DER LAUBBLÄSER

The leaf blower is the perfect metaphor for a deeply human tendency: rather than disposing of the leaves, they are simply moved out of sight. Rather than changing behaviour or averting potential threats, the problem is simply shifted elsewhere. This is what the term “NIMBY” (Not In My Back Yard) stands for. Whatever one’s political convictions may be, people often don’t want to see them in their own back yards: wind turbines, nurseries, clubs, shelters for the homeless and refugees, industrial estates and nuclear waste repositories. Altruism or individualism? The concept of NIMBY invites reflection on the ambivalence of human attitudes, ideals, concerns and morals. In Japan, it has long been a common term in public discourse.

In a commissioned piece for the Schauspielhaus Zürich, the Japanese playwright and director Toshiki Okada turns his attention to this social phenomenon. With DER LAUBBLÄSER Okada finally brings his award-winning, refined theatrical language to Zurich: a style that is both imaginative and minimalist, thereby capturing the spirit of the times. And the finely choreographed physical language he develops with his ensemble, set in deliberate counterpoint to the text. On stage, the inner and outer lives of the characters appear at once, placing them in relation to the joys and absurdities of their environment.