© Michèle Laurent
© Michèle Laurent
Now in its fifty-ninth year, the France’s Théâtre du Soleil is one of the leading theatre companies in the world, having creating numerous internationally acclaimed masterpieces that innovatively explore the possibilities of theatre. Adopting a fundamentally non-hierarchical management style and collective approach to creativity, the company has continued to reinvent the performing arts by drawing on traditional forms of performance from different cultures and eras.
Its body of work reveals the influence of Japanese performing arts traditions like noh, kabuki, and bunraku, which fascinated director Ariane Mnouchkine early in her career. L’île d’Or Kanemu-jima was greatly inspired by and conceived out of the Mnouchkine’s visit to various places in Japan, including Sado Island, and further developed out of research and exchanges during her stay in Japan to receive the 2019 Kyoto Prize, and workshops held with Japanese noh practitioners and theatre professionals during the coronavirus pandemic. Though originally planned for autumn 2021, the performances were canceled due to the pandemic. Two years later, audiences finally have their chance to witness this incredible spectacle. This production, which premiered at the company’s theatre La Cartoucherie near Paris in November 2021 to great acclaim, marks Théâtre du Soleil’s first visit to Japan in twenty-two years and its first ever performances in Kansai.
Information
2023.11.4 (SAT) – 11.5 (SUN)
Venue : Main Hall
About
Credits
By Théâtre du Soleil
Directed by Ariane Mnouchkine (2019 Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy)
Creative Associate: Hélène Cixous
Music: Jean-Jacques Lemêtre
Performed by Théâtre du Soleil
©︎Pascal Gallepe
Théâtre du Soleil
Founded in France in 1964, Théâtre du Soleil (Theatre of the Sun) is based at La Cartoucherie, a former munitions factory located in a Paris suburb, and known for its uniquely collective approach to creativity. It attracted global attention with 1789 (1970), dealing with the French Revolution and staged in a highly innovative theatrical style. Its wide-ranging repertoire includes classics, masque, and works about contemporary issues like the refugees. It first toured to Japan in 2001, staging Tambours sur la Digue at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, and causing a stir with its bold use of Asian puppetry, especially Japanese bunraku.
© Inamori Foundation
Ariane Mnouchkine
Born in Paris in 1939 as the daughter of a Russian film producer father, Ariane Mnouchkine enjoyed a cultural upbringing. In 1959, while a student at the Sorbonne, she founded the theatre troupe Association Théâtrale des Étudiants de Paris (Parisian Students’ Theatrical Association), which later developed into Théâtre du Soleil in 1964. The previous year, she visited Japan and the experience of her trip had a major influence on her subsequent theatre career. Based at La Cartoucherie in a Parisian suburb, Théâtre du Soleil is known for its uniquely collective approach to creativity. Under the leadership of Mnouchkine, it has staged many notable productions of classics and contemporary theatre. As a film director, her work includes 1789 and Molière, and she also actively engages in making film adaptations of the company’s stage productions. She has taken her École Nomade itinerant theatre school around the world, helping to nurture young theatrical talent. In 2019, she was awarded the 35th Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy in recognition of her long career and achievements.
Related Events
Théâtre du Soleil Screenings and Talk: Sunday 29 October (Kyoto Art Theater Shunjuza at Kyoto University of the Arts)
Théâtre du Soleil Performance Workshop: Wednesday 1 November (ROHM Theatre Kyoto)
Notes related to COVID-19
Please follow ROHM Theatre Kyoto’s basic rules on measures against COVID-19.
Here(Japanese Only)
Presented by ROHM Theatre Kyoto (Kyoto City Music Art Cultural Promoting Foundation), Kyoto City
Co-commissioned by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre)
Co-presented by Kyoto Shimbun
Special Sponsor: The Inamori Foundation
Contact
ROHM Theatre Kyoto TEL.075-746-3201
Tickets
Ticket Prices
all seats reservedS: ¥8,000 / A: ¥6,000 / 25 and Under: ¥4,000 / 18 and Under:free
Tickets on Sale
2023.7.15 (SAT)
Tickets Available from
- ROHM Theatre Kyoto Online Tickets
- ROHM Theatre Kyoto Box Office［窓口・電話 TEL.075-746-3201（10:00～17:00、年中無休 ※臨時休館日等により変更の場合あり）］
- Kyoto Concert Hall Box Office［TEL.075-711-3231 (10:00～17:00 closed on the 1st and the 3rd Mondays, and the following Tuesday in case 1st or 3rd Monday is a national holiday) ］
観劇サポート
For Hearing-Impaired Audiences
Portable Caption Devices and Text-Based Support
Portable devices for viewing captions and stage surtitles (written descriptions) are available. They allow audiences to follow the dialogue in a written format and also display descriptions of sound effects, noises, and music. Audiences can watch what is happening onstage while referring to the displayed text.
Hearing Loop
A hearing loop (also known as an audio induction loop) is a system for amplifying onstage sounds by relaying them from a transmitter to special headset. Audiences who use telecoil hearing aids or cochlear implants can receive the sounds from the transmitter without the special headset.
Babysitting Services
Childcare is available for audiences with young children so that they can better enjoy performances. Information on how and when to reserve will be available here.
For ages: from 3 months up to school age
Fee: ¥1,000 (per person and performance)
Fee may vary for certain performances.
For further information and reservations, please see each production page.
Childcare services are not available for certain performances.