Kanagawa Prefectural Government Office Main Building Conference Hall Short Play Collection Special Page
-- Theater at the prefectural office!? --
On April 12th and 13th, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Office will host the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Office Main Building Conference Hall Short Play Collection. "What? A play at the prefectural office?"
If you have such questions!
That's right! For the first time in the history of Kanagawa, a play will be performed in the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Hall.
The incident occurred during a "Dialogue Square" event at the same conference hall, where citizens and Governor Kuroiwa were to exchange opinions. In response to the governor's statement that he wanted to "open up more public spaces,"
"I want to do a play in this room."
Such an opinion was expressed.
It certainly is a lovely space, but it is usually used for meetings, so I wonder if something like that is even possible...
Magcal was also present at the scene, and it was OK on the spot!
I remember being very surprised by the positive feedback and the speedy response from the prefecture.
And now the project "A Collection of Short Plays in the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Office Main Building Main Conference Hall" has finally begun in earnest.
This time, we would like to share with you some photos from the conference room and comments from the project's initiators, Sasaura Nobuhiro and Kawata Shoko!
Image: Poster visual
—
□We received comments from Nobuhiro Sasaura and Shoko Kawata, the initiators of this project!
-This will be the first time in Kanagawa Prefecture's history that a play will be performed in the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Office Main Building and Main Assembly Hall.
Is there anything you are conscious of or expectation for the event being held in this location?
From Nobuhiro Sasaura
The project for this performance began when the Governor was speaking about the "Magcul Concept" at the "Dialogue Square" sponsored by Kanagawa Prefecture. The Governor happened to say, "I want to connect and spread culture like a magnet. You can use this place (the main conference hall of the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Building) as the place for that." In response to a general question, Kawada made a very straightforward, honest and reckless (lol) response, "In that case, I would like to use it." This is the origin of the project.
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the prefectural government officials who have responded quickly to this unprecedented project.
A lot of people who have never been involved in theater are now supporting us.
Starting from scratch, they held numerous meetings with us and exchanged numerous emails with us, doing everything they could.
It's not a theater. It's nothing. It's a historical building and a government office that operates normally.
Creating a play in a place like that is truly difficult.
However, more than being difficult, I found it to be an incredibly appealing opportunity for expression.
There is something like an unfathomable magnetism in the place called the large conference hall. Moreover, no one has ever performed a theater there, and it is not well known. Being able to bring the extraordinary that we create to such a place is exciting for me as an artist.
Because theater is a form of artistic expression, it is difficult to convey its true appeal even when using media, but by performing in such a venue, we hope to send out the message that this is what the current scene in Kanagawa is like.
For this reason, we decided to present a collection of short plays rather than a solo performance by ourselves.
If this project is successful, we would like to continue to involve the local government and turn it into a series at various interesting locations within the prefecture.
I believe this is the first step towards creating an environment where theater is a natural part of people's everyday lives and in educational settings.
When I visited Germany for the Japan-Germany Youth Leaders Exchange Seminar, I learned that the European theatrical culture and the relationships between public theaters and theater companies are ideal, and I would like to create that in Kanagawa.
To achieve this, we want our audience to be able to enjoy watching a variety of plays all at once, and so in recent years we have focused on the "short plays" format.
From Shoko Kawada
I wrote "Boy of Dawn," a play about a young man named Oio Yoshiro who designed the prefectural government building.
Reimei means "dawn." It also means the beginning of something new.
I was able to write something interesting, thanks to the energy I gained from the conference hall. I hope this performance will be a dawning event in many ways. Please come and see it.
Photo: The main conference hall in normal times. Just looking at the carpet, lighting, and other aspects of the space that give it a sense of history is exciting.
■nobuhiro SASAURA
Director, producer, and stage manager. The man with the bushy head, Katsu, and representative of Unagi Project.
He directs theater productions in a wide range of genres, mainly in Kanagawa Prefecture. He directs in detail from musicals to dialogue plays, fantasy to social dramas. He is well known for his dramatic direction that makes use of the characteristics of his staff who are well versed in theatrical expression as stage directors, and for the length and persistence of his criticisms. Recently, he has developed a unit called "SHOTGUN produce" that brings together writers to plan short performances, the "Musical Project 'M.PinK'" where citizens can encounter musicals, and the short theater competition "Kanagawa Theater King 2". With his experience as a stage director and theater basic design advisor, he has realized many projects that are tailored to the environment and situation. In addition, as a theater educator, he holds many workshops at companies and schools. In particular, he has recently been developing communication courses using theatrical techniques for a project to support the independence of people with mental disability certificates. He is a member of the Japan Directors Association and a permanent director of the Kanagawa Prefecture Theater Federation.
■Shoko Kawada|shoko KAWADA
Playwright. Smiley glasses guy.
Graduated from the Department of Japanese Literature, Faculty of Letters, Gakushuin University. Born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Spent his childhood in Zurich, Switzerland. While reflecting his own theme setting and linguistic sense in his works, he is also good at writing scripts by analyzing past materials. He has provided many works to various organizations, including musicals, dialogue plays, citizen plays, and short stories. In 2009, he provided the script for JMS's "Princess Collection" (Kichijoji Theater). After that, he provided the script for the citizen participation musicals held in Yokohama City, Tsurumi Ward Musical and Totsuka Ward Musical. He has also developed a wide range of works, including works that touch on the truth of humanity, which he has announced under the credit "Herahera Megane". In addition, he has produced many performances with Sasaura, including the producer of Magcal Friday's "Sakuragicho Kekiryuu Gathering" and co-producer of SHOTGUN produce's "BULLETS ASSORTED".
- Performing group information -
■ Atsugi Stage Academy
"Dream Dream Dream Traveling Edition ~Kappa no Taro~"
Composition and direction: Yasuhiko Kushima, Risa Suzuki (Tobiraza)
General Director: Kensuke Yokouchi (Tobiraza)
Choreography: Lucky Ikeda, Eri Ayaki
Vocal instructor: Mariko Ueno
Planning and management: Atsugi City Cultural Promotion Foundation
Atsugi Stage Academy opened in 2010. Children from 4th grade elementary school to 2nd grade junior high school take singing, dancing, and acting lessons from instructors who are active at the forefront of their fields. They are expanding their field of activity to appear at events such as festivals, as well as in live performances and music videos for various artists.
■Theater 045 Syndicate
"Sixx"
Katsunori Imai (theater 045 syndicate), Keita Hirano, Hideyuki Inoue, Tomofumi Nakayama (theater 045 syndicate)
Founded in 2010 by founder Tomofumi Nakayama to send out information from his hometown of Yokohama. He produces the Gekiou Kanagawa Tournament and also holds live dance events at bars and restaurants in the city. In January 2014, he performed his first main performance, "12 Animals." His activities are based on the keyword "making things happen in Yokohama."
http://theater045.exblog.jp/
■ Interest
"Is there less bullying in boys' schools? short version"
Written and directed by Ono Mariko Music by Goto Hiroaki
Cast: Masako Ito, Shoko Okawa, Naho Shimizu, Yayoi Nakatani, Yuriko Harada (Tori no Mark, Reon Honma
A theater unit led by playwright Ono Mariko. They attracted attention in 2011 with "The Story of Antonin Raymond's Old Gymnasium Being Demolished" (Kanagawa Arts Theatre). Using the words of poetry as their weapon, they aim to create theater that is "interesting" because it is "difficult."
http://shukoushuko.blog48.fc2.com/
■ Addition
"Vampire Debate"
Written and directed by: Tsuyoshi Mezaki
Cast: Natsumi Nakamura, Saya Nagabuchi, Zen Suenaga (Safety product (soon to be renamed)), Yuhi Asato, Daisuke Okawa (Shimokkare!), Taiga Koyama, Saki Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Mezaki (Tasuichi) and others
The unit was launched in 2007 by the Waseda University Drama Club. They aim to create entertainment with a fantasy style that is both "possible" and "impossible." They are mainly active in Tokyo, but Mezaki also performs in Kanagawa, writes and directs musicals for local residents, and teaches drama workshops at junior and senior high schools.
http://tasuichi.soudesune.net/index.html
■ Shaggy hair and flip-flap glasses
"Boy of Dawn"
Written by: Shoko Kawada (Herahera Glasses)
Directed by: Nobuhiro Sasaura (shaggy head)
Cast: Taichi Fujishiro (Maimu Pro), Motonori Mano (Fuun Kabosha no Basha), Akiki
The unit was formed in 2011 by Nobuhiro Sasaura of Unagi Keikaku, known as "Mojamoja Atama," and writer Shoko Kawada, known as "Herahera Megane," to perform short performances. They are active mainly in Kanagawa Prefecture.
