No Horizon

• Theatre

by Toshiki Okada / translated from Japanese by Andreas Regelsberger / directed by Toshiki Okada / World Premiere

A handful of people gather in a public space. A play ground? Hard to say. Everything is covered with fog. Take the horizon – for which two words exist in Japanese, one for the sea’s horizon ( / Sui-hei-sen), the other for the horizon of the land ( / Chi-hei-sen). How self-assuredly – or unassuredly – do we make our way through our contemporary world? How far can we see? How much are we able to grasp? What happens as we spend more and more time both in the real and the virtual world? Why are so many people failing their driving tests? What distinguishes public spaces from private spaces? The Japanese theatre artist, writer and director Toshiki Okada uses his work to transport characters who live in hypermodernity into actual places: A metro station in Tokyo (N Theatre), a Karaoke Bar (No Sex), an apartment house (The Vacuum Cleaner), or the lobby of a hotel on the 22^nd floor (Doughnuts). There, he approaches these persons in a singular way, using the instrumentary of his take on modern Japanese theatre. Words are only the tip of the iceberg. Far more is submerged: Call it imagination. A very talented choreographer, as Okada likes to say.

“As we stare into the fog, watching ourselves seeing nothing, are we still holding on to the hope of seeing what we are supposed to be seeing at some future point of time?” Toshiki Okada

“Doughnuts”, Okada’s first production with Thalia Theater, was invited to Theatertreffen Berlin 2022. With “No Horizon”, this rewarding cooperation continues.

Duration 1:30h, no intermission

World Premiere AT 2nd December 2023, Thalia Gauss