Daydream Tutorial
Created, Directed, Performed by Maiko Kikuchi
How do you pretend you are not home when your persistent neighbor at your door?
Do you own a clone, or would you rather be alone?
Still wide awake after counting 100 sheep?
Is it possible to find your Zen in the city?
These vital questions are asked…and answered…in the surreal, live performance of Daydream Tutorial from Japanese visual artist and theater maker, Maiko Kikuchi. This amusing production is presented through a mix of puppetry, mask performance, object manipulation, and projected animation. Ten whimsical vignettes invite you step into the imaginative nexus of a series of daydreams to experience not only the fun of observing, but also, the comical twist on reality that all of us can experience.
Photos by Nikita Sveshnikov
Maiko Kikuchi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. Influenced by her psychoanalyst father, she became interested in the boundary between dreams and reality. She received her B.A from Musashino Art University in 2008 and soon after, she moved to the United States and received an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute in 2012. Her desire to broaden the expression of her daydreams led her to the theatre field in 2013. Since then, she’s been creating her puppetry/object theatre performances based on her multi-medium visual art skills. Her pieces have been presented at various venues in New York City, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Public Theater, Japan Society, St. Ann’s Warehouse, HERE, and La MaMa.
https://maikokikuchi.jimdofree.com/
Daydream Tutorial is funded in part by the Jim Henson Foundation and Nomura Foundation.
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Daydream Tutorial is made possible by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the Howard Gilman Foundation, The Jim Henson Foundation, Puppet Slam Network, the Mellon Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation. Additional support from Cheryl Henson is gratefully acknowledged.
La MaMa Puppet Festival
The La MaMa Puppet Festival showcases new contemporary puppet theatre by artists from around the world. Curated by Denise Greber, focusing on diversifying the voices, stories, and perspectives shared onstage, with the goal of uplifting marginalized identities within the puppet community.