INDEX
Navigating the Conclusion of Creative Pursuits
-In my view, both in bands and playwrights, there’s often a pattern where they start off edgy and gradually mature. However, I feel like it’s the opposite for both of you. Sokabe-san had songs like just chanting “FUCK YOU,” and HANCHU-YUEI also started out with more pop and comedic elements that have gradually evolved into a more unsettling style. It’s not rejecting maturity but rather becoming sharper and sharper.
Sokabe: I think that is maturity.
-I see.
Sokabe: I don’t think I’m trying to be young again at all, but I think I’m becoming sharper and more minimalistic. I think the last song I’m going to sing is something like, “Grandpa, you don’t talk anymore.
-Sato Shinji of Fishmans once said something to the effect that the ultimate form of expression is silence.
Sokabe: Oh, I see. That’s right. I wish I could go that far. What do you think? Where do you want to go in the end?
Yamamoto: I’ve decided until what age I’ll actively keep going.
Sokabe: Until what age? Can you say?
Yamamoto: No, I don’t want to tell you this [laughs], but I have set myself the goal of staying active until that age, no matter what happens.
Sokabe: Why did you decide that?
Yamamoto: There was a moment when I faced the stark choice of whether to quit creative activities or not. It was like hell… At that time, I thought, no matter how I struggle, I have to keep going. I realized that the world of “quitting” didn’t make me happy at all. So, when I wondered what it meant to “not quit,” I had to decide in myself until when I would continue, and prepare myself for that.
Not being able to quit expressing oneself is like a kind of illness in a way. But for me, it’s something that brings me a lot of happiness. So, I may not be skilled, and there may be areas where I fall short, but each time I face a work, I strive to renew my values within myself. Also, I hope that improving my own work will contribute to improving art in general.
Sokabe: Wow, that’s great. I am more of a lazy person, and I don’t feel like I have been engaged in expressive activities to improve myself. I think I was more interested in transferring something inside of me to the sound source and leaving it empty at the end. I don’t feel like I’m trying to improve myself at all, and that makes me a little sad.
Yamamoto: [laughs].
Sokabe: I now feel that I should try to sharpen myself every time I make a new work, and be prepared to do so. I think there is of course something good and wonderful about the feeling of abandoning oneself, but I want to reconsider whether it is really a good thing to do so. I don’t know how to do that, but I would like to think about it carefully. I feel that your words will be very important for me in the future.
HANCHU-YUEI “Kokoro no Koe Nado Kikoeru ka”
Schedule
July 6 (Sat) – 14 (Sun), 2024
July 6th (Tue) 18:30
July 7th (Sun) 14:00
July 8th (Monday) Closed
July 9th (Tue) 19:00
July 10th (Wed) 19:00
July 11th (Thu) 14:00
July 12th (Friday) 19:00
July 13th (Sat) 14:00/18:30
July 14th (Sunday) 14:00
Reception: 45 minutes before the show starts / Doors open: 30 minutes before the show starts
Running time: approx. 115 minutes
After Talk: Details will be announced as soon as they are finalized.
Venue
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space, Theater East
1-8-1 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0021, Japan
Phone: 03-5391-2111 (main line) Fax: 03-5391-2215 (office hours) 9:00 – 22:00 (except holidays)
Access: 2 min. walk from Ikebukuro Station (West exit) on JR, Tokyo Metro, Tobu Tojo Line, and Ikebukuro Line. Direct connection from exit 2b of the station’s underground passage.
Fee
General admission: 4,500 yen U25: 3,500 yen High school students and under: 1,000 yen (flat rate)
Distance discount, discount for the disabled: 1,500 yen off each Day ticket: 500 yen more each
Please show proof of discount tickets.
DISTANCE DISCOUNT is available for those coming from outside of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama.
Discounts for the disabled include one caregiver at the same price. Please apply for two tickets using the form.
Tickets: May 18th (Saturday) 10:00am, on sale to the general public
Seats with number of entrance number
Seats will be allocated in the order of reservation.
Seats will be allocated in the order of reservation. Since the tickets are issued from Play Guide No. 1, please enter at the same time even if there are several people with the same number.
Advance tickets must be paid by credit card or at a convenience store, and tickets must be issued in advance.
Changes to reservations and reissue of tickets are not possible.
Please be aware that you may not be shown to your seat after the performance time.
Pre-school children are not allowed to enter.
*If you are coming in a car with a wheelchair, please contact the theater company in advance to secure a space.
Credits
Cast: Kan Fukuwara, Sae Igami, Tomoka Ishihara, Mizuki Kano, Takayuki Ueda, Suguru Yamamoto
Writer & Director: Suguru Yamamoto
Music: Keiichi Sokabe
Art: Tomomi Nakamura
Lighting: Takayuki Tomiyama
Sound: Nobu Ikeda
Costume: Rie Usui
Stage Manager: Yoshiko Haraguchi
Director’s Assistant: Takayuki Ueda
Assistant Director: Yuya Kimura
Promotional Art: Hokuto Kudo
Production: Chiyori Fujii
Producer: Momo Sakamoto
Collaboration: Prissima, Momerasu, Youstail LLC, Conel LLC, Momonga Complex LLC, Roro LLC, Morishita Studio, Kyuuna Saka Studio
Grant: Arts and Culture Promotion Fund, Saison Foundation (Saison Fellow)
Partnership: Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Organized by: HANCHU-YUEI LLC
HANCHU-YUEI “Can You Hear the Voices of Hearts?” Special Page: https://www.hanchuyuei2017.com/kokoronokoe2024
HANCHU-YUEI Official Website: https://www.hanchuyuei2017.com/
