【SCF】 Bring the world of Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s The Spider’s Thread to a modern-day circus! “DADDA 2025 Yokohama Edition” to premiere at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre in December
SCF Press release: September 29, 2025 To Members of the Press Bring the world of Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s The Spider’s Thread to a modern-day circus! “DADDA 2025 Yokohama Edition” to be performed at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre in December
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work-in-progress at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre. Based on the theme of Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s “The Spider’s Thread,” this three-day exhibition will pose questions to the viewer’s mind. A “world never before seen” will be presented in Yokohama through a Japan-France co-production. 【Web page】https://www.kaat.jp/d/dadda Setouchi Circus Factory, a pioneer in Japan, takes on the challenge. This is modern Japanese circus! “DADDA” is a modern circus production inspired by Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s short story “The Spider’s Thread.” Human deeds, judgment, darkness, and the light that shines through them are depicted without words, using the body and space. Why are people judged? Do “good people” and “bad people” really exist? These questions penetrate the hearts of each viewer, quietly stirring them. Circus is an art form that challenges the physical limits. This work expresses human nature—competition, jealousy, and possessiveness—as traps, punishment, judgment, and salvation. A stage space emerges where gravity and zero gravity, life and death, light and shadow intersect. The body speaks to depths that words cannot reach—that is the challenge of “DADDA.” “DADDA 2025 Yokohama Edition” is a work-in-progress project currently in development, with completion scheduled for spring 2027. After 14 years of creating site-specific works, Setouchi Circus Factory is attempting to break new ground with theatrical productions. The co-creation partner is Cie Basinga, a leading French contemporary circus company, and the project will unfold a dialogue between body and language that transcends borders. Come and witness a world you’ve never seen before.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/169712/4/169712-4-1affbd9c0b9c6b0173e38ac5deba3f25-1800×2700.jpg Experiment at KAAT in 2024. Scene of a dead person clinging to a spider’s thread The World of “The Spider’s Thread” This work depicts the world of Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s “The Spider’s Thread” and its source material, Paul Caylus’s “The Spider-Web,” within the themes of cause and effect, reincarnation, and the unbroken spiral of history. Based in the Seto Inland Sea, this work is directed by director Michiko Tanaka, who has been creating site-specific works for 14 years, deeply connected to the environment and traditional culture. What is “judgment” and forgiveness shown by a single spider’s thread connecting heaven and earth (hell)? A modern circus without words, featuring extreme physical exertion and even aerial performances.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/169712/4/169712-4-0cc3544fcd1d881150ea4aaf806bff16-1170×779.jpg Aji stone boulders specially crafted for aerial performances Creative Team This work is the creation of Setouchi Circus Factory, with Tomoya Kiriyama as production advisor and Cie Basinga, one of France’s leading companies supporting creative expression through circus. Basinga’s technical directors, Yann Naaz and Gaël Honnegé, transformed the massive space, measuring 50 meters high and several hundred meters long, into an extraordinary space. The music was composed by Yuta Sumiyoshi of Kodo, costumes by Koji Hamai, and lighting design by Tsuyoshi Ueda, all of whom are world-renowned creators. The circus scenes are performed by six of Japan’s leading contemporary circus artists: Aki Yoshida, Shiori Yamamoto, Sumie Naga, Kento Yoshikawa, Kaoru Tsujibayashi, and Sago. Performance information Title: Japan-France Co-Creation of Contemporary Circus “DADDA” 2025 Yokohama Edition Date: Friday, December 5th to Sunday, December 7th, 2025 December 5th (Friday) 19:30☆ December 6th (Saturday) 13:00◎ / 18:30 December 7th (Sunday) 14:00☆ ※Doors open 30 minutes before the start of the show ☆＝There will be an after-talk session after the show. ◎ = Childcare services available. Reservations required at least one week before the performance (Mothers: 0120-788-222) Venue: KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater Large Studio Tickets: Advance ¥4,000 / Same-day tickets ¥4,500 (unreserved seating, tax included) Ticket sales: KAme advance sale: Sunday, September 21st / General sale: Monday, September 22nd Details and reservations: https://www.kaat.jp/d/dadda Cast/Staff Director: Michiko Tanaka Directory Advisor: Tomoya Kiriyama Music: Yuta Sumiyoshi (Kodo) Co-production: Cie Basinga (France) Cast: Aki Yoshida, Aki Yamamoto, Sumie Naga, Sago, Kaoru Tsujibayashi, Kento Yoshikawa Stage director: Takashi Kawachi Lighting: Tsuyoshi Ueda (RYU) Sound: Daisuke Hoshino (KAAT) Costumes: Koji Hamai Art Collaborator: Jean Lemonnier Public Relations Design: Chie Yukigai Public Relations Production: Tao Co., Ltd. About Setouchi Circus Factory Setouchi Circus Factory (SCF) is a contemporary circus creative group based in Kagawa Prefecture. Since its founding in 2012, the group has presented numerous site-specific works set in unique local spaces, including railway maintenance factories, temples, art museums, gardens, and vineyards. They view circus as a “poetics of body and space,” pursuing expressions that delve into the essence of humanity without relying on words. Since 2015, they have hosted the international contemporary circus festival “SETO LA PISTE,” garnering attention for their attempt to transform the entire town into a theater. As the first official Asian member of the European network Circostrada, the group is active internationally and has recently ventured into theatrical productions, pioneering new possibilities for the circus with productions such as “Workers,” in collaboration with the local industry, and “DADDA,” a co-production with France. HP: https://scf.or.jp/ Corporate History 2011: Representative Michiko Tanaka moves to Kagawa Prefecture 2012~: Establishment of the voluntary organization Setouchi Circus Factory. Starting with “100 Year Circus,” set in a railway maintenance factory, he has created site-specific works in temples, museums, gardens, vineyards, and more. 2015-2019: Hosted the international contemporary circus festival “SETO LA PISTE.” Transformed the entire town of Kotohira into a circus theater 2017: Became the first Asian group to be certified as a full member of Circostrada (Paris), a European contemporary circus network 2019: Toured “La Vigne” to five locations in eastern France 2020-: Professional circus artists moved to Kagawa in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Active as SCF associate artists (as of 2025, seven members have moved to Kagawa Prefecture and are working with SCF) 2023 onwards: Collaborate with local industries to begin creating the theatrical production “Workers!” 2024 onwards: Begin a domestic theater tour of “Workers.” Creation of the contemporary circus work “DADDA” has also begun. End of 2025: “DADDA 2025 Yokohama Edition” will be performed as a work-in-progress at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater. Contact Information Setouchi Circus Factory General Incorporated Association Mail：info@scf.or.jp
