HIKIKOMORI
A performance inspired by the phenomenon of “hikikomori” from Japan, where over half a million young people have chosen to live in total isolation in their rooms, as well as Anne Frank's diary and “3096 Days” by Natascha Kampush.
For as long as 17-year-old Ariel can remember, he has felt trapped in a girl's body. He has decided to isolate himself in his room. He no longer goes to school and only talks to his family through the closed door. His only contact with someone his own age is daily online conversations with Ayako from Japan, who introduces him to the magic of the world of literature. In his imagination, Ariel conjures up ghosts of living and dead writers. Natascha Kampush tells him that even freedom can feel like a prison if you are not seen and understood. Anne Frank teaches him to accept himself and believe in his own inner strength, so that hope can sprout.
"Hikikomori is a unique and moving performance that gives today's youth a much-needed voice that resonates across generations and cultures. Here you gain insight into the deep existential questions of identity and meaning that are often at play behind the closed door of a teenager's bedroom – and a hope that if we listen, it will be opened from within."
David M. Larsson, philosopher, Psychiatric Research Unit, Region Zealand
Cast:
Annevig Schelde Ebbe,
Mette Alvang,
Vika Dahlberg-Hansen
Voice-over:
Korin Sakura
Elise Müller
Niels Martin Eriksen
Playwright, director and set designer:
Giacomo Ravicchio
Composer:
Jérôme Baur
Dramaturg and translator:
Elise Müller
Technician and workshop:
Steen Molls
Production manager:
Lars Begtrup
Consultants:
Pia Jeppesen
David Mark Larsson
Enya Svane
Photographer:
Ditte Valente
Producer:
Laura Ramberg
Sponsors: Statens Kunstfond, Axel Muusfeldt Fonden, Knud Højgaards Fond, Wilhelm Hansen Fonden, Hoffmann og Husmanns Fond, Lizzie og Mogens Staal Fonden, William Demant Fonden og Københavns Kommune