As he is invisible and silent the Kuroko had to relay on things such as small objects to visualize his fantasy that sometimes slips away from his hands…
Idea, text, translation, sound collage and performance: Kuroko (aka Tashi)
Production: Ehkä-production, DasArts, Muiderpoorttheater, Tashi Iwaoka
Kuroko (sometimes called Japanese Invisible Man in theatre)
They are dressed in total black and help things necessary on stage e.g. moving a puppet across the stage while the puppet master her/himself controls other particular parts of the puppet itself, or in other occasions they bring props back and forth.
The audience does see them moving around the stage but as a Japanese traditional theatre code, Kuroko are supposed not to be seen as existing on stage. And of course they are silent in every way.
In the past, many times Iwaoka wanted to be like them.
No credits for their activities but without them the whole thing does not go on.
After giving a chance to make a homemade Kuroko costume in my DasArts study, Kuroko has become a popular character which appears (though invisible) in theatres and other events.
Kuroko was also seen (though invisible) in:
’A Way of the Dragon [a frame for waking new clear balance]’ at Muiderpoorttheater, Amsterdam
’significant collision’, a DasArts’ event at AHK, Amsterdam
the opening of ’Japan, New&Old, In&Out’ as part of Gastarbeider at Mediamatic, Amsterdam
the opening of ’No strings Attached’ by Nir Nadler and Chaja Hertog at CBK Amsterdam
’La La Land’ by Doron Hirsch at AHK, Amsterdam
’Land Edscape (the musicle)’ by Ben Büchenbacher and Einat Ganz at Muiderpoorttheater, Amsterdam