CHELFTISCH THEATRE COMPANY

Presented with Japan Society



"By juxtaposing global events and personal revelations [Okada] beautifully captures the distance and conflict between them." - Yomiuri Newspaper

Jan 21 - Jan 24, 2009 9pm
Performance Works

Post-show Talkback Jan 22

Writer & Director Toshiki Okada
Performers Taichi Yamagata, Luchino Yamazaki, Hiromasa Shimonishi, Kohei Matsueda, Tomomitsu Adachi, Riki Takeda, Izumi Aoyagi
Stage Manager So Ozaki
Sound Technician Norimasa Ushikawa
Lighting Technician Tomomi Ohira
Producer Akane Nakamura
Company Tour Manager Fumiko Toda

In Japanese with English Surtitles

In March 2003, in the days before the US war against Iraq, two Japanese urban hipsters meet at a post-rock show and are swept into a one-night stand that turns into five days’ continuous sex. Such is the anticlimactic story in Five Days in March, the prestigious Kishida Kunio Drama Award-winning play by Toshiki Okada. The story unfolds through actors who slip in and out of character while casually narrating and playing out scenes. Oblivious to the imminent invasion of Iraq, the slackers obsess over the details of a love affair, perfectly capturing the irony and impotence of Generation Y in Japan today.

Characterized by seemingly insubstantial narrative accompanied by exaggerated fidgeting gestures-turned-choreography, the ground-breaking and modern works of chelfitsch Theatre Company have made them the most talked-about theatre company in Japan. The company's name, “chelfitsch,” is Okada's coinage. It represents a baby-like disarticulation of the English word selfish, evoking the social and cultural characteristics of today's urban Japan.

Visit the chelfitsch site |  YouTube video of Five Days in March

The seven-city North American tour is organized and produced by the Japan Society and is supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan; The Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN Program; and The Saison Foundation for the Japan Society’s Japanese Theater NOW initiative.

Tickets $30.00/24.00

Add $2 for at-door ticket purchases. This show is fully eligible for PuSh Pass access. Group sales available, $20 for groups 10 or more, contact groups@pushfestival.ca for more information