chelfitsch“The Window of Spaceship ‘In-Between’”

Toyooka Theater Festival 2025 Director’s Program

chelfitsch

“The Window of Spaceship ‘In-Between’”

Playwright / Director: Toshiki Okada

With the mission of halting the degeneration of a certain language, the four-person crew of the spaceship In-Between are joined by an android and an extra-terrestrial being they happened to meet during their voyage throughout the Milky Way. These characters come to engage in a dialogue about language while floating in space. Just who exactly can claim ownership of “our language” that is spoken and transformed over the course of the performance?

In order to expand the possibilities of the Japanese language in theater beyond “correct” pronunciation or grammar, chelfitsch began holding a series of workshops in 2021 for people whose first language is not Japanese under Theater project with non-native Japanese speaker. “The Window of Spaceship In-Between” is a theatrical work created with actors chelfitsch encountered through these workshops.

【Area】Toyooka

【Venue】Professional College of Arts and Tourism

【Date and Time】
Sep.22(Mon)19:00
Sep.23(Tue)11:00

【Performance Duration】Approx. 100 minutes

【Performance Language】
Performed in Japanese only
*English subtitles

【Performers】
Mari Ando, Qiucheng Xu, Tina Rosner, Ness Roque, Robert Zetzsche, Leon Koh Yonekawa

【Staff】
Set design: Ayami Sasaki
Sound designer: Raku Nakahara（KARABINER inc.）
Sound creator: Kimitoshi Sato
Lighting designer: Yukiko Yoshimoto
Costume: Kyoko Fujitani
Technical director: Daijiro Kawakami (Scale Laboratory)
Assistant director: Justin Karera Yamamoto (Dr. Holiday Laboratory)
Translation: Aya Ogawa
Publicity design: Yuriko Nakamura
Publicity Photograph: Hideto Maezawa
Producer: Megumi Mizuno (precog) , Tamiko Ouki（precog）
Production manager: Nanami Endo
Assistant production manager: Hinata Chida(precog)

【Accessibility】
・Wheelchairs accommodated
・Free entrance for aide
・Childcare services
・English subtitles

If you require any of the following services, please contact the Toyooka Theater Festival Festival Center before purchasing tickets.
- Those who have a disability certificate and wish to be accompanied by an aide.
- Those who plan to attend the festival in a wheelchair.
- Those who wish to use childcare services.

Childcare services (reservation required)
Date:Sep.23(Tue)11:00
*Free childcare service provided.

【Notes】
*English subtitles
*Preschool children are not admitted.

【Credits】
Production: chelfitsch
Co-production: KYOTO EXPERIMENT
Planning and Production Management: precog co., LTD.

Presented by Toyooka Theater Festival Executive Committee,Japan Arts Council and Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan

chelfitsch
chelfitsch is a theater company founded in 1997 by Toshiki Okada, who writes and directs all of their productions. They made their overseas debut in 2007 with a performance of “Five Days in March” at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels, Belgium. Since then, chelfitsch has performed in over ninety cities in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. With the launch of the Non-Native Japanese Speaker Theater Project in 2021, they have held workshops for people whose first language is not Japanese, and released the theatrical work “The Window of Spaceship In-Between” in 2023.

Toshiki Okada
Toshiki OkadaToshiki Okada is a playwright, an author, and founder of the theater company chelfitsch. Since debuting overseas with “Five Days in March” in 2007, he has performed in over ninety cities worldwide. In addition to actively collaborating with a wide range of musicians, artists, dancers, rappers, and other creative professionals, Okada has continuously written and directed repertoire performances for German state theaters since 2016.

https://toyooka-theaterfestival.jp/en/program/9878/