What we do

Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi vol.3 “Kaisen (Seeschlacht) 2023”

  • Organization : Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi
  • Section : Artistic and creative activity in Tokyo
  • Type of Grant Program : Single
  • Art Forms : Theater

Outline

The seven-man play “Kaisen” (“Seeschlacht”), which was written during WW1 and which had its Japanese premiere in 1924 at Tsukiji Shogekijo, has been staged with an all-female cast.Through women discussing their own experience of war – a field that has historically been male-dominated – this production highlighted “war as an extension of everyday life.”Archive footage was also streamed online after the production run.

Story
Seven nameless sailors wait for a sea battle inside the gun turret of a warship. One who is afraid of their fate, one who is skeptical about combat, one who tries to do their duty, one who turns into a chatterbox… Conflicts crisscross due to the anxiety, frustration, and impatience of not knowing when the battle will begin. As their mental state approaches its limit, the battle finally begins.

Written by: Reinhard Goering
Translation, stage script and direction by: Miyuki Ikuta (Bungakuza/ Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi)
Performed by: Marino Aramaki, Hanano Takizawa (Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi), Moeko Koyama, Marissa, Hatsune Hoshi, Yuka Saito, Kana Kuroki (Sokaisalon)
Stage manager: Yasuhiro Kato
Lighting: Masashi Nakamura (Kurozaru)
Sound/movement: Koji Ozono
Music: Kana Kuroki (Sokaisalon)
Publicity art: Marino Aramaki
Video streaming: Shinichi Udagawa

Profile

Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi
Riseiteki-na-Henzintachi was founded by five women who chose to work in theater despite graduating from Tokyo University of the Arts, which has no theater department. The troupe’s aim is to explore what theater can do to connect people, and what forms of expression can enable this.While valuing the unique perspective of women in their 30s, the group challenges itself to consciously and continuously explore forms of theatrical expression which it considers required or missing in Japan, in order to reflect the times.

Venues

Arune543, Nerima City, Tokyo