mamoru iriguchi
live performance | theatre design
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Brief Biography
Mamoru (he/him) is an award-winning performance maker and theatre designer with a background in zoology. He is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Rooted in his knowledge and experience in designing set, costume and projection, Mamoru’s performance work often explores 2D and 3D, liveness and pre-recorded-ness, gender and sexuality, fairytales and evolution theories.
His pieces have been presented in diverse platforms including theatre, dance, live art and participatory arts. They includes What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed / What You Don’t See When Your Eyes Are Open (Nominee: Offies Award), Sex Education Xplorers (S.E.X.) (Nominee: CATS), EATEN (Nominee: CATS), The Tallest (Tate Early Years & Families commission), 4D Cinema (Winner, Autopsy Award) and Projector/Conjector (Aerowaves Twenty14). All his full-length pieces toured in the UK and internationally.
His theatre design work includes Mincemeat (Cardboard Citizens, Best Design, Evening Standard Theatre Awards), Lovesong to Lavender Menace (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh) and The Pink Bits (Mapping4D, Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Award).
What critics said about Mamoru’s performance work
“There are few theatre-makers working in Scotland today who have the creative imagination, the gloriously eccentric sense of humour and the brilliant comic delivery of Iriguchi.” (Mark Brown, The National)
“A really cunning, witty work that makes the brain cells spark with delight.” (Mary Brennan, The Herald)
“Surreally comic...exploration of time by one of the UK theatre’s most ingenious figures.” (Tom Wicker, The Stage)
“Beautifully techno-cockoo ... charmingly dead-pan, witty and inventive.” (Donald Hutera, The Times)
“Iriguchi’s wild imagination and rudimentary graphics could lead us anywhere.” (Peter Crawley, The Irish Times)
“Absurdly hilarious, it's also very sweet. One of the most imaginative things you’ll see” (Lyndsey Winship, Time Out)
Awards/Commissions/Residencies
2025 Residency - Deutsches Forum für Figurentheater & Puppenspielkunst: Size Matters
2025 Connection Through Culture - British Council (Viet Nam): What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed / What You Don’t See When Your Eyes Are Open
2024 Creative Fund - Manipulate Arts: Size Matters
2022/23 Schwankhalle (Bremen) Co-production| Wellcome Collection presentation | Nomination - Offie Awards: What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed / What You Don’t See When Your Eyes Are Open
2022/23 Play Development Bursary - Playwrights Studio Scotland: Working Money’s Social Club
2021 Selected - Made in Scotland Showcase | Nomination - Best Production for Children and Young People, CATS(Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland)|Nomination - Creativity Award, Creative Edinburgh Awards | Winner - Infallible Award, Best production for young audiences | Selected - Creative Scotland Touring Fund : Sex Education Xplorers (S.E.X.)
2021 Tramway 'Performance Now' commission | Take Me Somewhere / In Between Time presentation: At the Ends of the Day
2019 //BUZZCUT// Double Thrills Artist Associateship: What You See When Your Eyes Are Closed / What You Don’t See When Your Eyes Are Open
2018 Nomination - Best Production for Children and Young People, CATS (Critic’s Awards for Theatre in Scotland) | Creative Scotland Touring Fund: EATEN
2017 Tate Early Years & Families Commission: The Tallest
2016 Winner - Autopsy Award (Summerhall and Feral Arts) | Winner - Best Director, Asian Arts Awards: 4D Cinema
2014 SACRED commission (Chelsea Theatre) | Frankfurt LAB Residency: 4D Cinema
2014 Spring Loaded commission (The Place, London): GRAFT
2014 N.O.W.14 commission (The Yard, London) | National Theatre Studio Attachment: PAINKILLERS
2013 Selected, Aerowaves Twenty 14 @ Spring Forward Festival: Projector/Conjector
2013 Fierce Festival + Live Art UK commission: 4th October 2113
2013 Choreodrome residency (The Place, London): GRAFT
2012 The Place Prize commisson (The Place, London): One Man Show
2012- 15 Artsadmin Associate Artist
2012 Fierce Festival + Pilot commission: Alone in Cinema
2010 Plateaux Fesival commission (Mousonturm, Frankfurt): Into the Skirt
2009 Selected - SPILL Festival National Platform (National Theatre Studio): Pregnant?!
2009 Best Design winner - London Evening Standard Theatre Awards: Mincemeat, Cardboard Citizens
2004 Winner - Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Award: The Pink Bits, Mapping4D
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