CHAPTER I: SALARYMAN*, Japanese, a white-collar working man in his 60’s. FRIEND, Japanese, another white-collar working man 40’s - 50’s. OFFICE LADY, Japanese, a white-collar working woman 30’s - 40’s. MIHO, Japanese, daughter of SALARYMAN, maybe 16 years of age (played by 60+ performer). CHIHO, Japanese, daughter of SALARYMAN, maybe 16 years of age (played by 60+ performer). AZUSA, Japanese, a schoolgirl, 16 years of age. MAD MAD, a shinigami or a god that clings onto those about to die. KEN, Japanese, Boss of the corporation. CELEBRITY COMMENTATORS, of a Japanese game show. CHAPTER II: CLAN OF GOATS: GURIKO, is a Capricorn. Stubborn and climbs well. GO, is an Aquarius. Overly enthusiastic. GOBŌ, is a Gemini. Nosy. KAMIYA-SAN, is a Pisces. A know-it-all. All characters will be asked to play themselves at times. Characters from Chapter I can double for characters in Chapter II.
* What is a Salaryman? He is the face of Japanese masculinity in the last century or so. He is a white-collar worker who makes a salary at a corporation. He’s one in a sea of many. He wears a suit. He often falls asleep on the last train. He’s a man of uniformity. Hostility and rage, subordination and complicity, dance chaotically inside of him.
Languages This text is bilingual, with both English and Japanese languages spoken. The Japanese language is translated into English using [ ] brackets. How much Japanese is spoken during performance is at the discretion of the collaborators. / means the next speaker should interrupt the current speaker so that their speech overlaps – means the current speaker is cut off mid speech. ~ should be treated almost like an emoji: the word preceding it should be spoken in a sing-songy way.
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