© Simon Richardson
A scientist, a pilot, and a young woman living in Hiroshima – a story about the ‘mistake’ of the atomic bomb, performed by two actors.
- Artist/Company
- Michael Mears [From UK]
- Date
- Saturday, 27 September, 16:30-
Sunday, 28 September, 16:30-
*There will be a talkback after the performance on Saturday, 27 September. - Running Time
- 80 minutes
- Venue
- The Assembly Hall Theatre
- Price
- Adults: 3,000 yen*
Student discount: 1,000 yen
under 18: 500 yen
Preschool-aged children: Free
*Including one drink voucher for use at the Café - Language
- Performed in English and Japanese
- Surtitles
- Japanese
- Mobile subtitles
- Japanese closed captions and Korean and English subtitles available on tablet.
© Simon Richardson
© Simon Richardson
© Simon Richardson
© Simon Richardson
- About the programme開く
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When the decision is made to use the atomic bomb on Japan, Leo Szilard, tormented by his role in creating it, must do everything he can to prevent the catastrophe occurring.
When Shigeko Nomura, a young woman living in Hiroshima, survives her city’s destruction she must use every last ounce of energy to reach and rescue her parents.
Two actors, one British, one Japanese, enact the compelling stories of a brilliant Hungarian scientist, a daring American pilot and a devoted Japanese daughter, in this gripping, moving and thought-provoking drama about the ‘mistake’ that launched our nuclear age.
- Synopsis開く
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THE MISTAKE weaves together the stories of Leo Szilard, Hungarian-Jewish physicist, who helps create the atom bomb, Colonel Paul Tibbets, the American pilot who delivers the bomb, and Shigeko Nomura, a young woman in wartime Hiroshima, who suffers the devastating consequences of the bomb.
Flashing backwards and forwards in time, between 1933, 1945 and the present day, the play crosses continents, taking in locations as diverse as Berlin, London, Chicago, Tinian Island, the cockpit of the Enola Gay and a destroyed factory in Hiroshima, Japan.
- Cast/Staff開く
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Written by Michael Mears
Directed by Rosamunde Hutt
Performed by NAKAZONO Riko and Michael Mears
- Message from the artist開く
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It’s a real honour to bring The Mistake to Japan in this significant year—the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. We’ve performed the play across the UK and the US, including Off-Broadway in New York, but sharing it with audiences in Japan carries a particular weight and deep meaning for us. The experiences of those affected by the atomic bomb must never be forgotten. We hope this performance offers a moment to reflect on the past and present and to think about what peace truly means.。
NAKAZONO Riko
- Artist's Profile開く
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© Catherine Shakespeare Lane MICHAEL MEARS
Michael Mears was born in London, where he still lives. With over four decades experience as a professional actor, in theatre, film and television, he has worked for all the major UK theatre companies, including the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Peter Hall Company, performing in London’s West End on numerous occasions, most notably in Bernard Shaw’s You Never Can Tell and for nine months in the long-running hit The Woman In Black.
TV work includes Sharpes Rifles (three series), The Lenny Henry Show (two series), Parades End, Sanditon, The Crown, Ghosts and Too Much.
Film work includes Four Weddings and a Funeral, Little Dorrit,The Good Soldier Schwejk, Last Night In Soho and The Running Man.
As a playwright Michael is best known as a creator of original solo plays.
He has written four solo plays for the stage, all performed by himself. His play about homelessness, Soup, won a Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival; This Evil Thing, depicting the struggle of Britain’s WW1 conscientious objectors, was performed by him over 100 times in the UK; and in 2018 in nine U.S. states. He has written seven solo plays for BBC Radio 4.
THE MISTAKE is Michael’s first play for two actors. It premiered at Edinburgh Fringe in 2022, with sold-out runs at London’s Arcola Theatre in 2023, followed by a 28-date UK tour. Earlier this year the play had a six-week tour in the USA including three weeks playing off-Broadway.
© Alan Howard NAKAZONO RIKO
NAKAZONO Riko is a London based Japanese actor, dancer, puppeteer, and singer. Since graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC, Riko has performed internationally, working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Jim Henson's Creature Shop, English National Opera, Blind Summit, Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (Vienna), The 92nd Street Y (NYC), and Princess Cruises.
Theatre includes: My Neighbour Totoro (Royal Shakespeare Company & Improbable), Miss Saigon (Vienna), Madame Butterfly (English National Opera), The Secret Silk (Princess Cruises), and Caligula and the Sea (Vault Festival, London). In 2023, Riko performed in The Mistake by Michael Mears during its UK nationwide tour. This year she performed The Mistake in 8 venues in the USA including a three week run off-Broadway.
TV and film credits include: Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream (ITV) and, most recently, The Head (Series 3) as series regular Keiko (HBO Max & Hulu Japan).
- Host/Grant開く
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