Der unsichtbare Reaktor
The Invisible Reactor
Staatstheater Nurnberg / Premiered May 21, 2022
Human rental, documentary,
and theater.
'Der unsichtbare Reaktor (The Invisible Reactor)' is a stage production written by Nis-Momme Stockmann, one of contemporary German theater's leading playwrights, based on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. It premiered on May 21, 2022, at Staatstheater Nurnberg in Germany.
This production was an unprecedented project where three dimensions overlapped: Japan's unique rental family business model, documentary-style reporting from Fukushima's disaster zones, and a theatrical performance at a prestigious German state theater — all crystallized into a single work of art through one person: Yuichi Ishii.
Unable to travel to Japan during the pandemic, playwright Stockmann contacted Family Romance — which he had learned about through Herzog's film — and asked Yuichi Ishii to visit Fukushima as his 'proxy.' It was the moment the rental family business model became the production methodology for an art form.
The concept of the human rental business became the methodology of art. Yuichi Ishii visited Fukushima as a 'proxy' and appeared on a German stage as a 'video performer.'
Production Details
Playwright
Nis-Momme Stockmann
Director
Jan-Christoph Gockel
Set Design
Julia Kurzweg
Premiere
May 21, 2022
Running Time
1 hour 50 minutes
劇場
Staatstheater Nurnberg
Schauspiel
German Critics' Response
"Imaginative Direction"
— Suddeutsche Zeitung
One of Germany's most authoritative daily newspapers. Praised the contrast between Baroque decoration and video technology, and Ishii's video appearance creating a 'presence of absence.'
"A Labyrinth of Mirrors"
— Nurnberger Nachrichten
The local newspaper called the production "a labyrinth of mirrors." Five versions of Stockmann reflect one another, with the boundary between reality and fiction constantly shifting.
"Presence of Absence"
— nachtkritik.de
Germany's leading theater criticism outlet highlighted the uniqueness of Ishii's video appearance and the 'proxy' methodology.
Stage photo — Fukushima footage projection
Konrad Fersterer
On stage at Staatstheater Nurnberg
Staatstheater Nurnberg
Stage photo — Artistic shot with paper fragments
Konrad Fersterer
Yuichi Ishii at the disaster memorial
Yuichi Ishii portrait
Rakuda Studios
Fukushima — Interviewing residents