Written by Shu Matsui Directed by Kim Jeong Adapted from “A Dream Play” by August Strindberg
Divine Daughter Anemone
Fresh from their collaboration at F/T19 with “The Farm,” a South Korean director and Japanese playwright team up again for a new play about the human world as seen through the eyes of a cosplayer.
The director Kim Jeong is a rising star in South Korean contemporary theatre, known for his elaborate portrayal of human psychology, bold imaginative touches, and playfulness. The Japanese playwright Shu Matsui exposes the fabric of humankind and society by building up layers of unreality. Hailing from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and with their own distinct approaches, they were brought together by a 2019 revival of “The Farm,” which Kim directed from Matsui’s script. Now they continue their collaboration with a new play by Matsui.
To confront the chaos of our current times, they have turned to “A Dream Play” (1902) by August Strindberg. In this modern classic, the daughter of a god descends to the human world to experience ordinary live among the mortals. In this version by Matsui and Kim, Strindberg’s premise is reconstructed and reinterpreted through aspects of contemporary culture such as cosplay, where people wear costumes representing certain fictional characters. Watching the female protagonist buffeted by the human world, and gradually wearying of it and departing, we discover harsh truths about our lives.
Credit
Written by Shu Matsui
Directed by Kim Jeong
Adapted from “A Dream Play” by August Strindberg
Profile
Shu Matsui
After joining the theatre company Seinendan as an actor, Shu Matsui started working also as a playwright and director. In 2007, he founded his own company, Sample, with the play “Burning Up Calories” and subsequently went independent. His work questions our preconceived ideas and the various borders that purportedly exist between reality and fiction, and between human and nonhuman, and endeavors to test those borders. In 2011, “Proud Son” won the prestigious Kishida Kunio Drama Award. In 2016, “Takeoff” was performed at the Kuandu Arts Festival in Taiwan. In 2018, “Proud Son” was staged at Festival d’Automne à Paris in France. This is Matsui’s first new play at F/T since “The Long Field Trip” in 2013.
Kim Jeong
Kim Jeong is a member of Project While, a collective of writers, directors, actors, and crew aiming to create a new theatre language. One the rising stars of contemporary theatre in South Korea, his work as a director is marked by its original style as well as meticulous interpretation of scripts. In addition to “The Farm,” he has staged “The Visitors” at “Bird” Theatre Festival Tottori 11 (2018) and an omnibus of short plays based on the work Ryunosuke Akutagawa at BeSeTo Theatre Festival 26 (2019). His accolades include the Doosan Artist Award (Performance) in 2018 and Donga Drama Award Best Newcomer in 2017.
Schedule
Style of performance: Online
Schedule:
Streaming Monday, November 2, 12:00 pm – Sunday, November 15, 11:55 pm
Ticket
Ticket fee
F/T remote(available online)：¥1,500
Language
Performed in Korean with Japanese and English subtitles
Venue
F/T remote (available online)
Organizer
Organizer: Festival/Tokyo Executive Committee (Toshima City, Toshima Mirai Cultural Foundation, NPO Arts Network Japan [NPO-ANJ]),
Tokyo Festival Executive Committee (Toshima City, Toshima Mirai Cultural Foundation, Festival/Tokyo Executive Committee, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture [Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre & Arts Council Tokyo])
Inquires
Festival/Tokyo Executive Committee Secretariat
contact(at)festival-tokyo.jp
