ARCHIVE
PUYEY 6th season
Ontarōs — Rōrō March
Ontarōs — Rōrō March
Script & Direction: Keiko Takano
Music: Masumi Goto
Cast: Shiori Intsuka, Masumi Goto, Keiko Takano,
Yoshie Tateishi, Keisuke Hidaka, Mayumi Matsunaga
Ontarō descends once again to reduce human negative energy—
this time to visit Tomoeda-san, a 79-year-old woman living alone who mutters,
“I wish my time would just come soon…”
Can Ontarō lower the negative energies of people navigating life in a super-aged society?
A sequel to “Ontarōs,” the widely acclaimed 2023 production!
Performance History
2024
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November 15 — Hita @ Patria Hita Small Hall
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December 13–15 — Kitakyushu @ Edamitsu Honmachi Shopping Street Iron Theatre
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December 21–22 — Mimata @ Mimata Town Cultural Hall
A commissioned work for the
60th Anniversary Cultural Appreciation Program of Oita Prefectural Hita Mikuma High School.
“Gekitotsu × 20min” Victory Commemorative Performance
PUYEY 5th Season
Ontarōs
Ontarōs
Written & Directed by: Keiko Takano
Music: Masumi Goto
Cast: Shiori Intsuka, Masumi Goto, Keiko Takano,
Moe Tejima, Mayumi Matsunaga, Matsuhiro Morikawa (Bakabondo-za)
Ontarōs—dispatched by the emotional deities, the Emo-kami—arrive on Earth to help dissolve human grudges and negative energies in any way they can.
This time, Ontarō descends to support Jun, a brand-new elementary school teacher starting her career this spring…
But is she the only one who needs help?!
Can Ontarō lower the swirling negative energy inside the elementary school?
Performance History
2023
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April 22–23 — Kitakyushu @ J:COM Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center Small Theatre
Theatre HP: http://q-geki.jp/events/2023/PUYEY/ -
November 4–5 — Mimata @ Mimata Town Cultural Hall
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November 28–29 — Hita @ Patria Hita Small Hall
Winner of the Short Play Battle “Gekitotsu × 20min” 2022
Champion of the “Gekitotsu × 20min” 2023 Grand Tournament
Ontarō
Ontarō
Written & Directed by: Keiko Takano
Music: Masumi Goto
Cast: Keiko Takano, Masumi Goto, Moe Tejima
Nodoka Katsuragi, a dental hygienist working at a small clinic, suddenly finds “Ontarō” standing before her.
Ontarō has been dispatched by Emo-kami-sama—the god who governs human emotional energy—to help reduce Nodoka’s negative emotions.
A short play that portrays the struggle with harassment in a unique and playful way.
Winner of the Short Play Battle “Gekitotsu × 20min” 2022
Champion of the “Gekitotsu × 20min” 2023 Grand Tournament
Performance History
2022
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July 17 — Kitakyushu @ Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center Small Theatre
Theatre HP: http://q-geki.jp/events/2022/gekitotu2022/
2023
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July 23 — Kitakyushu @ J:COM Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center Middle Theatre
Theatre HP: http://q-geki.jp/events/2023/gekitotsu2023/
Solo Performance
“Happy Lost Time”
“Happy Lost Time”
Written & Performed by: Keiko Takano
Directed by: Masumi Goto
I finish work in a rush.
My mission: pick up little Sa-chan from daycare and walk home together with big smiles.
But there’s one essential condition — we must stop by the park.
I discreetly set the little chick-shaped timer hidden in my pocket.
“When this rings, we’ll go home, okay?”
“Okay!”
…It seemed like the deal had been sealed, but reality had other plans.
A solo performance portraying a woman struggling at the crossroads of childcare and work.
Performance History
2022
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June 11–12 — Fukuoka @ Pon Plaza Hall
HP: http://independent-fes.com/re/fuk22.html -
November 22 — Fukuoka @ SR Gallery
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November 24–27 — Osaka @ in→dependent theatre 2nd
HP: http://independent-fes.com/in22.html
Selected Work of the Toyooka Theatre Festival 2022 Fringe Program
Interactive Everyday Theatre “today in Izushi”
today in Izushi
Written & Directed by: Keiko Takano
Cast: Shiori Intsuka, Masumi Goto, Keiko Takano,
Matsuhiro Morikawa (Bakabondo-za)
An immersive, site-specific walking theatre in which the audience themselves become the “travelers” of the story.
The piece begins when the “travelers” gather at a certain spot in Izushi.
Following stage directions—the descriptive instructions usually found in a script—they wander through the town, and the story unfolds through their movement.
Each traveler brings back the discoveries, perspectives, and moments they encountered along their walk, sharing these experiences to create a one-time-only performance that exists only in that moment and that place.
After spending approximately 1,200 hours residing and researching in Izushi across the summers and autumn of 2021 and the summer of 2022—with the generous support of the local community—the long-awaited performance was realized.
Performance History
2022
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September 15–19 — Izushi Town Area
Meeting Point: Izushi Castle Ruins
“today in Izushi” Report Session
This is the archived video of Part 1 of the “today in Izushi” Report Session, held in Fukuoka City in October 2022.
After spending a total of 1,200 hours in Izushi (Toyooka City), creating and presenting the work, we felt it would be a waste to keep the experience entirely to ourselves—so we decided to hold this report session on short notice.
There are a few moments where the audio cuts out,
but we hope you’ll watch it with a warm heart.
PUYEY Manga
Why Our Announcements End Up So Vague
In 2021, PUYEY planned to participate in the Toyooka Theatre Festival using the
“ARTS for the future!” subsidy program.
However… delays in the selection results, a rejection notice arriving after we had already begun our residency, and the festival’s cancellation due to COVID-19 brought one hardship after another.
We turned this entire journey into a manga—
a story about theatre, festivals, communities, and money.
It was published as a book in February 2022.
Read the full manga here:
https://togetter.com/li/1798568
Purchase the printed edition (includes 14 bonus pages):
https://puyeystore.base.shop/items/67734403
Published February 28, 2022
4th Season “UP”
4th Season “UP”
Written & Directed by: Keiko Takano
Scenography & Music: Masumi Goto
Choreography: Kaoru Norimatsu (Futome Performance)
Cast: Keiko Takano, Masumi Goto,
[A] Hiroshi Araki (Gekidan Hiroshi-Gun),
[B] Mayumi Matsunaga
([A] and [B] appear in alternating casts)
Seventeen-year-olds Gō and Ako, who both struggle to fit in at school, get lost during a training camp hike after Gō—convinced he can communicate with aliens—leads them off the main trail.
Just then, a mascot-costumed YouTuber appears. Hoping to film a viral video, they join forces with the two teens and set off toward the mountain summit.
Performance History
2019
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September 7–8 — Isahaya (Nagasaki) @ Isahaya Koma Theatre
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September 12–13 — Fukuoka @ Kantōkan Show Theatre
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September 27–28 — Kurume (Fukuoka) @ Gallery Earl Grey
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October 13 — Kitakyushu (Fukuoka) @ Edamitsu Honmachi Shopping Street Iron Theatre
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October 19–20 — Mimata (Miyazaki) @ Eki Theatre
2020
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September 12–13 — Tsu (Mie) @ Shitennōji Square
2021
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February 27 — Hita (Oita) @ Patria Hita Small Hall
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March 17–18 — Tomakomai (Hokkaido) @ Tomakomai City Cultural Hall, On-Stage Performance
Interactive Everyday Theatre “today”
Interactive Everyday Theatre “today”
Composition: Masumi Goto, Keiko Takano
Direction: Keiko Takano
Walk the path you always take,
as if seeing it for the very first time.
“today” is an interactive theatre piece guided through the messaging app LINE.
Participants follow the prompts and messages they receive, walking along familiar streets—or unfamiliar ones—until everyone is eventually led to the same destination, where they share their version of “today” with one another.
It is a time to rediscover new sides of the city and new sides of yourself, and to bring those discoveries back into everyday life.
Starting Point
Anywhere within one hour of travel to Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station
(Any location is fine as long as you have mobile reception.)
Goal
Revealed via LINE on the day of the performance.
Performance History
2019
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April 13–14 — Starting from any location within one hour of Nishitetsu Tenjin Station
3rd Season “Ordinary Hero”
3rd Season “Ordinary Hero”
Written & Directed by: Keiko Takano
Scenography & Music: Masumi Goto
Choreography: Kaoru Norimatsu (Futome Performance)
Cast: Keiko Takano, Masumi Goto
Shigeru works as a delivery driver, buried in the rush of daily tasks.
One day, he arrives at a familiar address—an elderly woman he remembers from childhood. She was the grandmother who always played with him, taking on the role of the villain in their pretend hero games.
PUYEY presents a story about people who may seem ordinary, yet are deeply irreplaceable.
Performance History
2018
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August 24–25 — Kurume (Fukuoka) @ Gallery Earl Grey
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August 31–September 1 — Isahaya (Nagasaki) @ Isahaya Koma Theatre
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September 8–9 — Kitakyushu (Fukuoka) @ Studio Tanga
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September 15–16 — Tomakomai (Hokkaido) @ Michi-no-Eki Utonai Lake
(Venue changed due to earthquake) -
September 22–23 — Hita (Oita) @ CMVC
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September 29–30 — Mimata (Miyazaki) @ Eki Theatre
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October 5–6 — Fukuoka @ Konya Gallery
Short Piece “Fairobics”
“Fairobics”
Written & Directed by: Keiko Takano
Choreography: Kaoru Norimatsu (Futome Performance)
Cast: Masumi Goto, Keiko Takano
“Fair” means to be just, honest, and without shame in one’s conscience.
Fairobics is an exercise in which your sense of fairness is shaped by sharing that very image of “fair” with others.
This is an exercise for living fairly — Fairobics.
Now then… let you, too, acquire an unshakeable sense of righteousness!!
Performance History
2018
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May 5–6 — Kamitori Theatre Festival @ Art Loft
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June 16–17 — Morisai 2018 @ Home Theatre
2019
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December 29 — Ai Hiurennaale @ Konya Gallery
2020
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September 21–22 — STRANGE SEED Shizuoka “the Park”
@ City Hall Area / Grand Staircase
https://strangeseed.info/2020/program/
2nd Season “Shūkatsu — Obsessive Job Hunting”
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A young woman, exhausted by a string of job-hunting rejections, ends up in a northern port town. There, at the ferry terminal, she meets a homeless man who spends his days drawing “shadow pictures.” Through this encounter, her idea of who she is supposed to be slowly begins to shift.
The concept of a “working adult,” as imagined and constructed by someone in the midst of job hunting, is represented through human-shaped objects. The piece is also woven with landscapes and impressions gathered during PUYEY’s residency in Tomakomai, Hokkaido.
Performance History
2017
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September 3 — Mimata Performance @ Eki Theatre (JR Mimata Station / M★Wing)
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September 9–10 — Kurume Performance @ Gallery Earl Grey
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September 23–24 — Hita Performance @ Contemporary Space CMVC
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September 15–16 — Fukuoka Performance @ konya-gallery
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September 29–30 — Kitakyushu Performance @ Studio Tanga
Panel Theatre “Connecting the Forest and the Town to the Future”
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At the request of Mirai Kōbō, a construction company specializing in wooden homes, PUYEY created a panel-theatre work in which the story unfolds by placing and moving illustrations across a large backdrop.
The piece explores how the natural life of the forest enriches the sea, connects to human life, and flows back into the town. It invites audiences to think—through storytelling and quizzes—about how distant forests are actually essential to our daily lives, and how important it is to protect them.
Performance History
2017
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July 22 — “Let’s Make Mirai☆Isu” @ Kurume City Plaza Rokkakudō Square
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October 15 — Saga Environmental Festival 2017
2018 and onward: Performed once or twice a year at environmental and SDGs-related events.
Tomakomai Engeki Lab “Aru Mono Nai Mono” (What Exists, What Doesn’t)
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August 2017
Tomakomai Engeki Lab – Citizen Participation Project
“Aru Mono Nai Mono (What Exists, What Doesn’t)”
“Is there really nothing in Tomakomai?”
The story follows a group of junior-high students who begin researching their hometown. Through this process, they re-examine the city they live in, their own memories, and their relationships with friends.
About Tomakomai Engeki Lab
Tomakomai Engeki Lab is a creative project based in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, that invites participants of all ages and genders. Its aim is to cultivate imagination and creativity among local residents by collaboratively creating theatre works.
PUYEY was invited as guest artists, creating both a citizen-participation production and a new original work during their residency.
Theatre Market “The Storybook Without Dialogue (Kamishibai Without Dialogue)”
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This piece is the first work created for the Theatre Market series.
Because it contains no spoken dialogue, audiences enjoy imagining the story and the characters’ emotions through illustrations, sound, and the performers’ movements.
At around five minutes in length, the work drew a wide range of spontaneous viewers—families passing by, office workers, tourists, and international visitors—who stopped to watch.
Performance History
2017
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April 16 — Nomiyama Kannonji Temple
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April 28–30 — Global Village @ Tenjin Central Park
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May 27–28 — MachiDora! 2017
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July 5 — Vihara Imaizumi
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June & August — Multiple locations in Tomakomai, Hokkaido
2018 and onward: Performed several times each year.
About the Theatre Market Series
By participating in flea markets and various events,
this series presents small-scale works that anyone can casually enjoy.
By performing in front of diverse, unpredictable audiences,
we aim to expand awareness of PUYEY and continually refine our performances.
New pieces will be added to the repertoire as we go.
1st Season “Tebanashi Banashi” (Hands-Free Stories)
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1st Season “Tebanashi Banashi”
Composition & Direction: Keiko Takano, Masumi Goto
This is the story of Misaki, a nine-year-old girl, who unexpectedly meets an elderly man named Toshio secretly practicing the guitar. Through their quiet, heartfelt interactions, she grows just a little.
Without using stage sets or theatrical lighting, the piece relies solely on the performers’ bodies and a single guitar, inviting the audience’s imagination to complete the scenery and emotional worlds of the characters.
Performance History
2016
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July 16–17 — Kurume Performance @ Gallery Earl Gray
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August 6–7 — Kitakyushu Performance @ YUKI DANCE-LOOP
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August 13–14 — Fukuoka Performance @ FUCA
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August 24–26 — Hita Performance @ Cultural Exchange Center Tsubaki