At the core of KinoSaito’s physical space, and its mission, is the theater. A 1500sf vaulted space, the theater is the site of original new works of theater and performance, as well works from Kikuo Saito’s theater oeuvre reimagined by contemporary performance groups. Regular programming includes dance performances, film screenings and concert recitals, along with performances, installations and new media work by artists in residence and visiting artists and companies.
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Note from a Sheep I Met at the Dawn
Maiko Kikuchi
13 Jul. 2024 | 1pm
13 Jul. 2024 | 3pm
20 Jul. 2024 | 1pm
20 Jul. 2024 | 3pm
The performance consists of six short vignettes, with each of the scenes lasting for 3-5 minutes. Maiko Kikuchi is a solo performer in a business suit with a pair of glasses. In the performance, pre-recorded narration of the story, which sounds like the characters’ diary, is played for each vignette. These stories sound like nonsense, as if Maiko had noted down the dream she had. Using props and ordinary materials, she follows these “notes” to create a surrealistic world in space.
The performance starts in the neutral white space (studio 1), but as the performance continues, it turns into an installation full of visible daydreams. After the fifth “note”, there is an interactive moment where each audience member gets an envelope. Inside the envelope, a note says “follow the footsteps now.” The audiences are guided to another performance space (studio 2) by following footsteps made of cut sheets installed on the hallway floor. In the second space, the installation work/stage set has already been set up, and the last vignette is performed there.
After the performance, the installations created through the performance remain on view as the final form of the exhibition. For the exhibition the recorded performance is shown as video on a monitor, so that the visitors can get to see the history behind each object/art works in the exhibition.
Maiko’s coherent theme is creating visible daydreams to share with audiences. In this performance, audiences witness the creation of the daydreams by watching the performance and experiencing the surreal worlds created through the installation. Maiko’s character in a business suit is a metaphor for reality or common sense in a human society. On the other hand, the stories the character follows are notes from an invisible sheep that is a metaphor for dreams. By having her follow the notes, the realistic world is gradually disassembled and reassembled as a dream world, asking the audience where is the boundary between reality and dreams?
Photo: Chika Kobari
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is dedicated to the artist and all aspects of the theatre. They are a creative home to artists and audiences from around the world and a dynamic hub for risk-taking performance. La MaMa believes in the power of art to reveal our shared humanity and supports artists of all identities in the creation of new work.
Founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, La MaMa is the only original Off-Off-Broadway theatre still in operation. Over the course of 61 years, they have grown from an underground refuge for the avant-gar- de to a world-renowned cultural institution, with 30+ Obie Awards, dozens of Drama Desk Awards, Bessie Awards, Villager Awards, and the 2018 Regional Theater Tony Award. They have supported nearly 160,000 artists from all over the world, such as Blue Man Group, Peter Brook, André De Shields, Ping Chong, Olympia Dukakis, Harvey Fierstein, Philip Glass, Tedeschi Kantor, Shuji Terayama, Adrienne Kennedy, Diane Lane, Taylor Mac, Bette Midler, Meredith Monk, Sam Shepard, Andrei Serban, Elizabeth Swados, and Julie Taymor, to name a few.