Director: Shinji Okayasu
Playwright: Shinji Okayasu
Institution: Toho Gakuen College of Drama & Music, Japan
Venue: North Theatre
Time: 10:00~12:00, May 22, 2010
Event: ATEC 5th International Forum with the 1st Asian Theatre Schools Festival
Director’s Notes
Thanks to the astounding evolution of computer, the ways of artistic expression have become diversified, for example, the use of three-dimensional picture. Though, I wanted to make this story of dragons with the movements of living persons only. The dragons are thought to be a symbolic presence of “energy” or vital force in Japan.
In the world of art, when the three conditions, good time, good place and good performers, are fulfilled, there sometimes appear a state of divine possession and an inspired performance.
It is a great pleasure if you enjoy our BANRYU.
Synopsis
Banryu is a small dragon which cannot go up to heaven.
A small poor and depopulated village in northern part of Japan invited a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in order to get money for survival. In the village there is a very small shrine sacred to the Dragon God. Every year a play is performed in front of the shrine for the purpose of calming the anger of the Dragon God. The performers are members of the village fire brigade, which is composed by people who have various different occupations.
Dragon belongs to the twelve animal signs of the Chinese and Japanese zodiac. A dragon is deceived by a mouse and is forced to eat another dragon. As a result, dragon becomes an imaginary animal.
In this performance, one role is played by several actors and actresses by turns, which expresses the ecdysis of dragons.