Questioning life and existence

While the role of a playwright and director is often combined in Japan, theatre company Chiten is unique by having the director, Motoi Miura dedicated to directing. The company adopts various texts to produce expressive theatre works where language, lighting, sound, texture, and the human body converge on stage. They are recognized as "Avant-garde and innovative," for their style of reconstruction of meaning by careful interpretations of the text. Their performance of "The Cherry Orchard" from The Four Masterpieces of Chekhov won the Agency of Cultural Affairs New Director Award in 2009, notching them a notable reputation. This year chiten makes their debut in Festival Tokyo with a performance based from the texts of Antonin Artaud, famous for his "Theatre of Cruelty."

Antonin Artaud has "rejected form and incited chaos" in the 20th century, influencing the French contemporary theatre and philosophy. He has inspired many, such as French philosopher Jacques Derrida, and theatrical practitioner Peter Brook. In his later years, Artaud suffered clinical depression, spending almost nine years in psychiatric hospitals during the oppositions and conflicts against Western Civilization. His texts in these final years have a prevalent theme in questioning life and existence of human beings. Miura has adopted these texts in attempt to explore the abyss in the relations between god and human, and art and religion. Actors of Chiten will breathe in life to voice the words of Artaud.