Suzuki Matsuo (松尾スズキ): The Dark Comedian of Japanese Theater

Introduction

Suzuki Matsuo (松尾スズキ) is a playwright, director, actor, screenwriter, film director and novelist, and the leader of Otona Keikaku (大人計画, literally "Adult Plan"). He received the 41st Kishida Kunio Drama Award in 1997 for Funky! The Universe Only Goes as Far as You Can See (ファンキー！宇宙は見える所までしかない).

Early Life and Career

Suzuki Matsuo was born on December 15, 1962, in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu. His birth name is Katsuyuki Matsuo. He founded Otona Keikaku in 1988, launching the company with the play Zetsumyo na Kankei (絶妙な関係).

Alongside his stage work, he went on to write novels, screenplays and manga stories, and to appear as an actor in film and television.

The Kishida Prize-Winning Work

Funky! The Universe Only Goes as Far as You Can See, 1997 award

The play was staged in 1996 and won the prize the following year. Its plot and characters could not be confirmed from sources available to us, so we do not summarize them here.

Major Works

Works by Suzuki Matsuo include:

Plays

Funky! The Universe Only Goes as Far as You Can See (ファンキー！宇宙は見える所までしかない, 1996) -- The Kishida Prize-winning play
Kirei (キレイ〜神様と待ち合わせした女〜, 2000)
Ningen Gohasan (ニンゲン御破産, 2003)
Inochi, Giga Nagasu (命、ギガ長ス, 2019) -- Winner of the Yomiuri Prize for Literature

Other work

Welcome to the Quiet Room (クワイエットルームにようこそ) -- A 2005 novel, nominated for the Akutagawa Prize, which he also directed as a film in 2007
Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad -- His screenplay won the Japan Academy Prize for Screenplay of the Year in 2008
Otakus in Love (2004) -- His first feature as a director

Legacy and Influence

Otona Keikaku is also the company of Kankuro Kudo and Sadao Abe, both of whom are widely known in Japanese theater, film and television.

How to Experience Their Work

Check Otona Keikaku's official site for current productions. Suzuki Matsuo's work as an actor and director can be found in film and television, and his novels are published in Japanese.

To discover Japanese theatrical scripts, we invite you to search our library at 戯曲図書館の検索ページ.

Suzuki Matsuo (松尾スズキ) | Kishida Prize-Winning Playwright Guide