At the invitation of the Wiener Festwochen, director Toshiki Okada and composer Dai Fujikura, both world-renowned in their respective disciplines, are working together for the first time, exploring a new form of musical theatre. In it, they pursue the idea of allowing the spoken language and music to take to the stage as independent and idiosyncratic protagonists. For Metamorphosis of a Living Room, six Japanese actors from Okada’s company and seven musicians of the Klangforum Wien share the stage. They tell the story of a family facing eviction. But while this problem can be solved – there is, after all, such a thing as Tenancy Law – a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions soon looms, one that cannot be solved with any hotline nor with any man-made ideas. Little by little, the music and scenic actions blend together, opening possibilities for the emergence of an entirely new experience. All manner of narration, the entire anthropocentric world, dissolve in sound.
Text, Direction Toshiki Okada With music by Dai Fujikura Ensemble Klangforum Wien (Clarinet, Bass clarinet Bernhard Zachhuber Bassoon, Contra bassoon Lorelei Dowling, Celesta Florian Müller Violin Jacobo Hernandez Enriquez, Sophie Schafleitner Viola Dimitrios Polisoidis Violoncello Benedikt Leitner) With Izumi Aoyagi, Chieko Asakura, Wataru Omura, Mariko Kawasaki, Ayana Shiibashi, Makoto Yazawa Sound design Aki Shiraishi, Koichi Ishimaru Light design Masayoshi Takada (RYU) Costumes Kyoko Fujitani (FAIFAI) Set design dot architects Dramaturgy Masahiko Yokobori Creative advisor Makiko Yamaguchi Technical advisor Daijiro Kawakami (Scale Laboratory) Technical direction Marie Moriyama Stage management Chikage Yuyama Direction assistance Marie Moriyama Planning, Production Management precog co., LTD (Production director Akane Nakamura, Direction administration Yuri Saito Administration Kumi Hiraoka Project assistance Ema Murakami) Producer Megumi Mizuno (precog), Tamiko Ouki (precog) Production management Yuko Takeda Tour management Asami Hori Assistant production management Nanami Endo, Minano Hirano Sound Tsuyoshi Endo, Ryoma Matsuba (MRD) Light Kousuke Ashidano (RYU) Translation Aya Ogawa (English), Andreas Regelsberger (German) Graphic design Mariko Okazaki (REFLECTA, Inc.) Creation Workshop Ensemble Nomad (music), Nagie (sound design), Tatsuya Tsujimoto (Cover)
A commission by Wiener Festwochen Production Wiener Festwochen, chelfitsch Coproduction KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen, Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Aichi Prefectural Art Theater (Nagoya) Cooperation office III’s, KAJIMOTO, CUBE Inc., nakagoo, Steep Slope Studio, YAMABUKI FACTORY, d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG With the assistance of The Saison Foundation Supported by Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), the Agency for Cultural Affairs - Government of Japan through the Japan Arts Council, Nomura Foundation
Copyright Dai Fujikura Metamorphosis of a Living Room, for 7 players for theatre G. Ricordi & Co. Bühnen- und Musikverlag GmbH, Berlin
The work-in-progress performance was coproduced by The Japan Foundation and chelfitsch and produced for Japan Foundation’s International Creations in Performing Arts 2021.
Premiere Work-in-Progress’s Performance November 2021, Tower Hall Funabori (Tokyo)
Premiere May 2023, Wiener Festwochen
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