Two titans of Japanese theater, contemporary dramatist Hideki Noda (who has also triumphed three times directing kabuki plays at its Kabukiza mecca) and star kabuki actor Kanzaburo Nakamura, will team up on stage at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space in Ikebukuro from Sept. 5-28 to perform a new play by Noda titled "Omote ni Deroi!" ("Come Outside!").
Though the play is still a work in progress, its cast will comprise just a middle-aged married couple and their daughter.
Noda and Nakamura, both 54 and great friends, have already grabbed the couple's roles (with Noda playing the wife) in this work examining the competing obsessions within many modern families — but that leaves the role of the daughter still to be filled.
To cast this role, Noda and Nakamura have decided to hold an open audition for all-comers, so creating a wonderful — and very rare — opportunity for someone to passibly step overnight from the shadows into the spotlight and, who knows, a career in drama.
Details and conditions are as follows. Dates: Auditions on Sunday, July 12; rehearsals from the latter half of July; performances Sept. 5-28 at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space in Ikebukuro. Requirements: Candidates must be women aged at least 18 who can appear to be in their early 20s; they must be available throughout the rehearsal and performance periods; and they must speak native-level Japanese. The application form, which must be returned before June 25, can be downloaded from www.nodamap.com For more details, call Noda Map on (03) 6802-6681 or visit www.nodamap.com