Shu Matsui x Naoki Sugawara
"The Final Stop: Masayume"

Saturday, January 11, 2025, 2:00 PM

Sunday, January 12, 2025, 2:00 PM

Monday, January 13, 2025 (holiday), 2:00 PM

(Doors open 30 minutes before curtain time.)

Sainokuni Saitama Arts Theater, Small Hall

Shu Matsui

Naoki Sugawara

Dramaturgy: Takumi Tanizawa
Music: Taku Unami
Stage Design: Junpei Mori, Kota Shiga
Lighting: Nami Nakayama
Sound: Tokiwa Utsumi, Risa Yoshinori (Okayama Arts Creation Theater Staff)
Costumes: Hikaru Komatsu
Stage Manager: Takashi Kawauchi

Ken Kuboi, Naoki Sugawara, Jeong Seoki, Daigo Shinozaki, Chika Araki
Audition Cast: Kayo Ishikawa, Yoko Inoue, Keiko Imae, Takamasa Ogawa, Masatake Takei, Koji Yamada

Saitama Arts Theater (Saitama Arts Foundation)

Okayama Foundation for Culture and the Arts

Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities

Shu Matsui
Playwright, Director, Actor

Born in Tokyo in 1972. Shu Matsui first joined Seinendan, an influential theater company, in 1996, and later founded his own company, Sample, in 2007. Influenced by the underground works of Terayama Shuji and Juro Kara, as well as the naturalistic style of Oriza Hirata, Matsui blends these influences in his distinctive modern plays.
• 2010: Recognized by The New York Times as one of Japan’s most important directors.
• 2011: Won the 55th Kishida Drama Award for My House.
His works have been performed internationally, including in Italy, France, the U.S., Taiwan, and South Korea.

Naoki Sugawara
Playwright, Director, Actor, and Certified Care Worker

Born in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, in 1983, Sugawara established the theater group OiBokkeShi in 2014, dedicated to exploring the intersection of aging and theater.
• Developed workshops nationwide utilizing theater for dementia care.
• Directed Yomichi ni Hiwa Kurenai, a site-specific work presented at the 2018 World Gold Theater Festival.
• Winner of the Minister of Education’s New Artist Award (Arts Promotion) in 2018.