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Paper short abstract

Explores how acting in a non-native language shapes performance in Toshiki Okada’s The Window of Spaceship IN-BETWEEN (2023), revealing intersections of linguistic, social, and dramaturgical contexts.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines the creative process of The Window of Spaceship IN-BETWEEN, a

performance by the Japanese theatre company chelfitsch, written and directed by Toshiki Okada.

It traces the work’s development from a series of workshops with non-native Japanese speakers

conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic through the rehearsal process, premiere in 2023, and

subsequent performances and festival presentations in This Japan and internationally.

Focusing on acting in a non-native language, the paper investigates how performance is shaped

by social, linguistic, and theatrical contexts, and how dramaturgical strategies frame audience

understanding while engaging with the politics of language. Drawing on a first-person

perspective, it offers a reflective account of the creative process from the actors’ point of view.