I have been working on the co-translation (with Mika Eglinton) from Japanese to English of “One Small Step,” a new play by Kishida Award-winning playwright, Takuya Kato, that will premiere at the Charing Cross Theatre in London from 27 September to 9 October 2024.

The play is being produced by Umeda Arts Theatre (Osaka/Tokyo) in collaboration with the Charing Cross Theatre, London. It is part of a double bill of new Japanese works, alongside “Tattooer,” written by Takuya Kaneshima and inspired by a short story by Junichiro Tanizaki.

Set in the near future, “One Small Step” centres on a couple in Tokyo who work for a major general contractor on an ambitious Moon-migration project. As the couple prepare to make the journey, they are faced with a life-changing event that forces them to to rethink their entire purpose and relationship.

The play takes the audience to different worlds, and through Kato’s sharp dialogue explores what it means to be human in the face of the birth of life – a world that is perhaps beyond human understanding. The play and where humanity is headed.

---

Cover photo design: Pyjama Media