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Paper short abstract

Examines Kamisato’s compressed rehearsal process for "Nina Morinomiya’s Sadfunny Journey" (2025), highlighting improvisation, intertextuality with Chekhov, and collaborative strategies under tight deadlines。

Paper long abstract

On November 11, 2025—the first day of rehearsals for Nina Morinomiya’s Sadfunny Journey—playwright-director Kamisato Yudai arrived with only thirteen pages of script, a third of what he had intended to present. Apologetic yet determined, he improvised by introducing Chekhov’s The Seagull as a reference point, explaining that his Nina was inspired by Chekhov’s character. Over the next 25 days, Kamisato navigated a compressed timeline, transforming fragments into a fully staged 90-minute performance. The resulting work was an eclectic interplay of themes, cross-cultural layering, and purposeful chronotopic dissonance, enriched by striking lines, movement, and imagery.

Drawing on participant-observer access to rehearsals and informal conversations with the creative team, this paper examines how Kamisato’s process exemplifies the dynamics of creating under pressure. It interrogates the balance between improvisation and structure, the role of intertextuality, and the collaborative negotiations that shape meaning-making in contemporary Japanese theatre. By foregrounding rehearsal as a site of creative resilience, this study offers insights into the adaptability and aesthetic strategies that may emerge under time constraints.