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TOBU-GEKIJOU (Flying Theater)
Company’s Profile l Formed in 1987.
Based in City of Kitakyushu. Opened Performances in Tokyo, Kansai, Shikoku, and Chubu Areas.
l In 1992, was selected as “IMZ Shibai” Best Play Troupe, and performed at IMZ Hall.
l In 1993, Tomari, the current representative, returns from Tokyo and focuses on writing and producing for the play troupe.
l In 1997, Atsushi Tomari received Best New Playwright Award by Japan Playwright Association for “Seitaikei Kazukun”.
l In June 2001, “The End of Asia” broadcasts on Theatre Television (CS)
l In January 2002, “Rocket Hassha-seri” broadcasts on Theatre Television (CS)
Profile of Atsushi Tomari
Representative, “Tobu-Gekijo” (Flying Theatre)/Playwriter/Theatrical Director
Born in Kitakyushu city, Fukuoka in 1968
In 1993, Tomari, the current representative, returns from Tokyo and focuses on writing and producing for the play troupe.
1997:Rceived The Best New Playwright Award by The Japan Playwright Association for
“Seitaikei Kazu-kun(ECOSYS: KAZU-KUN)”
1999:Earned Nomination and was the Finalist for The 44th Annual Kishida Drama Award for “IRON”
2002:awarded Encouragement Prize of Kitakyushu City Cultural Awards
Developing plays that astonishingly describe daily secrets,using words that are rich in regional dialect,
and focusing on exaltation of the “Holiday” through music and dance.
“Seitaikei Kazu-kun(ECOSYS: KAZU-KUN)”
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In this fictional rural community, people live with cat-like creatures. The story revolves around Kazu-kun, one such creature, as the family and relatives get together for Grandma's funeral. Her soul had wandered away. Can they bring it back to her body in order to carry out a proper funeral? Their desperate yet comical attempts depicted through dialectal conversations gives this piece a cheerful, calm, warm, severe and dear atmosphere. |
| Premiered in 1997, this winner of the 3rd JPA New Drama Award, has been presented by many theater groups throughout Japan. It was translated into Chinese and presented in Beijing in 2001. |
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“IRON”
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the first public performance:1999 nominated for Kishida Playwright Award in 1999 |
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| performance:2002 （by an executive committee for Kitakyusyu performing arts festival ) Directed by Satoshi Miyagi |
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“THE END OF ASIA”
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Based on the playwright's own experience
in the Himalayas, this piece depicts people meeting only to part again a moment later, in an inn in the small fictional country of Gowazahm. Fictional and yet so realistic were the set and the props. So was the language of Gowazahm, created by the troupe for this piece, The audience may not have understood the word-by-word meaning, but they were directly touched by what was going on stage, as they listened to the lines spoken in 4 different languages: Japanese, English, Korean, and Gowazahm. |
| the first public performance:1995 2000-2001: in Tokyo,Itami,Kitakyusyu |
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“Rocket Hassha-seri”
“SEARCHING FOR MACHINE-DREAMABLE DREAMS”
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the first public performance:1996 |
| performance:2001 photo page(Japanese) |
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“Mi-mo Kokoro-mo(Heart and Hand)”
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Everybody in the university’s film circle
has the exciting film festival in their mind and is too busy to look further ahead. Some make worthless films, some are amused at love games, and some take on the topic of religion. In their daily moratorium circle, there lies an underlying theme of “death” that spreads like a small ripple effect. “Why can’t I be more like a person who loves nobody?” This is a “unique love-hate play” that can easily shake the calm daily lives and also violently move the mind as well. |
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| With this play, Atsushi Tomari ventures into the new genre of “Love Play”, that crazily depicts the Anti-Romantic Adolescent Group. Based on the idea of Natsume Soseki’s “Kokoro”, the play explores the fantasies of the human mind. |  |
| “Mi-mo Kokoro-mo(Heart and Hand)”drama criticism | |
| Obstinacy of “Kitakyushu-ism” by Yasuhiro Hariki
(theatre critic) Film Director Shinji Aoyama, Playwright Matsuo Suzuki, also people from older generation such as Photographer and Essayist Shinya Fujiwara, and Short Story Writer Seicho Matsumoto. Expressionists from Kitakyushu target the human and reveal the bare truth. It seems that their battle to prove against the feeling of world collapse fosters people that are a little maniac. The tendency to believe in this existence does not come from cities where one lives with a businesslike attitude. “Heart and Hand”, also has the style from Kitakyushu. It doesn’t show blood gushing, but instead tries to evoke the sound of bone breaking…The plot is like the local news. It doesn’t conclude there, but it continuously expands which makes to play splendid…What is drawn is not love, but Eros. Eros then turns into Thnatos(impulse of death). The actresses that support it are excellent. In other words, the women are scary. Tomari doesn’t view people as romantic. He doesn’t. （From June 6, 2002 edition of Asahi Shinbun） |
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| Adolescence of the Body and Soul by Masao Noso (theater
producer) There are times when the body acts candidly, and there are times when the body falls into deep sadness. This type of “Adolescence” is the right time where body and soul is depicted in the new play called “Heart and Hand”.The setting is at the university’s film circle. There lies the daily loud noise and love-hate emotion. To live or to die, to love or not to love…The shadow in the light of adolescence clings to the light and shadow of the movie. The transformation of adolescence gets enclosed in the everlasting time of the movies. The stage tries to follow the same process. However, when one realizes, the movie shown is the only thing that remains in space and the presence of adolescence, as well as the time that the stage depicted disappears without a trace. At that time, the thing that oozed out of my body and soul is the forgotten days of “those days”. A lonely feeling that the play depicts is not bad at all. view the lighter side in them, but rather the darker side. |
We, the Flying Theater, are looking forward to meeting you!
mail to info@tobugeki.com