ACM THEATRE

Jointly produced by Art Tower Mito (ATM) and La KonchanYoshimasa Kondo Solo Work “Knife”

“Knife,” a collaborative work between ATM and Yoshimasa Kondo—a character actor with deep ties with ATM—had been slated for performance in June 2020, but was canceled on account of measures to halt the spread of COVID-19. After recharging for a year and a half, though, it will come back in full force in January 2022. Based on Kiyoshi Shigematsu’s “Knife,” the story describes the life of a three-person family struggling to get just a little bit ahead. Every member of the family is dramatized by one person, Yoshimasa Kondo, in a new style of a one-actor play. Skillfully playing all the family members by emphasizing differences in physical movements, the 60-year-old actor never fails to impress audiences with his efforts.

The project is jointly planned and produced by ATM’s ACM Theatre and Yoshimasa Kondo. A traveling performance tour will also be made of “Knife” throughout Japan in coordination with public theaters nationwide under the Coordination Program being run by the Japan Foundation for Regional Art Activities. There will be twelve performances staged at five venues nationwide: Toyohashi Arts Theatre PLAT (Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture), Hyogo Performing Arts Center (Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture), Theatre East (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre), and YCAM (Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture).