MOON
Illustration © Caspar PICHNER
Program Information
| Genre / Country | Theatre / JAPAN |
|---|---|
| Dates | 29 April at 19:00, 30 April at 18:30, 3 May at 18:30 |
| Venue | At Open Air Theatre “UDO”, Shizuoka Performing Arts Park |
| Duration | to be decided (less than 120 minutes) |
| Written and directed by | TANINO Kuro |
© TANAKA Aki
© TANAKA Aki
Introduction
Devised by the fast-rising drama prodigy TANINO Kuro, “MOON” is a fantastical piece designed to be co-created by its cast and audience members in the open-air Theatre “Udo” in Shizuoka Performing Arts Park.
In 2016, TANINO won the highly prestigious 60th Kishida Kunio Drama Award for playwrights, and “MOON” — which he’s made with his regular collaborator, the German production designer Caspar PICHNER — is his first new work since then.
In this piece, the dwarf actors who comprise the cast will invite the audience members onto the stage to take part in their world of play without words and together — using special lighting and sound effects — try to conjure an extraordinary fantasy world there.
How will TANINO — who used to be a psychiatrist — develop this new work at the open-air venue?
Well, as he enthusiastically told us, “I want to see a kind of miracle with this work.”
That’s a lot to ask, but “MOON” is sure to fire the imagination in all kinds of new ways.
Thoughts from the notes of TANINO Kuro
As audiences gather ahead of “MOON” each one brings to the work’s staging their own sense of aesthetics and freedom. Even though they can’t clearly see other participants’ faces, and can hardly understand their words in the dark, I’m sure they will enjoy the imaginative world of “MOON” into which they enter filled with curiosity and free of any anxiety. The key to enjoying “MOON” is for audience members to take part in the performance with open minds, as its theatre can be realized only through their reaction — and everything depends on their imagination. In this way, by the time “MOON” comes to its end, I believe all those involved will be sharing strong, uplifting feelings of hope.
From the notes of TANINO Kuro / director
Director’s Profile
TANINO Kuro
Born in Toyama, in 1976. While being a student in the Medical School of Showa University, he formed the theater company Niwagekidan Penino (Theatre the Garden Penino) in 2000. He is a playwright, director of the company and ex-psychiatrist. His company’s works are created based on his imagination and obsessions and staged out with carefully designed detail. For his first series of production called “Egao no Toride” (2007), and “Hoshikage no Jr.” (2008), he composed a play-within-a play based on child-actor training program to play a fake family. With “Frustrating Picture Book for Adults”, TANINO and Niwagekidan Penino participated in the 2009 HAU Theater’s festival in Germany, Theaterspektakl, Norotherzone Festival in 2010, and Next arts Festival in 2011. With “The Room, Nobody knows” they participated in Helsinki Festival in 2012. With “Box in The Big Trunk” they participated in Theater der Welt and Winner Festwoche in 2014. In 2016, he won the 60th Kishida Kunio Drama Award for “Avidya: No Lights Inn”.
Production designer’s Profile
Caspar PICHNER
He is a production designer in theatre and film. Among others he has realized theatre productions at the HAU Berlin, Gorki Theater Berlin, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Schauspiel Frankfurt, Theater Oberhausen and Steirischer Herbst Graz. His last film work as an art director was winner of the Förderpreis neues deutsches Kino (all categories) at FILMFEST MÜNCHEN and the Max Ophüls Preis. “MOON” is his third cooperation with TANINO Kuro.
Cast / Staff
Written and directed by TANINO Kuro
Production design by Caspar PICHNER
Performed by Mame YAMADA, AKABOSHI Mitsuru, Pretty OHTA, Buttaman, NABETA Ayumi.
Produced by SPAC – Shizuoka Performing Arts Center, Arche LLC.
Coproduced by Goethe-Institut Tokyo 
[M Project] Supported by The Saison Foundation 
Notice
◎This is an audience-participation program. Audience members must wear helmets, which will be provided by the festival.
◎Audience members with an inappropriate amount of belongings may be asked to leave items in the on-site cloakroom.
