A Week in Tokyo Storytelling- and performance workshop with Ralf Rauker

Name: A Week in Tokyo Storytelling- and performance workshop with Ralf Rauker
Start: 2025-08-18T15:00:00+08:00
End: 2025-08-18T19:00:00+08:00
Location: Hamilton Hill Memorial Hall Community

Schedule

Mon Aug 18 2025 at 03:00 pm to 07:00 pm

UTC+08:00

Location

Hamilton Hill Memorial Hall Community | Fremantle, WA

A Week in Tokyo: Free Storytelling and Performance Workshop with Ralf Rauker
Monday, August 18th, 2025, 3 – 7pm
FREE
Join us as we bring back the original "A Week in Tokyo" event, which was first held at Hamilton Hill Memorial Hall in 1925.
Our hands-on storytelling and performance workshop on Monday, August 18th, 2025, offers a chance to explore the art and spirit of Japan in more depth.
Booking via
[email protected]
Part I:
We'll travel back in time to 1925 and look at the ideas and images people in Western Australia had about Japan a hundred years ago. Back then, "A Week in Tokyo" was an "oriental carnival" featuring cherry blossoms and kimonos. People were fascinated by the exotic, but there wasn't a deep connection with "the other". We don't know many details about the original event; only a few newspaper ads have been archived. Baby competitions and boxing matches with WWI veterans were some of the "highlights" of the program. The limited information we have gives us the opportunity to use fictional ideas, ranging from serious reconstructions to parodies.
Part II:
This part welcomes your personal or fictional stories about any aspect of Japanese culture and/or history that interests you. Sharing your story with the workshop group and getting feedback will help you build your skills and confidence. By the end of the workshop, each participant will have created a first draft for a short storytelling performance. For those who want to continue, we'll discuss possibilities for follow-up workshops or weekly sessions.
Please bring your own costumes, props and some food to share.
Workshop facilitator: Ralf Räuker
Ralf Räuker grew up in Aachen, Germany. He studied acting at the University of Arts in Berlin and later became a director and acting teacher. In 1993, he worked with writer and director Shogo Ota and his ensemble in Japan, which significantly impacted his artistic development. Ralf moved to Perth in 2003 to teach Theatre Arts and Contemporary Performance at WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts), where he also earned a PhD. He currently works as a freelance coach, trainer, and director in theatre and performance across Australia, Southeast Asia, and Europe.