Torikouen was founded by playwright/director Nishio Kaori in 2007. Her signature 2017 work – Hey God, Job’s Calling You! – was a finalist for the 62nd Kishida Kunio Drama Award. It reinterprets the biblical Book of Job, which depicts the hardships faced by the devout and righteous Job, as a story set in modern Japan. This recreation is directed by Miura Urin.
Kiho is a single mother working in the sex trade. Abused by her clients, she grows mentally ill, abandons her child, and becomes an alcoholic recluse. She is visited variously by her brother, landlord, and her brother’s thuggish underling, who all shower her with righteous words. Unlike Job, who had words to express his sufferings to God, the self-righteous language directed unilaterally at Kiho was designed to control her psychologically and express the speaker’s sense of superiority.
At the same time, Kiho has since childhood often dreamed of a middle-aged man named Takao-chan. He was like an ageless child, and Kiho enjoyed escaping reality with him in her dreams. One day, he suddenly declares, “I’m a 56-year-old living in Ota Ward and haven’t left home in 30 years.” With that revelation, Kiho’s own trauma of childhood sexual abuse floods her memory. The play depicts the distortions of a world in which the boundaries between dream and reality are tenuous.

2023
Hachioji City Art & Cultural Hall, Icho Hall

Presented by The Japan Foundation (JF) (https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/)
In cooperation with EPAD (https://epad.jp)

＜Performance Credits＞
Performed by HARADA tsumugi（Tokyo Deathlock / Nuthmique）, AKIBA Seiji（Passion of Flamingo）, SUGIYAMA Ken（Tonali-ya）, NOJIMA Mizuho（écru inc / Seinendan）, KUROKAWA Takehiko（Momeraths）, TSUNEYOSHI Yasuyuki
Written by NISHIO Kaori（Bird Park）
Directed by MIURA Urin（Tonali-ya）
Music by TSUNEYOSHI Yasuyuki, MIURA Urin（Tonali-ya）
Scenic Design by KITABAYASHI Minami, NAKAMURA Tomomi
Lighting Design by NAKAYAMA Nami
Sound Design by SAKURAUCHI Shomi（Seinendan, Offton）
Costume Design by NAGASE Taiki（Tonali-ya）
Stage Manager : KANETSUKI Hayato
Planning and Production : Bird Park

＜Subtitling Credits＞
Multilingual subtitling: Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan

Chinese Translation (Simplified): WU Zhenzhen
Chinese Translation (Traditional): nonunique solutions
English Translation: YAMAGATA Mirei
Spanish Translation:Karla FUJI

＜Promotional Text＞
TAKASHIMA Megumi

＜Company Website＞
https://bird-park.com/