Ressenchka was founded in 2013 by director Kawai Hogara to reexamine the relationship between personal memory and society through original interview-based plays and existing works.
Miyoshi Juro’s 1950 work is a one-woman show in which Midorikawa Misa, a striptease artist at an upscale nightclub, recounts her life story after her final performance. Raised in a rural town, she is drawn to her sickly elder brother’s left-wing philosophy and goes to Tokyo in his place. She devotes herself to her studies while working as a live-in maid for Professor Yamada, her brother’s ideological mentor. She becomes increasingly attracted to Yamada’s younger brother Tetsuo. As ideological control strengthens under the wartime government, Yamada turns away from his left-wing views. Misa, however, believing in her respected mentor’s former words, devotes herself with vigor to serving her nation. She recalls her experiences: her brother’s death from illness, her mobilization to a munitions factory, the farewell kiss from Tetsuo when he is called to the front, the Tokyo air raid. After the war, Misa, who has gone from streetwalker to stripper, learns that Yamada has resumed his left-wing ways as if nothing had happened. She is filled with intense hatred and murderous intent. With the precious sword inherited from her mother in hand, she tails Mr. Yamada, when something catches her eye…
Through the candid confessions serving as another type of strip show, this turbulent tale reveals the essence of humans in a passionate performance by Watanabe Ayako.

*The sound has been muted in certain scenes for copyright reasons. Please watch with subtitles enabled.

2023
ATELIER SHUNPUSHA

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

＜Performance Credits＞
Performer: WATANABE Ayako
Playwright: MIYOSHI Juro
Direction/Scenographer: KAWAI Hogara（Ressenchka）
Dramaturg/Stage Manager/Costume Design: AONO Mao（Seinendan）
Sound Design/Lighting Design: SAKURAUCHI Shomi（Offton）
Production: KANAI Miki
Production Assistant: HANZAWA Hirohiko
Makeup design: Mu-
Photographer: manami tanaka
Video Shooting: INAGAWA Satoshi（Seinendan）

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

Chinese Translation (Simplified): LIN Shu　
Chinese Translation (Traditional): nonunique solutions　
English Translation: Brendan Craine　
Spanish Translation: David TARANCO　

＜Promotional Text＞
TAKAHASHI Megumi

＜Company Website＞
https://www.ressenchka.com/