Myrtle Arts Pantomime 'Children of the Sea 2026: I Won't Forget' (Written and Directed by Yoshinobu Chong) Depicting Children Sacrificed in War, to be Staged at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre

Myrtle Arts (Myrtle Arts) pantomime 'Children of the Sea 2026: I Won't Forget' will be staged from July 10 (Fri) to 12 (Sun), 2026, at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Theatre West (1-8-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo B1F).

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Myrtle Arts has created many thought-provoking works with the philosophy of listening to events and social issues that society tends to overlook and depicting the voiceless as theater.

This work, 'Children of the Sea,' has been a project that Yoshinobu Chong, a playwright who has served as a director since the establishment of Myrtle Arts, and Fusayo Hashimoto, a mime and committee member, have wanted to further develop and expand, and it is a new challenge for the organization.

This work was first performed in Okinawa in 2017, with the Battle of Okinawa as its background, and has since been performed repeatedly in Tokyo and Taiwan. From 2020, the organization produced it and was preparing for performances in Korea and China, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the concept of staging this work, which has the universal theme of a world where children can live in peace, in a new version has been nurtured. This year, the schedules of the main cast and staff have aligned, and it has finally come to fruition.

'Children of the Sea 2026' will not be set in Okinawa but will enhance its universality, depicting children who are sacrificed due to ongoing wars around the world, expressing a requiem for those sacrificed children, and thoughts for children living now and adults who were once children. It also takes up bullying, a familiar social issue, and aims to share the value of accepting others and leaving no one behind with the audience.

The stage expression is based on a pantomime format that does not rely on dialogue, using live music, sound, and lighting to sensuously convey a silent message. Fusayo Hashimoto, who has appeared as the boy since the first performance, is skilled in unique expressions that combine humor and pathos, and Hideki Suzuki's soft and comical expressions as a mime are also highly regarded. Shinpei Horinouchi, a dancer who is taking on a new challenge this time, will express himself with his whole body, utilizing the characteristics of contemporary dance and gagaku that he has cultivated.

Musician Eiichi Terada will participate in live performances with guitar and other instruments.

Staff members active on the front lines of the theater world, such as stage director Hitoshi Yoshiki, art director Hiroyuki Ikeda, lighting director Takayoshi Masuda, sound director Akame Fujita, choreographer Uran Hirozaki, and costume designer Masanori Ota, have also endorsed and participated in this work.

While reflecting the ever-changing global situation since the first performance, this new production will create 'Children of the Sea 2026: I Won't Forget' as a work that delivers new value and experience to the audience.

Yoshinobu Chong's Message

We have returned to that sea again.

How are you? It's been a long time since I wrote to you. It's been eight years since the Taiwan performance in 2018. But we have been able to return to that sea, our sea, again.

Bitter memories and sweet recollections, pain and joy, anger and sorrow, love and friendship, dreams and hopes... all these things are buried deep on the shore of that sea. But there are no words. Yet, there are many words.

How happy we are to be able to see that sea with you again. If you have children, please bring them to see it with us. And please tell them,

"Don't forget that sea..."

Performance Outline

Myrtle Arts Performance

Pantomime 'Children of the Sea 2026: I Won't Forget'

Written and Directed by: Yoshinobu Chong

Date: July 10-12, 2026

July 10 (Fri) 19:00

July 11 (Sat) 14:00 19:00

July 12 (Sun) 14:00

Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Theatre West

[Cast]

Fusayo Hashimoto / Hideki Suzuki / Shinpei Horinouchi Music / Live Performance: Eiichi Terada

[Staff]

Writer/Director: Yoshinobu Chong, Music: Eiichi Terada, Stage Art: Tomoyuki Ikeda

Lighting Plan: Takayoshi Masuda, Lighting Operation: Brighton, Sound Plan: Akame Fujita

Costume: Masanori Ota, Choreography: Uran Hirozaki, Stage Combat: Manabu Kato, Assistant Director: Jiro Shibata

Stage Manager: Hitoshi Yoshiki, Assistant Stage Manager: Tokuan Cho, Production: Keiko Akimoto, Nobuko Miura (General Incorporated Association Myrtle Arts)

Organizer: General Incorporated Association Myrtle Arts

[Synopsis]

The stage is a sea somewhere in the world.

Three children crawl out from between the waves. A playful game of make-believe begins, and their imagination expands to even space travel. Mime and dance intertwine, with laughter, dance, music, and then a sudden moment of...