Five Days in March – Re-creation
On the eve of the US-British offensive in Iraq on 21 March 2003, Japan joins the invading troops. This is Japan’s first military engagement since 1945, and it provokes many reactions. Against the background of a historical peace demonstration, the young adult characters in Five Days in March tell their personal stories of everyday life in Tokyo. This year, Japanese theatre-maker Toshiki Okada brings a new (!) adaptation of that iconic creation. The first presentation of Five Days in March (at the Kaaistudio's during the 2007 Kunstenfestivaldesarts) was received with great enthusiasm and admiration. It marked Okada’s break-through in Europe and across the world. In his theatrical language, the logic between words and movement is unclear, as if these are two entirely independent forms of grammar. Balancing between the natural and the artificial, Okada uses stereotypical stories to sketch the profile of a generation of young people who have lost their way; their public participation in the demonstration contrasts with the (highest) personal concerns they share. Five Days in March is, once again, not to be missed.
playwright & direction Toshiki Okada | performers Chieko Asakura, Riki Ishikura, Yuri Itabashi, Ayaka Shibutani, Ayaka Nakama, Leon Kou Yonekawa, Manami Watanabe | set design TORAFU ARCHITECTS | technical director Koro Suzuki | stage director Daijiro Kawakami | lighting director Tomomi Ohira (ASG) | sound director Norimasa Ushikawa | costume Kyoko Fujitani (FAIFAI) | assistant director Mana Inukai | presentation Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Kaaitheater | associated production precog co., LTD | production chelfitsch, KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre | co-production Kunstenfestivaldesarts, KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre, ROHM Theatre Kyoto | with the support of Toyohashi Arts Theatre, PLAT, Nagano City Arts Center, Yamaguchi, Center for Arts and Media [YCAM], The Japan Foundation - Performing Arts Japan | residencies Toyohashi City, Toyohashi Arts Theatre PLAT | with the cooperation of Steep Slope Studio, Kinosaki International Arts Center | subtitling with the support of ONDA
Meet the artists after the performance on 24/05