La MaMa Blogs: 6 Questions: Maiko Kikuchi

Friday, October 23, 2015

6 Questions: Maiko Kikuchi



Maiko Kikuchi's No Need For A Night Light On A Light Night Like Tonight comes to The First Floor Theatre at La MaMa as part of the 2015 La MaMa Puppet Series in November. Maiko took time out from rehearsals to answer 6 Questions for La MaMa Blogs.  There is limited seating for this show and tickets are selling fast!


1. What was the original inspiration for creating No Need For A Night Light?


Tongue twisters. I am intrigued by the fact that tongue twisters’ sentences are structured only for making peoples tongue’s twisted. Then, I became curious how these would look if I repurposed their meaningless idioms, and actually brought them to life.

2. What should the audience expect from the show?


Please relax, and just watch the strangeness, awkwardness, and silliness that is happening in front of you. Don’t try to catch any purpose from it, because making up something without purpose is the whole purpose of this show.

3. In addition to puppetry, also work in sculpture, painting, drawing and animation). What does puppetry satisfy for you that the other mediums do not?


To be honest, it’s hard for me to distinguish between each medium because they all become the same tool for making my strange daydreams visible. If you would like to know specifically what kind of tool the puppetry is, I would say, that it is a tool that allows me to be one of the components of my daydreams and to share every single moment with whoever is there.

4. Who has inspired you?


The first person who inspired me is my father. He is not an artist, but a psycho analyst, who is part of the lineage of Freud. I do not have any knowledge of his professional field, but my interests, “The boundary between real and dream” was formed originally in my child hood through talking and playing with him. He is still a good listener and carefully listens to my ideas which I come up with through and in my daily life.

5. What was the last good book you read?


The children’s book “Fortunately” written by Remy Charlip, who is a book author, illustrator, dancer, and performer. My honourable friend David Vaughan, who is a 91 year old dance archivist, lent me this book, simply saying “I think you would like it”. A few days later, I unfortunately got a cold, although, fortunately then I had the time to read this book repeatedly while I was sick in my bed. I loved the book. He knew it.

6. What does working at La MaMa mean to you?


La MaMa is the very first theatre I got to know after I came to the U.S. At that time, I didn’t even think that I would create and perform a theatre piece in my life. Five years have past since then, and I have been given the opportunity to be on the stage at La MaMa. Now, I’m getting ready to share my daydream there, and this makes me feel as if my life were a part of a funny dream of a giant who is sleeping somewhere.




La MaMa presents
No Need For 

A Night Light 
On A Light Night 
Like Tonight 
created by Maiko Kikuchi 


November 19 - 22, 2015 - Four Performances Only!
Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm; Sunday at 6pm


Tickets: $20 Adults; $15 Students/Seniors - only a handful of $10 tickets left!

2, 3 and 5-Show Ticket Packages Available

For tickets and info: CLICK HERE

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