PRESS RELEASE 19 February 2013 the Highly Acclaimed Japanese Mime Actor, Iimuro Naoki

PRESS RELEASE 19 February 2013 IIMURO Naoki MIME SOLO ACT: time of mime

The highly acclaimed Japanese mime actor, Iimuro Naoki, comes back to Vietnam

On the auspicious occasion of the Japan – Vietnam Friendship Year 2013, The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam shares the pleasure of hosting “MIME SOLO ACT: time of mime” by Iimuro Naoki in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in March 2013.

Learned mime under Marcel Marceau, the founder of modern pantomime, Iimuro Naoki has been actively performing in plethora of festivals in the world, getting awards both in Japan and overseas.

In his previous full house performances in Vietnam in 2010 and 2011, he not only successfully triggered big laughter from the audience but also moved their hearts.

Receiving a lot of calls for an encore from the previous audience and those who missed his performances in past years, we decided to bring him back to Vietnam, not only to Hanoi but also to Ho Chi Minh City again.

Iimuro Naoki will perform different programs in two cities, Program A in Hanoi and Program B in HCMC.

The highlight of his performance in Hanoi will be a part of the acts entitled “Angel”, in which his slow motion successfully invites you to the dream-like scene in the depth of the sea. The highlight of his performance in HCMC, on the other hand, will be a part of the acts entitled “A World in Balance”, in which he received the Gold Medal at the 3 rd World Delphic Games in 2009.

We hope that this show will entertain not only adults but also children (over 6 years old) with its universal body language, which is sublimed in the art of silence.

Free admission ticket is available at the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam in Hanoi (27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) and at Youth World Theatre in HCMC (125 Cong Quynh, Nguyen Cu Trinh, Q1, HCMC).

Note: Please refrain from bringing children under 5 years old to this performance because the performance is sensitive to noise.

For inquiries on the performance and the interview with Iimuro Naoki, please contact at:

Ms. Nha (04-3944-7419 ext: 115) / Mr. Yoshioka (0123-384-4138) The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam 27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam TEL 04-3944-7419 www.jpf.org.vn MIME SOLO ACT: time of mime by Iimuro Naoki

Iimuro Naoki Graduated from Ecole Internationale de Mimodrame de Paris Marcel Marceau. Graduated from Conservatoire Niedermeyer d’lssy Les Moulineaux Ecole Nationale de Musique de Dance et d’Art Dramatique, winning the first prize by the judge’s unanimity. In his dual role actor and producer, he takes an active role in many performances, thereby promoting pantomime in Japan.

*Gold medal for the mime improvisation section at Delphic Games (2009) *Special prize in street performance competition at Kobe Biennale (2009)

Ho Chi Minh City Co-organizer: The Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City

Date: Tuesday 5 & Wednesday 6 March, 2013 [Open] 19:30 [Start] 20:00

Venue: Youth World Theatre (Nha Hat The gioi Tre) 125 Cong Quynh, Nguyen Cu Trinh, 1 District, HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City University of Stage and Drama)

Free admission tickets are available at: Youth World Theatre (Nha Hat The gioi Tre) 125 Cong Quynh, Nguyen Cu Trinh, District 1, HCMC Tel: 0949470938 (Mr. Nam), 0919125827 (Ms. Linh) (Ho Chi Minh City University of Stage and Drama) [Opening hours] 09:00 – 17:00 (Closed on Sundays)

Hanoi Date: Saturday 9 & Sunday 10 March 2013 [Open] 19:30 [Start] 20:00

Venue: Youth Theatre (Nha Hat Tuoi Tre) 11 Ngo Thi Nham, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi

Free admission tickets are available at: The Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam 27 Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi [Opening hours] 09:00 – 18:00 (Closed on Sunday 3 March) (Continue to next page)

■ The Outline of Selected Episodes (Program B in Ho Chi Minh City)

A Workingman: A manufacturing line in a factory. A new workingman comes into the factory and receives a briefing how to work. He tries to work hard, but gradually his moves become strange. And the music “Beat it” by Michael Jackson begins…

The Universe in a Glass: Midnight. A thirsty guy tries drinking water with a glass. At the very moment, the universe appears in the glass. The scenes and settings are changing moment by moment, like clay animation.

The Feeling of Flying: There is a strange hat on the ground. A guy picks up the hat and looks at inside. There is a bard inside of the hat. He lets the bird free and looks up the flying bird. While looking up the flying bird, he also…

A Virtual Trip: A sofa, a set of TV, remote control and headphone in a room. A guy sitting on the sofa puts on the TV and sees the program. Gradually he enters the world projected on TV and his virtual trip begins.

A World in Balance: A sprout comes out of the soil, and becomes a flower. A butterfly comes to the flower and a flog eats the butterfly. A snake eats the flog and a bird catches the snake. A hunter shoots the bird and eats it. The hunter grows old and returns to the soil. And then… (Continue to next page)

■ The Outline of Selected Episodes (Program A in Hanoi)

Fly: At a bar looking like in a cowboy film, a battle begins between a gunman and a fly. Who will win in the end? The quick switch of role as a gunman and a fly is so impressive in this episode.

Angel: A diver dives into a deep sea to find a treasure in the depth of the sea. But why the title is “Angel?” The answer is in the episode. The slow motions in mime give us the impression as if he swims in the deep sea.

Conductor’s tragedy: What happens on the conductor? What is the tragedy for him? This shortest episode will give us the answer within just 1 minute!

A life of frog: Growing from an egg to a tadpole, having arms and legs… A life of frog is played with the classic music, “Air on the G string.”

Escape: The hero is running away from its enemy. The original technique “time- slice” gives us vivid impression as if we are watching an action movie with multi-angles. No computer graphic, no wires. Only one human body is used for the scenes in this episode.

(Continue to next page)