Takashima Megumi | AKN Project Comedy "Jinruikan" (Part 2)
The second part of AKN Project's "Jinruikan" aims to transform the loop structure of discrimination into the possibility of change with the audience.Summary
The second part of AKN Project's comedy "Jinruikan" responds to the loop structure of "reproduction of discrimination" inherent in the play written about 50 years ago, aiming for the possibility of transformation and hope. The play depicts the negative cycle where those oppressed internalize norms and become the discriminators, with the actor playing the ringmaster consistently embodying the dominant role across temporal shifts. Specifically in scenes related to Okinawa, the roles transform into Imperial soldiers and post-war teachers, embodying the roles and transformations Okinawa was demanded to assume. This performance includes a critique of Okinawan elites who internalized discrimination by assimilating into imperial norms, and ultimately attempts to break the cycle of discrimination through a symbolic moment where a dud grenade turns into a sweet potato. The actors, without changing the lines, collaboratively depict the process where the "exhibited man" takes over the role of the "ringmaster," shifting the structure into a time for questioning the principles used to justify discrimination. The stage design and costumes were also excellent, visually representing the audience's perspective and the complexity of identity, although the review also notes the play's inherent limitations regarding the one-sided representation of women as sexual victims and gender imbalance.
(Source：artscape)