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Shonen-gai (Boy's Town) 1991

Ishinha is an Osaka based theatre company founded in 1970 under the direction of Yukichi Matsumoto. Over the years it has grown considerably, and today it consists of 35 performers and supporting staff of 20. When Ishinha was first founded, it focused on cutting edge performance art events with a very pure and refined aesthetic appeal. As it has evolved, however, the style of performance has also changed. The company now concentrates on discovering the essential nature of theatrical activity, thereby developing a particular performance style which has increased its appeal to far wider audience.

Ishinha has performed in regular theatres, but Ishinha’s unique image comes from focusing on building its own outdoor performance spaces. These special temporary theatres have a completely unique quality to them, making the experience of an Ishinha performance unlike any other. Recent projects Ishinha has undertaken include;

Ryusei (The shooting star) 2000

In 1991, Shonen-gai (Boy’s Town) was performed in a huge lot that once was the site of the National Railway Yards in Shiodome, Tokyo. In order to do this, 100 people spent a month building a shantytown called the “Theatre of Mirages”.

In 1996, “Romance” was performed at the docks in South Osaka in a specially constructed venue called “ the Kinetic Theatre” that was dominated by functionary steam vents.

In 1999 Mizumachi(Water City) was performed in Osaka. For this show, the performance space called “Theatre of water” was built, using 650 tons of water. MIZUMACHI won the Osaka Prefecture Performing Arts. It was then toured to Adelaide, Australia, participating in “The Adelaide Festival” in 2000. It was Ishiha’s first taste of international touring.

In 2000 Ishinha built a huge outdoor performance space called “ The Cubic Theatre”, where Ryusei (The shooting star) was performed. It also was performed in Hamburg (Germany), Rubiera (Italy), and Belfast (the UK) in 2001.

In 2002 , as a “Drifting Theatre,” Ishinha chose the Inushima island in Okayama prefecture for “Kankara “(An Empty Tin Can). The show earned Ishinha the 2nd Asahi Performing Arts Award (by The Asahi News Paper Ltd).

Although these descriptions are brief, it is possible to get a sense of the impact of these productions. The performance spaces are designed to make full use of the surrounding area by ”borrowing” the neighboring landscape as a backdrop for the performance. Also, care is taken in crafting the total experience, from the first approach, through the lobby area and into the audience and performance area. Every element is coordinated, but never in a way that overwhelms the performance itself. Ultimately Ishinha is an experience between the actors and the audience, and the energy of the performers is reflected and supported by the surrounding elements creating a uniquely powerful impression.

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