Ludic Proxy: Fukushima at Japan Society

Japan Society, in association with PlayCo, presents a virtual production of "Ludic Proxy: Fukushima," written and directed by Brooklyn-based theater-maker Aya Ogawa. This digital theater event is a virtual reimagining of the original plays second act, commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture. Set a few years after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, this video adaptation follows a woman named Maho, visiting her older sister Maki who lives on the outskirts of the Fukushima nuclear evacuation zone. Maho functions as the audiences avatar in the story as she navigates daily life in their hometown post-3.11, which takes on added urgency when Maki reveals that she is pregnant. Using video games as a dramaturgy, viewers are asked to vote, in real time audience polling, on how Maho progresses through a harrowing set of circumstances, thus determining outcomes along the way. In this new digital adaptation, featuring original cast members Saori Tsukada as Maho and Yuki Kawahisa as Maki, the line between actual and virtual reality begins to blur in an interactive, dark play exploring human survival in the face of disaster. Ogawa's "Ludic Proxy" was originally commissioned by PlayCo and first performed in 2015. Performed in Japanese, this production will be streamed with English subtitles.