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TOP＞Information＞Fefu and Her Friends Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (subsidies for the promotion of culture and arts), and by Japan Arts Council (Culture and Arts Promotion).Bungakuza Atelier Showcase in March 『Fefu and Her Friends』 Written by：María Irene Fornés Dramaturg and Translated by：Sonoko Soeda Directed by：Elise Thoron Dates：17th March(Tue)-29st March(Sun),2026 Venue：Shinanomachi・Bungakuza Atelier 【Bungakuza Atelier Showcase Official X】 【Bungakuza Official Instagram】 |
"Fefu and Her Friends" -playwright Maria Irene Fornes's masterpiece- challenges us to consider the importance of viewing deep-rooted issues in modern society-such as sexism, wealth inequality, peer pressure, and intolerance-from diverse perspectives rather than through a simple lens of good-versus-evil.
Audiences wander through and around the Literary Theatre Atelier, transformed into "Fefu's House," witnessing the innermost depths of eight women's hearts up close. This experience guides viewers toward a "multilayered perception that cannot be grasped all at once." It is a work that allows one to richly sense the scents, sounds, expressions, and textures of the world's multifaceted realities-realities that cannot be fully understood through a single, one-dimensional "personal perspective."
Directed by Elise Thoron, from New York, where the playwright lived and made her career. This marks the first time in 58 years that Bungakuza Atelier has invited an overseas director. Elise, who visited Japan numerous times in advance to create this work, has spent extensive time interacting with the company. She has thoroughly explored the play's universal and contemporary themes, embracing the differing perspectives of Japan and the United States.
On the eve of the 90th anniversary of the founding of Bungakuza, we present a work brimming with adventurous spirit that goes a step or two beyond the boundaries of the traditional Atelier series.
Eight women, one day in March.
Old friends gather at Fefu's country house. They are planning a fundraiser to integrate the arts into education and have come together to rehearse their presentation. Fefu unsettles the gathering with her unconventional words and behavior, yet her friends maintain their deep trust in her. Meanwhile, the suffering of Julia, haunted by hallucinations following an accident, shares a cryptic connection with the hidden struggles and internal conflicts of the other women...
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María Irene Fornés Maria Irene Fornes (1930-2018), often referred to as "the greatest and least known playwright in America," wrote and directed more than 50 plays that have been produced not only across the United States, but also globally in Cuba, Peru, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, India, and beyond. A pivotal figure in the Off-Off-Broadway movement of the 1960s, Fornes received an unprecedented nine Obie Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. Her play "What Of The Night?" was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Her dramatic works are known for their concise, poetic, and immensely powerful nature. In addition to her work as a playwright and director, Fornes was an influential educator of experimental theatre. Many prominent Latinx playwrights she mentored remain active across the United States today. The Fornes Institute has been established to preserve and promote her legacy. |
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Sonoko Soeda Entered Bungakuza Theatre Institute in 1997 and became a company member of Bungakuza in 2002, embarking on her career as a stage actor. In addition to her acting, she has been actively involved in company/artistic planning and translation. Her notable translation works include Just Business (written by Roger Rueff, directed by Hitoshi Uyama) in 2003, Phaedra's Love (written by Sarah Kane, directed by Shu Matsui) in 2008, and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (written by Edward Albee, directed by Hitoshi Uyama) in 2010. In 2008, she conducted research and did surveys of contemporary theater in New York under a grant from the Asian Cultural Council (ACC). Since then, she has actively appeared in international productions. This experience led her to explore theater-making in collaboration with artists from various fields and to consider theatre production where the audience's role goes beyond mere observation. Following her own childbirth, she aimed to create theater featuring actors raising children, where both children and adults could participate using their own interests and strengths. She continues her activities as a writer and director. Notable works include The Bremen Town Musicians (Bungakuza Children's Theater Online Project, 2020) and Hello, Mr. Demon (Bungakuza Summer Children's Festival / Toyooka Theater Festival, 2022). |
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Elise Thoron An American playwright, director, and translator, her work has been widely staged not only in her hometown of New York, but internationally. Elise believes in the power of theater to foster mutual understanding and human connection. , and Through theater projects both at home and abroad, she has brought diverse people together in spaces for dialogue. For many years, she has dedicated herself to international cultural exchange through the arts, creating numerous live performances in Russia, the Netherlands, the UK, Brazil, Cuba, and Japan. In Japan, she co-created the bilingual Japanese-American performance "Recycling: Washi Tales" with washi paper artist Kyoko Ibe for over a decade, documenting the process in their book The Way of Washi Tales. As Associate Artistic Director of American Place Theatre, where "Fefu and Her Friends" premiered (1977), she has long been involved in nurturing playwrights. As Co-Founding Artistic Director of Literature to Life, she creates verbatim-text solo performances of great books and educational workshops to increase young people's passion for reading, and has guided the successful growth of this literary theater company performing nationally for over 30 years. |
□STAFF□
Set Design：Masahiro Norimine Lighting Designer：Miwa Sakaguti Sound Designer：Yuya Maruta
Costume Designer：Mako Fujino Stage Manager：Yukie Kase interpreter：Keita Hara
Production Manager：Bungakuza Planning Dept. Flyer Design：kyo.designworks
| Mar | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| 13:30 | 〇★ | 〇 | 〇♦ | 〇 | 〇★ | No Show |
〇 | 〇★ | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | |
| 18:30 | ◎ | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
※Reception Opens：45 minutes before the performance Theater Doors Open: 30 minutes before the performance
◎＝Opening-day gift available.
★＝Post Performance Talk
--- Guests ---
18(Wed)13:00 - Ayako Oguni (Journalist, Mainichi Shimbun)
22(Sun)13:00 - Hitomi Kitayama (Executive Director, General Incorporated Association "Humanity and Sexuality" Education Research Council)
25(Wed)13:00 - Elise Thoron (Director)
◆=Symposium："Fornes and International Theater Projects"
20(Fri, National Holiday) - After the performance (paid event, details TBA)
Speakers: Elise Thoron (Director), Gwendolyn Alker (Fornes Institute / Associate Professor, New York University), Yoko Totani (Professor, Tokyo International University), Hitoshi Uyamа, Sonoko Soeda
□Ticket Sales Start：Friday, February 13, 2026 10:00
(All seats reserved, tax included)
Adult : 5,500yen
U-30 Ticket(Under 30)：3,500yen ※ High School Students and younger：1,000yen ※
※Please present a valid ID to verify your age on the day of the performance.
*Please refrain from bringing preschool-aged children.
*Guests arriving in wheelchairs are kindly requested to notify Bungakuza at the time of purchase.
●BUNGAKUZA Atelier
〒160-0016 10 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
5 min. walk from JR Soubu line Shinanomachi Stn.
9 min. walk from Tokyo metro Marunouchi line Yotsuya 3cyoume Stn.
BUNGAKUZA
E-mail：info@bungakuza.com(10:00～18:00 / excluding weekends and holidays)
〒160-0016 10 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo