Gekidan Nemonokai Photo: Hinata Asari
Gekidan Nemonokai Photo: Hinata Asari
Gekidan Nemonokai Photo: Hinata Asari
Gekidan Nemonokai’s play depicts the conflict between
people living in a district undergoing redevelopment and the
government. The areas were modeled after actual areas in Tokyo such as Shibuya and Shinjuku, as well as New York City’s Harlem district. While reflecting the streets of Tokyo, it was possible for Nemonokai to present a highly universal theme that is not limited to Japan.
The performers and production staff members were mainly university students from Tama Art University. The production was an attempt to take on the challenge of an exclusively student-driven performance revolving around organizer Gekidan Nemonokai. Many of the performers have found outside performance work as a result. At the same time, theater today tends to be insular, with only those involved in theater going to see performances. To break through this problem, Nemonokai experimented by inviting a professor of cultural anthropology to the post-performance discussion.
Written by: Nayuta Nagata
Directed by: Shota Inoue
Performed by: Kodama Ando, Miori Yoshida, Nayuta Nagata, Juri Komai, Sora Sugawara, Senri
Gekidan Nemonokai
A theater company formed by five members of the Drama and Dance Course, Department of Scenography Design, Drama, and Dance, Tama Art University. Based on surreal yet comedic works, Gekidan Nemonokai’s style is to use simple props and the actors’ own physicality to showcase an infinite variety of hues and nuances.
The ”Nemo” part of the troupe’s name means “nobody” in Latin. The group is a collective comprising people who are ambivalent about existing frameworks and slightly incompatible with society. In addition, representing “Nemo” in simple syllabic characters ties in visually to the Chinese characters Sha/Kai making up the word “society.” For Nemonokai, theater is “society.”
Shota Inoue
Gekidan Nemonokai
Sembonzakura Hall, Meguro City, Tokyo
