A BELLOO CREATIVE (AUS), IDIOT SAVANT THEATER COMPANY (JAPAN) AND GOOD COMPANY ARTS (NZ) COLLABORATION

AKIRUNO

Image by Daniel Belton, Good Company Arts.

AKIRUNO is a transcultural, international collaboration between IDIOT SAVANT theatre company (Japan), Belloo Creative (Australia) and Good Company Arts (New Zealand). The work is an ecologically-focused, durational site work that draws in part from traditional Japanese folk tales. Originally scheduled to be performed at the Tokyo Tokyo Festival 2020, the work was postponed to 2021 to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics.

Akiruno is the name of a small village, west of Tokyo, in the mountains, where the Blue Herons nest in spring and summer. The all-ages performance, and film, is named after the village and was developed in collaboration with the community, including local actors, working alongside the ensemble of IDIOT SAVANT theatre company (Japan) and artists from Belloo Creative (Australia) and Good Company Arts (New Zealand).

AKIRUNO has received grant funding from the Australia-Japan Foundation (AJF) of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

AKIRUNO DOCUMENTARY

A documentary on the making of an international theatre show, with collaborators from three different countries, in the middle of a global pandemic.

A documentary on the making of an international theatre show, with collaborators from three different countries, in the middle of a global pandemic.

Belloo Creative (Australia), IDIOT SAVANT theater company (Japan) and Good Company Arts (New Zealand) started collaborating in 2018 and in 2021 they created the stage-show AKIRUNO as part of the Tokyo Tokyo Festival.

Here's how they worked together when none of them could be in the same physical space.

Credits

Documentary concept: Caroline Dunphy & Katherine Lyall-Watson
Filming & Editing: Shaun Charles
Dramaturgical research: Dr Kathryn Kelly
Original music: Daniel Belton & Good Company Arts featuring Jac Grenfell, Al Fraser and Eliahpt (Aotearoa NZ)
Original test film design & projection work: Good Company Arts
AKIRUNO rehearsal footage & interviews: Kintaro Iwakura
Footage from Critical Path’s INFORM #2 thanks to NORPA

This documentary was created thanks to support from the Australian Government through the Australia-Japan Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

AKIRUNO PRODUCTION, 2021

Image of Nao Akao performing in the AKIRUNO production in 2021.

AKIRUNO was finally performed on the 2, 3 and 4 July 2021 at Tokura Shiroyama Terrace with modified digital involvement from Belloo Creative as we could not travel for the production.

AKIRUNO is a joyful, transcultural collaboration based on traditional Japanese folk tales from the Akiruno region of Japan. AKIRUNO was an international collaboration between IDIOT SAVANT theater company, Belloo Creative and Good Company Arts working with Queensland University of Technology.

Akiruno Cast

朱尾尚生Nao Akao　
近藤康弘Yasuhiro Kondo
新井千賀子Chikako Arai
平子亜未Ami Hirako
玉井沙季Saki Tamai
澤田鯉太郎Koitaro Sawada
西尾友夏Yuka Nishio
堰口無音Muon Sekiguchi
元山竜徳Ryutoku Motoyama
大屋優花Yuka Oya
宮川恵実Emi Miyagawa
青木泉Izumi Aoki
西川璃音Rion Nishikawa
奥村等士Hitoshi Okumura
立堀貴子Takako Tatebori
Film Performers | Zachary Boulton; Giema Contini; Caroline Dunphy

AKIRUNO was supported by Arts Council Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, the Australian Government through the Australia-Japan Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Creative New Zealand toi Aotearoa.

(digital) script development 2020

As Belloo Creative were unable to travel to Japan in June 2020 to rehearse and perform AKIRUNO due to COVID-19, we developed digital storytelling modules with Australian artists. This creative development focused on writing five short-form scripts based on Japanese folktales specific to the Akiruno region and finding ways to rehearse and film with artists in different states and countries.

Credits

Performers
Kirk Page
Alice Marsh
Zachary Boulton

The digital script development was assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.