater festival. Mr., the judges and the audience became one, and the four-day hot battle ended with the calls of “Kamome!” and “Flying!”

In the second part, we will deliver an interview with Kamome Award-winning theater company Chile Reactors and judge LaSalle Ishii. Enjoy together! "The 2nd Kanagawa Kamome Short Film Festival" Winner! Theater Company Chile Reactors & Judge LaSalle Ishii Interview ”