KAAT's 2016 lineup has been announced, starting with "Dream Play" directed by Akira Shirai!

Recently, KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre, which has just celebrated its fifth anniversary since its opening, announced its lineup for 2016 and the production of "Dream Play," directed by Akira Shirai, which will be performed in April. Akira Shirai, who has been taking the artistic initiative in KAAT's programs as an artistic consultant since April 2014, will take on the new title of "artistic director" from April 2016. The first production to be commemorated is "Dream Play," with a luxurious cast including Keiichi Nagatsuka as the scriptwriter, Kaiji Moriyama as the choreographer, and Akari Hayami, Kei Tanaka, Noriko Eguchi, Reo Tamaki, Sayoko Nasu, and Kazuichi Yamazaki as the performers.

(Bottom row, from left) Akira Shirai, Keiji Nagatsuka, Akari Hayami, Kei Tanaka, Kaiji Moriyama (Top row, from left) Sayoko Nasu, Hajime Yamazaki, Noriko Eguchi, Reo Tamaki

The original "Dream Play" was written by Swedish author Strindberg in 1901. The story begins when the god Indra (Akira Shirai) sends his daughter Agnes (Akari Hayami) to the earth to see and hear the dissatisfaction and lamentations of the people. The story depicts Agnes growing up through various encounters on earth and experiencing the pain of human existence. By the way, Hayami was chosen to play the lead role of Agnes due to Shirai's strong desire.

At the production announcement, Hayami was in tears, perhaps due to the pressure of being on the stage for the first time, but Shirai praised her for being able to hold back her tears and speak her mind bravely, saying with a smile, "It's amazing that she can speak so clearly while crying," and the audience erupted in laughter. Many of the actors said the script was "difficult," but Nagatsuka, who wrote the script, said, "I think that difficulty can be overcome by artistry. When I saw Hayami crying earlier, I thought that if she could take the center stage and run through the absurd and tainted human world like a white horse, this play would become a kind of celebration, and could become a hymn to humanity and art."

Akari Hayami in tears during the press conference

Hayami says that she has avoided performing on stage until now, but she is often asked, "Why did you choose this production for your stage debut, when you have avoided it until now?" She enthusiastically stated, "I don't know why I chose this production, but my current anxiety of not knowing anything about the stage is very similar to the situation of the main character in the play, who doesn't know anything at all, so I also want to come home with something in mind when the play is over."

Director Shirai said, "It's a work that unfolds like a dream and changes without any coherence, so it may seem difficult just by reading the script, but I think the difficulty will disappear once it is brought to life as a play." He concluded by saying, "I don't understand it at all right now, but it's interesting to create parts that are unclear. In the end, I hope that the life of one person will emerge."

"KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater Produced by Dream Play," the first work by Akira Shirai, artistic director of KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater, will be performed at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater from April 12th (Tue) to 30th (Sat), and will also tour Matsumoto and Hyogo.

Well, when the lineup was announced on the same day as the production announcement for "Dream Play," it was impressive to see artists of various generations and genres standing shoulder to shoulder.

In his opening remarks, which could be taken as a declaration of his intentions as the next artistic director, Akira Shirai, he mentioned keywords such as "expressions that combine not only theater but also music, dance, and contemporary art," "a place where young creators can gain experience and accumulate power," and "collaboration between public theaters." He also said, "If there are expressions that even veteran theater people have thought they could not do and have restricted, I would like to make it a theater where they can break out of their shells and have adventures as much as possible." While inheriting the way KAAT has been a "creative theater" since the beginning, we can expect further evolution as an exciting creative space where artists of various genres and a wide range of generations gather.

Akira Shirai giving opening remarks

After the "Dream Play" in April, the activities of contemporary artists are likely to become more prominent, such as the Stage Trailer Project, in which Miwa Yanagi will turn Kenji Nakagami's "Wings of the Sun" into a work and perform it on a mobile stage vehicle, and the triumphant exhibition of Chiharu Shiota, an artist exhibited at the Japan Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale. In addition, works from a wide range of generations will be developed, from young creators such as Kunio Sugihara and Kenichi Tani to veterans such as Yukio Ninagawa and Kazumi Kushida, and ambitious works unique to KAAT, such as Yasuyuki Sudo's dance series, which will be his fourth work, and the musical adaptation of Kazuo Umezu's sci-fi work "I am Shingo", are scheduled to be performed one after another. For more information, please check the official website of KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater .

(From left) Keiji Nagatsuka, Miwa Yanagi, Chiharu Shiota, Yasuyuki Sudo, Kenichi Tani, Kunio Sugihara, Kazumi Kushida, Akira Shirai

(TEXT: Akiko Inoue)