What we do

The Fahrenheit Alliance Ⅳ

  • Organization : Mitsuko Hirai
  • Section : Artistic and creative activity in Tokyo
  • Type of Grant Program : Single Individual
  • Art Forms : Theater

Outline

This performance showcases the “oral tradition” of voice and landscape.

The first person makes an audio recording of their words,
and sends it to the next person, along with a video clip of the landscape or scene they were seeing at the time.

After the next person has received this,
They record the same words in their own voice,
And send it to the next person with a new video clip.

By repeating this process, an “alliance” of oral tradition is created which successively passes on voices and landscapes.

Performance procedure
“The Fahrenheit Alliance IV’” is a one-on-one performance between the actor and the audience, in which the audience members themselves take part in the relay-like process.

First off, the actor receives a recorded voice and video clip of a landscape or scene from the previous person.
Next, audience members themselves receive a recorded voice and video clip of a landscape or scene from the actor.
After the performance, audience members take away a part of the play, and record their voice to send to the next person.

How to view the performance
Audience members lie on their beds to watch the performance.
Video images are projected onto the bed covers,
resulting in real-time synthesis of the audience members’ bodies and landscapes/scenes.

Text: Kyle Yamada (Allergen Theatre)
Producer, Director and Performer: Mitsuko Hirai
Voice and Video Clip: Tamaki Kobayashi
Stage Design, Corporate Design and Video Clip: Xu Wenfei
Music: Mayumi Ishida
Film and Distribution technology: Rob Moreno(Media Kobo)

Profile

Mitsuko Hirai
Actor. Born in Shizuoka Prefecture. Graduated from Osaka University.
After working as an actor with two theatre companies, Seinen-Gekijou and Jyuuryoku/Note, she became an independent freelance actor in October 2021.
Since 2020, She began collaborating with Rob Moreno of Media Kobo and started creating streamed-live performances.
She participated in online at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021 and 2022. In June 2021, she began a series of live-streaming projects called “The Fahrenheit Alliance”; and with “The Fahrenheit Alliance IV”, she adapted it to in-person performance.
Her creations are characterised by the innovative use of video technology to extend human cognition.
She was shortlisted for the Best Newcomer Award at the Brighton Fringe (UK) in June 2022.

Contact

Mitsuko Hirai
mitsukohirai@gmail.com

Venues

SCOOL, Mitaka City, Tokyo