Production:

The University Museum, theUniversity of Tokyo (UMUT) +SEAMI

Direction:

Seil Kim

Conception:

The actors, Mamoru Maekawa
and Ayumi Terada

Date&
Time:

Space and Exhibition Design:

Play IMT 4Intermediatheque

Theatre Performance

2016

To play with exhibits, to play 			
4/1 Fri. 18:30
within the exhibition space,to play with visitor s... T he 					4/2 Sat. 14:00- / 17:00issue of how actors can play 					4/8 Fri. 18:30within the Inter mediatheque
4/9 Sat. 14:00- / 17:00as a playground, is directly 					related to the possibilities of Venue: Intermediatheque 2-3 F
the actors’ physical expression
u n d e r t h e i n s p i r a t i o n o f Organizers: SEAMI + The University Museum,Supervision of theIntermediatheque:the exhibition space andt h e o b j e c t s s h ow n . Fo r t h i s the University of Tokyo (UMUT)
performance highlighting theplayful meaning of the series
UMUT Staff:
t i t l e “ P l a y I M T, ” i n o r d e r
Hiroyuki Sekioka /to draw maximum potential Men in Blackf r o m a c t o r s a s p l a ye r s , w e
HajimeMatsubara/
f ocused on the actor s’ own
Toshimasa Kikuchi
ideas to experiment on forms/Kei Osawa /of physical expression thatare only possible within the
HirotoNakatsubo/
Inter mediatheque. E xcept
Eriko Ueno / Mako
the conceptual presentation
distributed during the
Akishinonomiya /perfor mance with the help
Fumio Matsumotoof the audience, there is no Men in White/ Ai Shiraishi /script to this theatrical piece.
The scene titles and texts
Ayako
Fujino/Sota
i n Fra gments of Theatrical
YoshikawaReminiscences were created
Cooperation:
after the performance, during
Yamanote Jijosha
the postproduction.

Cast:

Yoshiaki Nishino

Hodaka Mitsui / Michiko Okubo /Chikako Shibasaki / Mirano
Suzuki / Shinji Tozawa / Chie
YoshidaNorihisa Honke / Inori Imamura /Mai Sasaki / Yoshiki Shibata /Mana TakeuchiFragments ofTheatricalReminiscences

SCENE 1 – BLACK The Men in Black’s Frustrations
SCENE 1 – WHITE The Men in White’s Joy
SCENE 2 – WHITE Paper Airplanes
SCENE 2 – BLACK Cry
SCENE 3 Black and White Crossing Paths
SCENE 4 – WHITE The Men in White’s Joy, Once More
SCENE 4 – BLACK The Men in Black’s Frustrations, Once More
SCENE 5 – BLACK The Way HomeSCENE 5 –WHITE Omen
SCENE 6 Black and White Colliding

One by one, the Men in Black start moving. Trying to obtain what they seek,
they roam COLONNADE2. Day after day, they toil endlessly, repeatedly inthis manner.
The world in which they live in, if we have to qualify it, is the realm of Earth.
Animal specimens, living creatures that have stopped breathing intermingle
with the Men in Black: from fish and monkeys, to the snakes that slithered
upon land, and the dolphins that swam the sea.
Sometimes, the Men in Black hold visitors captive, only to try to force out
their frustrations. It may only be seen as such, that they play and trifle as theyplease.

SCENE 1 – BLACK

The Men in Black’s
Frustrations

The Men in Black are standing, their expressions unreadable, but they are
frustrated. Their limitless desires have not been met.

The world in which they live, if we haveto qualify it, is the realm of Heaven.
COLONNADE3 is where they live, an
eternal playground. The Men in White
fly around freely, like the stuffed bird
specimens that surround them once did.
Once invited by the Men in White, eventhese specimens can come back to life
as their playmates. Dreams of life begin
here, without care for its occasional
cruelties.
Sometimes, the Men in White takevisitor s who have wandered in as
playmates. Just like it had been in
mythical worlds before the birth of
mankind, no words are needed. Or
rather, the Men in White probably do
not even know of the tool of language.

SCENE 1 – WHITEThe Men in White’s
Joy

The Men in White are playing. The
Men in White are children, pure andinnocent.

Paper Airplanes

The Men in White rejoice at theirdiscover y. This time, ever yone
begins dropping their paper
airplanes – innocently, they keepon playing.
One day, the Men in White
begin playing with paper
air planes. Taking white
paper airplanes into theirhands, they let them free
into the sk y, their whitewings floating lightly away.
As they chase after theirpaper airplanes, the Menin White leave the spaceof COLONNADE3. The情景 2 ■ – 紙飛行機
balcony lies outside their
domain, but still they
continue to play with zeal.

SCENE 2 – WHITE

One paper airplane flies outside
the balcony, swiveling as it falls.
The Men in White are stunned.
They realize suddenly that below
them lies a world they have yet to
know.

Cry

The Men in Black continue to wander
as though they were crawling the earth.
No matter how much they sigh, they will
not acquire what they desire here. Their
unsatisfied wants are like an unquenchable
thirst, a lonely, deep darkness.

Their desires only keep increasing. The
Men in Black’s cries reverberate throughout
COLONNADE2. They are like Salome
who desires the head of John, like the noble
women who want it all, like the knights who
thirst for only the highest honour.

SCENE 2 – BLACK

Between the walls of COLONNADE2, onevaguely sees a “window.” There, somethingwhite is falling. Something the Men in Black
have never before seen – the Men in White’spaper airplanes.

The Men in Black now realize that above
them lies an unknown world, and one by
one they leave COLONNADE2, headed totake on this world they have yet to know.

SCENE 3

Black and White Crossing
The Men in Black desperately
seek a way up the stairs. To leave
their territory for the unknown,
it seems too vulnerable for themto walk barefoot.

With the same purpose in mind,
a sense of solidarity between
them is borne, and in that brief
moment they are relieved of
their loneliness.

The Men in Black
come across boards
covered in red cloth.
These will now
help them ascend
the stairs. Thereare exactly as many
boards as there arepeople. As they
spread out upon thesteps, each board ishanded from below,
and one by one ast h e y c l i m b. O n l ywhen they finish thistask will they finallyr e a c h t h a t wo r l dabove.

The Men in White,
too, cannot suppress
their curiosity about
the world below. They
discover a frame at
the top of the stairs,
the opening to theworld below.
Peeking through theframe, a world neverbefore seen expandsb e l o w. E v e n t h efearful cannot help
but want to look.
Just to take a look,that is all. But at thismoment, someone
falls suddenly
through the frame,and slowly slides
down the stairs.
Those who have seen
this come f orward
to help their friend– o r r a t h e r, t h e ythemselves succumb
to curiosity as well,and one by one
dive into the depths
beneath the frame.
Just like that, theyslowly slide down thestairs, and as theirpure laughter fills theair, they are born into
a new world.

In the middle of the steps, the Men in Blackand the Men in White cross paths, andyet they remain unaware of each other’s
presence. The Men in Black take simple,
repetitive steps up in a daze, and the Menin White slide down, entranced in this newform of play.

However, once they spread out in COLONNADE2’s exhibition space, they
begin to move without hesitation, as though without even the slightest fear,
and a sense of exaltation spreads over the entire area.

The Men in White’s Joy,
Once More

The Men in White have reached the bottom of the stairs. It is a place they had
already seen, but the first step into a new world is still daunting. Using visitors
who happen to be there as a shield, they proceed hidden.

SCENE 4 – WHITE

Almost immediately,
the Men in White turnthis new world into
their playground, andas always, they begin
to play. As always,
unfamiliar people andunknown exhibits
become playmates.
The heavy air of the
Earth turns into thelight wind of Heaven.

The Men in Black have arrived at the top of thestairs. Taking in this new world, they dash out
with joy, as if they had become children again.

Once more, however, they become tortured bytheir desires. No matter how hard they search,
their desires continue to elude them, even in thisnew world. In the end, their act of searching andpursuing remains unchanged.

Despair strikes the Men in Black. They were
supposed to have come to Heaven, but in theend can only crawl the Earth. Their sobs of griefechoes through COLONNADE3.

The Men in Black’s
Frustrations,
Once More

SCENE 4 – BLACK

Guided by what sounds like sorrowful tunes, the Men in Black begin to gather.
They start walking in a straight line. It seems they do little else but return totheir own world.
Ploddingly, they reach the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, life will again go
on as usual, on constant, relentless repeat.

The Way HomeSCENE 5 – BLACK

The Men in Black Men are in grief. No longer can they remain in this world, aworld of despair.

SCENE 5 – WHITEThe Men in White continue playing. In the end, however,they will not stay in this world. No matter where, it willbe the same – the Men in White’s playground.
Voices are heard from somewhere – the laments of the
Men in Black above.
Despite being in completely different worlds, somethingis happening to both groups of people. What should nothave been heard can now be heard.
The Men in White still do not understand what it is they
hear, but still cannot help but listen. As though drawn
along by the voices, they began to run.

Omen

The Men in White begin to call out, and are finally seen by the Men in Black.
Now they finally meet for the first time, and a different energy begins topulsate.
The Men in White turn towards the Men in Black, and begin to spread theirenergy. A fun, joyful energy rises up from below.

Black and White Colliding

SCENE 6The Men in White grasp the direction where the voices come from, anddiscover the Men in Black at the top of the stairs.

The Men in Black receive that energy, andtheir own energy, so full of grief and anger,
gradually dissipates.
As though being drawn in unaware, theMen in Black begin their slide down
the stairs, smiles all over their faces as
they are purified and soothed by an easy,
comfortable rhythm.
The Men in White leap up and down as
though stirring up this rhythm for the firsttime, but soon become adjusted to it.
They lay down quietly, with smiling faces,
and together with the Men in Black, they
too begin their slide down. It seems as
though they are born into a new world.

Pieces of white paper flutter to the floor
below, thrown by visitors gathered on thebalcony. Like snow falling from the sky,they dance through the air as they fall.

The sound of waves is heard. Whether
for the haves or the have-nots, for thephilosopher or the fool, for the angel or thedevil, for those who watch or those being
watched – it is a calm, gentle time for all.

Flowing through this space, is the time forplay .

“To play with exhibits, to play within the exhibition
space, to play with visitors.” The Dutch historian Johan
Huizinga, in Homo Ludens , and the French sociologist
Roger Caillois in his influential book Man, Play andGames both argue that “playing” is man’s fundamental
freedom – to be at play, is to be free. Today’s museums,
however, seem to be spaces constrained by rules andlimitations – visitors must not touch the exhibits, must
not run about or cause nuisance. Yet should a museum
not be a place where exhibits are freely viewed – thevisitor’s playground? Or is it where we can do little else
but gaze silently, passively at still objects? Is it so difficult
to play freely at museum?
At Intermediatheque, our actors have been given“permission” to play, to do what might be “not allowed.”
However, while their bodies have been specially trainedfor performance, in reality these actors are not so
different from visitors like you and I. Their freely moving
physical performances therefore show that the museum
is not just a place with books, paintings and impersonaltechnology. Rather, it is a place where we, like the actors,
by calling upon our bodies and our imagination, canplay. One might treat their performance as somethingout of the ordinary, outside of daily life. But perhaps thismight inspire one to think, even just a little: “To what
extent will you be able to experience, with both mind
and body, where your imagination takes you? To what
extent have you been able to play?”

Actors at PlayToday, Intermediatheque is the playgroundwhere actors play.
With their bodies, with their voices,
With this space, with their audience,
They play.
And so for you who have come to theirplayground,
They will join you with the gods above.

Ayumi Terada (Affiliate Assistant Professor, Intermediatheque Department, UMUT)

Seil Kim (Leader, SEAMI)

The actor’s origins are as priestesses.
Priestesses are the medium between God andMan.
They entrust Man’s hopes and wishes to God.
They convey God’s meaning to Man.
They disguise themselves as Man,As beast, as nature, as deity.
With their bodies and their voices they play
And Man’s worry and sadness they take away.
Even today, the actor’s work remains
unchanged.
He performs Life and its relationships,
Beasts and nature,
The ways of this world.
With his body and his voice he plays
And the audience’s worry and sadness he takesaway.

The Museum PlaygroundPast Events
Public Discussion

Friday, February 6, 2015 / Performance 6:00 p.m. to 6:10 p.m.; Discussion 6:10 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
/ ACADEMIA

Tuesday, August 18, 2015, 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. / COLONNADE2"Play IMT"The University Museum,
We began the series of Play IMT events with the present public discussion.the Univer sity of Tok yo
We openly discussed the project, from its beginnings to its future
developments. By organically integrating from the very beginning theand SEAMI collaborate on
Intermediatheque collection and activities, as well as the people who comea theatrical project staged
here, into the theatrical creation process, what kind of theatrical expression
can be crystalized within a museum space? With all the meanings of theat the JP Tower Museum
word “play” as our keyword, we discussed from various viewpoints on theINTERMEDIATHEQUE.
theatrical possibilities of the Intermediatheque space, and reflected upon theThis project is an experiment
future perspectives of this project.
Public Discussion						on theatrical creation within“Play IMT (2) – On the Possibilities of Theatrical Creation Within thea m u s e u m s p a c e . W h i l eIntermediatheque”
pursuing new possibilities forcreative
activities
in
relationto
By organically integrating from the very beginning the Intermediathequecollection and activities, as well as the people who come here, into thethe scientific specimens andtheatrical creation process, what kind of theatrical expression can be crystalizedmuseum space proper to thewithin a museum space? For the second event of this series, we focused on
our relationship with objects and held a public discussion coupled with aIntermediatheque, we attempt
performance.
to
give
birth
to
new
forms
of
Experimental Performance				“Play IMT (3) – On the Possibilities of Theatrical Creation Within thetheatrical expression. In thisIntermediatheque”
context, and in order to build
For the third event of this series, we held an experimental performance withinup the process of theatricalthe exhibition space of the Intermediatheque. We staged simultaneously, in acreation in a public form, we
single gallery, several performances and installations sharing a common theme,
so as to further develop the theatrical possibilities of the Intermediatheque. Eachregularly hold related events atunit was conceived independently in connection with a given specimen, basedthe Intermediatheque, with all
on an original story about love. These units gradually inspired the audience toform a loose connection among them, eventually causing the whole space of thethe meanings of “play” as ourgallery to resonate. This experimental performance was aiming to produce a
keyword.
unique experience of time and space within the Intermediatheque.
Friday, November 7, 2014, 6:00 p.m. / ACADEMIA

Theatrical Creation Project“Play IMT – On the Possibilities of Theatrical Creation Within theIntermediatheque”

Play IMT 4 —Playground
Editing, Photography and Publishing: The University Museum, the University of Tokyo (UMUT)
Graphic design: Hiroyuki Sekioka + Eriko Ueno
Text: Ayumi Terada, Seil Kim
Translation: Kei Osawa, Xiao You Mok
Co-production: SEAMI
Date of publication: December 10, 2016
©Intermediatheque (IMT)