On March 7, 2021, the new Taketori Monogatari in the COVID-19 era will be performed at the Ogose Brewery, in Ogose-Machi, Saitama Prefecture.
In the theater (the space of the brewery), each of the five actors do a monodrama, simultaneously playing all roles, such as Princess Kaguya, the elderly man, and the suitors. Five suitors need to tackle the challenges posed by Princess Kaguya. The audience on site can interact with the actors by using tools provided in the theater, and the audience watching live can interact by giving comments. The actors and the audience exchange message. Meanwhile, the props can change the presentation of the backdrop during communication. Images and sounds amplify emotions; improvisation and story interact with each other. Welcome to the hybrid theatrical space. 　

Date: March 7, 2021 (Sunday)
Time: entering from 1:30 p.m., 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (JPT)
Ticket Price: Free
Leaflet (Japanese) [ pdf ]

Venue (how to apply)
◆Venue: Asahara shuzō, Ogose Brewery,
2906-1, Ueno, Ogose-Machi, Iruma-Gun, Saitama, Japan 350-0415
Asahara shuzō Website

If you would like to watch New Taketori Monogatari at the Ogose Brewery, please fill out the Google Form below.
The link: please click on the link
*The number of participants will be strictly limited to 90 people.
　Please cooperate in wearing a mask and measuring the temperature
　when you enter.

We are preparing sake to commemorate the event.
Asahara shuzō "Junmai Daiginjo SUTEKI Japan White" is used.

[Access]
・By Car
　There is a parking lot at Ogose Brewery.
　When the car is full, you can use the O Park 3rd parking lot.
・By Train
　17 minutes on foot from Bushu-karawasa station on the Tobu Ogose Line
　20 minutes on foot from Moro station on the JR Hachiko Line
　20 minutes on foot from Ogose station on the JR Hachiko Line
・By Bus
　Kawagoe Kanko Bus [ Route MAP ]
・By Taxi
　There is a taxi stand at Higashi-Moro Station.
　Moroyama Taxi
　Moroyama office - ASKA Traffic Group

◆Live Streaming
Please go to the webpage for this project on the Internet video site and follow the instructions on how to watch.

How to watch the play on the Internet:
The live stream will be on YouTube Live.

For Scene Blue and White, the play at the Ogose Brewery will be on live stream. You can watch the interaction between the performers and the audience on YouTube.

For Scene Yellow, you can watch the interaction between the performer and the remote viewers on YouTube. *Please note that the penlight with motion sensors has been sent in advance, and the audience with it will be able to participate.

For Scene Red and Black, you can log in to YouTube and leave comments, the text then will appear on the screen in the theater, which will interact with improvisations of the performers and props with built-in motion sensors used on stage, in order to create an interactive performance.

As for the theater tour, you can see the Ogose Brewery as the theater on YouTube 360° live.

*If you do not have a YouTube account, you can watch but cannot leave comments. Please create one and log in to participate in the performance.


■ Scene Blue
Click here →【 新竹取物語 青の場 New Taketori Monogatari - Scene Blue 】
In response to the performer, the audience can play five musical instruments placed in the theater, and the images of animals which are likened to Princess Kaguya change shape in a melting motion. The Japanese dancer and contemporary performer Sekine Junko who plays Princess Kaguya, the elderly man and the suitor changes her performance according to the various images and sounds. In the end, the body of Princess Kaguya is going to dissolve into the darkness with a mist or bubble-like glow.
CG: Ihara Takumi, Sakuda Ryotaro

■ Scene Yellow
Click here → 【 新竹取物語 黄の場 New Taketori Monogatari - Scene Yellow 】
The episode is narrated by Rakugo storyteller Hayashiya Hanahei. The story is divided into 10 scenes, and the audience can choose one of them. On stage is a storage tank of sake, and scripts of the story float around as a strip of paper. The audience can participate by touching the strip with a penlight that resembles the branch of Mt. Penglai. When the audience touches the strange or interesting words, an impromptu storytelling with the keyword will start. On YouTube, you can also enjoy the performance that is integrated with virtual lunar surface CG.
Fukuda Hisato　Communication: Otsu Koyo　Video: Terauchi Ryota　Coloring: BAE Jiyeon

■ Scene Red
Click here → 【 新竹取物語 赤の場 New Taketori Monogatari - Scene Red 】
The audience in the theater can shake "the robe of fire-rat skin" which is fitted with motion sensors, to intensify or diminish the script of the story and the flame surrounding the performer. The audience on YouTube can express themselves by poems from the performance of Kyogen performer Kawano Seiichi, which can be displayed on the screen to create a cooperative Taketori Monogatari.
CG: Chida Tatsuya

■ Scene Black
Click here → 【 新竹取物語 黒の場 New Taketori Monogatari - Scene Black 】
There is a suitor who sinks into a dark and sorrowful state. When the luminous ball, which represents the jewel of the dragon's neck, moves, the comments online fall down one after another. The suitor expresses his feelings during a long voyage at sea, while the audience on site use the provided balls to destroy the remote comments mercilessly. Cameroonian actor Nfor Samuel will show a powerful performance of Taketori Monogatari.
CG: Asama Yuuki, Ihara Takumi

■ Scene White
Click here → 【 新竹取物語 白の場 New Taketori Monogatari - Scene White 】
Contemporary dancer Sagara Yumi does the task of the cowry shell born from a swallow. While the words of the story resonate, she dances holding a shell with motion sensors. Meanwhile, there is falling snow and lights between the clouds. All elements produce fantastic music and lights in the theatrical space. The shells can be handed to the audience on site, and they also play a role in the performance.
CG: Asama Yuuki, Yokoyama Daiki　Sound: Kobayashi Yuto

■ Theater Tour
Click here → 【 新竹取物語 劇場ツアー New Taketori Monogatari - Theater Tour 】
You can watch a 360° live stream of the Ogose Brewery as the theater. You can also enjoy the relationship between each scene as on site, which cannot be seen in the original story. Please enjoy the work and installations inspired by Princess Kaguya.
Theater Tour: Haginiwa Daichi　Installation: Kikuchi Takuya

Production: Project for Promotion of Advanced Humanities and Social Sciences (Saitama University and University of Electro-Communications) "Art Cooperated with Audience"

Director: Tove Björk
Playwright: Masuda Keisuke
Cast: Scene Blue: Sekine Junko, Scene Yellow: Hayashiya Hanahei, Scene Red: Kawano Seiichi, Scene Black: Nfor Samuel, Scene White: Sagara Yumi
Technical Director: Kobayashi Yoshinori
Art Director: Kodama Sachiko
Five tasks (Interactive art) Production:
　　　Kobayashi Laboratory, Saitama University (Fukuda Hisato, Otsu Koyo, Terauchi Ryota, Kikchi Takuya, Haginiwa Daichi, Bae Jaeyum)
　　　Kodama Laboratory, University of Electro-Communications (Asama Yuuki, Kobayashi Yuto, Yokoyama Daiki, Ihara Takumi, Chida Tatsuya, Sakuda Ryotaro)
Lighting Designer: Ijichi Arata
Sound Effect: Ogura Ippei
Props: Sato Harumi
Costume Designer: Kawai Ayako
Music for the finale: Masuda Keisuke
Cooperation: Kitamura Takumi, Ri Xiran, Itasaka Kiwako, Okazaki Satoshi, Namba Sayaka
Web Production: Kimura Makoto
Video Recording: Tohokushinsha Film Corporation / Mobercial

[Story]

The story is based on five suitors’ episodes in Taketori Monogatari.

For marrying Princess Kaguya, five cunning men take a variety of challenges. The Princess promises to marry the man who finds a rare treasure, but the suitors fail one after another. The first man is destroyed by his shallowness, the second by stinginess, the third by arrogance, the fourth by recklessness, and the fifth by his misfortune.

The treasure needed to be found is in a far ways land, and the only way to get it is to go there or through trade. Starting from the original episodes, the story is expanded in time and space through relationships that spreads through trade. And how do we respond to a world that has been through irreversible change because of trade? It is the theme. Trade has shortened the distance between the world and us. It is revealed by the infectious diseases in the 21st century. But it also includes the never-shortened distance among us.

[Please take a moment to fill out our questionnaire.]

Thank you for watching.
Please answer the questionnaire from the URL below after the play.

Please click on the link