hi-bye
In 2003, Hideto Iwai, an actor/playwright/stage director, formed the theatrical company, hi-bye, in Tokyo. “hi-bye” is now actively engaging in various theatrical works with 5 actors and 1 company manager.
Iwai’s debut play, “Hikky Cancun Tornade” was written based on his personal experience of Hikikomori. This play drew strong responses and restaged repeatedly which led the success of 10 cities play tour in Japan in 2015.
Recently, Iwai collects themes for his new works from experiences of other people, not just his own, by interviewing his own family or other people he takes interest in.
Other than his own experiences, Iwai generally deals with contemporaneous social issues such as domestic violence, extramarital affairs, widening socioeconomic disparity, aging, dementia or death, most of which are rather somber and depressing. Nevertheless, in his plays, the characters’ hardships, misery or comfortlessness are deformed in such a way that they are even funny. The cross-gender acting technique is often used to exaggerate this special kind of humor. The audience burst into laughter and tears at the same time and then the theater is filled with curiously silent moment. The audience cannot simply explain their emotion or impression by using a word “sympathy” to the characters alone, but want to start telling their own stories. That is the characteristics in all hi-bye works.
The reading performance of “The Hand” was carried out in London. “Outer World” and “The Hand” have been translated and performed in Korean. hi-bye is now attracting more attention internationally.