Yamasaki Kenta | 'Eel Migration' (SHIZUOKA World Theatre Festival 2026①)
Kenta Yamasaki directs 'Eel Migration', a work created through long-term research and dialogue with Brazilians living in Shizuoka.Summary
The play 'Eel Migration', directed by playwright Kenta Yamasaki, was performed at the 'SHIZUOKA World Theatre Festival 2026' from April 25 to May 6, 2026. This work was created through over a year of research and dialogue with Brazilians living in Shizuoka, presented through a work-in-progress performance. Using the motif of eels, a local specialty of Shizuoka that migrates approximately 3,000 kilometers to spawn, the play connects fragmented episodes like a game of association. Many of these striking episodes appear to be based on the real stories of the performers, giving the audience a tangible sense of the individuals standing before them. Conversely, the work sometimes soars into overt fiction; for instance, the Portuguese word for sea, 'mar', summons a fictional character named Maria, requesting the audience's imagination for things 'not present here.' The act of tracing one's roots leads to the image of an 'egg,' overlapping with a vector pointing toward an open future of possibility. The charming 'local residents' who stood proudly on stage alongside SPAC actors—Akamatsu Naomi, Kishima Go, Moriyama Fuyuko, and Yoshimi Akira—include Angela Aikawa, Ila Wendy, Haseyama Clayde Pereira, and Hino Yano. Additionally, the 'Festival café & bar ― Festa Brasil' was held at the Shizuoka Performing Arts Park, featuring a carrot cake that was actually cooked on stage in the play.
(Source：artscape)