The new theatrical production by contemporary theater company Shigeki Nakano+Frankens, performed in two programs (A and B) at Shinjuku Theater Tops. The company performed four works in total: the existing pieces “The Radiant City” and “Kickback,” as well as a new work “EP2(A story of dogs),” and its “free translation” of “Pullman Car “Where You Are.” Presenting works with differing writers, eras, and motifs in parallel allowed the troupe to create a multi-layered theatrical world.
At the same time, this project represents an attempt to return to a theatrical setting and applies the company’s creative approach of theater that “runs parallel to everyday life,” the guiding principle for its activities since 2021. To this end the company boasts a cast and production crew ranging in age from 5 through 55.
Program A
“EP2(A story of dogs)” Written and directed by Shigeki Nakano
“The Radiant City” Written by Yoko Oike and directed by Shigeki Nakano
Program B
“Pullman Car “Where You Are” Free translation/direction by Shigeki Nakano
“Kickback” Written by Kotaro Ono and directed by Shigeki Nakano
Cast:Shiho Ishibashi, Maki Koizumi, Takehiro Go, Junko Saito, Ai Sasaki, Minami Shindo, Takeshi Fukuda, Eiji Takeda, Yuya Tanaka, Mari Nojima,
Guest:Yasuho Itazaki, Mai Uehara, Ken Sugiyama(SPAC/Tonariya), Miyuu Mikawa, Ichika Hayashi, Moe Miyagahara (Fumenkaiga)
General Incorporated Association Nakafra
Handles the management of Shigeki Nakano + Frankens projects. The troupe’s creative focus is translated theatrical works featuring eras and cultural customs that are vastly different from those of contemporary Japan, aiming to understand and express these works through the prism of its own values and physicality.The troupe’s style of interpreting a work to resonate with its audience in a way that is not bound by conventional image or etiquette, as well as the methods and form of expression used in this interpretation have been dubbed “free translation.” This style involves translation that is not tied to a word-for-word rendering, and a free structure that only strictly adheres to the outline of a given work. From 2014, the company began staging modern Japanese plays and trialing original plays. Since 2021, it has been exploring its goal of coexistence between life and creation.
Saori Azuma
Staff
General Incorporated Association Nakafra
info@frankens.net
Shinjuku Theater TOPS, Shinjuku City, Tokyo