Critical Stages (Dec 2019)
Countering Ageism and Eugenics in Theatre
Abstract
Pressure upon the elderly, that is the “duty-to-die” campaign due to mounting medical expenditures, is rife in ageing countries. Has ageism turned into an offshoot of eugenics, which we thought had been discredited after WWII? The article discusses two 2018 theatre pieces in Japan―the most rapidly ageing country in the world―which raise “No” to that campaign: A Thought on the Good Death Vibration by Shū Matsui and Nirai Kanai: Watershed of Life by the Performance Troupe Taihen. The discussion is aimed at clarifying the background to the new connection between ageism and eugenics, and how this dangerous liaison can be staged.
