Keralino Sandorovich / KERA (ケラリーノ・サンドロヴィッチ): The Maestro of Nylon 100°C

Introduction

Under the stage name Keralino Sandorovich, the artist known as KERA (ケラリーノ・サンドロヴィッチ) has built a career that crosses theater, music, film, and television. He is a playwright, director, and musician, and the leader of the theater company Nylon 100°C (ナイロン100℃).

He received the 43rd Kishida Kunio Drama Award in 1999 for Frozen Beach (フローズン・ビーチ).

Early Life and Career

KERA was born in Tokyo in 1963 as Kazumi Kobayashi (小林一三). Before establishing himself as a theater maker, he was active as a musician. In 1982 he formed the band Uchoten (有頂天), for which he was the vocalist, and in 1983 he launched the indie label Nagomu Records.

His theater career began with Gekidan Kenko (劇団健康), launched in 1985 and dissolved in 1992. In 1993 he founded Nylon 100°C with former Kenko members including Inuko Inuyama and Minosuke. Its first production, Yoteigai (予定外), was staged at Honda Gekijo in Shimokitazawa in August 1993.

The Kishida Prize-Winning Work

Frozen Beach (フローズン・ビーチ), premiered 1998

Frozen Beach was first staged by Nylon 100°C in August 1998 and won the Kishida Prize the following year. It is a mystery comedy set on a resort island; its 2019 production had a cast of four women. Its characters include the identical twins Ai and Moe, their blind stepmother Sakie, Ai's childhood friend Chizu, and Chizu's friend Ichiko.

The play follows these women across sixteen years, from 1987 to 2003, in eight-year jumps. It has remained in the repertoire, with a Nylon 100°C revival in 2002 and a later production directed by Yumi Suzuki in the KERA CROSS series.

Theatrical Style

Comedy and darkness: KERA's writing is often both funny and bleak. Frozen Beach is billed as a mystery comedy, and Shoshitsu (消失), set around a Christmas party, is described as a story in which people's good intentions misfire and lead to ruin, with little salvation, while still being meant to be funny.

Adapting and directing others' work: KERA also directs and adapts beyond his own plays. His KERA meets CHEKHOV series with Siscompany has included The Seagull, Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya, and The Cherry Orchard, the last in 2024.

Work in other media: His film work includes 1980 (2003) and Gumi Chocolate Pine (2007).

Major Works

Selected stage works written or adapted by KERA:

Colorful Merry de Ohayo (カラフルメリィでオハヨ, Nylon 100°C, 1997; revived 2006)
Frozen Beach (フローズン・ビーチ, Nylon 100°C, 1998; revived 2002) -- Kishida Prize winner
Shoshitsu (消失, Nylon 100°C, 2004; revived 2015; KERA CROSS production 2025)
Hyakunen no Himitsu (百年の秘密, Nylon 100°C, 2012; revived 2018)
Goodbye (グッドバイ, 2015)
Kinema to Koibito (キネマと恋人, 2016)
Kogan (睾丸, Nylon 100°C, 2018)
The Last Don Quixote (最後のドン・キホーテ THE LAST REMAKE of Don Quixote, KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre), which won Best Production at the 33rd Yomiuri Theatre Awards

Awards and Recognition

Beyond the Kishida Prize, KERA's honors include the Tsuruya Nanboku Drama Award (2002), the Asahi Performing Arts Award (2002), the Kikuta Kazuo Theatre Award (2014), the Yomiuri Prize for Literature in the drama and screenplay category, and the Medal with Purple Ribbon (2018).

Legacy and Influence

KERA's career shows that work in theater, music, and screen media can sit side by side. The KERA CROSS series, in which other directors re-create his plays, also shows that his scripts now have a life independent of his own productions.

How to Experience His Work

Nylon 100°C remains active: its 50th session, Kanrinin Gofusai (管理人ご夫妻), has finished its run, and its official site lists current news. KERA also directs for other companies and for commercial theater, so his work can be encountered in a variety of contexts.

If you are interested in discovering theatrical scripts, we invite you to search our library at 戯曲図書館の検索ページ.

Keralino Sandorovich / KERA (ケラリーノ・サンドロヴィッチ) | Kishida Prize-Winning Playwright Guide