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My Neighbour Totoro

Royal Shakespeare Company / Joe Hisaishi

— ,Barbican Theatre
An illustration of the Totoro character with green watercolour washes of paint. Inside Totoro's face is the silhouette of two small characters holding a red umbrella.

Find your spirit with the “awe-inspiring” (Time Out) and “dazzling” (Guardian) My Neighbour Totoro, as this five-star, award-winning production returns for a strictly limited season.

Winner of six Olivier Awards and five WhatsOnStage Awards, this “utterly beguiling” (The Stage) and “jaw-dropping” (Metro) staging of the celebrated 1988 animated feature film is brought to you by the Royal Shakespeare Company and Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi, in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV and adapted by Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer). 

Hailed as “a tender and remarkably beautiful show” (Financial Times), My Neighbour Totoro is an enchanting coming-of-age story exploring the magical fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination, as it follows one extraordinary summer in the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei. Book now for this unmissable, “huge, healing hug of a show” (The Stage). 

Tagged with: Theatre & dance Unwrap the Barbican Theatre and Dance Autumn 2023 More...

Running time: approx 2 hrs 40 mins (including interval)

Please note that evening performances start at 7pm. Latecomers may not be admitted.

Age guidance:
We suggest 6+, but younger guests are welcome. The show is 2 hours and 40 minutes, quite loud in parts and possibly scary for some younger children at moments. Children need to occupy their own seat at all times through the performance. This production is not suitable for children under four years of age (including babes in arms). Younger children and babes in arms are welcome at our relaxed performances.

The show features puppets, some large scale that will interact in audience space. The show contains themes of an ill parent in hospital. It also features live music and sound effects that will be loud at times.


 

Presented by the Barbican. 

The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund 
Miranda Curtis CMG – Lead Production Supporter of My Neighbour Totoro
New Work at the RSC is generously supported by The Drue and H.J. Heinz II Charitable Trust
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
RSC £10 Tickets are supported by TikTok

© Studio Ghibli. © RSC

Cast

  • Jessie Baek   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Jasmine Bayes   Off-stage Swing Kazego Puppeteer
  • Boaz Chad   Off-stage swing Kazego Puppeteer
  • Ka Long Kelvin Chan   Kanta/Kazego Puppeteer
  • Jasmine Chiu   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Elizabeth Chu   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Andrew Futaishi   Hiroshi/Kazego Puppeteer
  • Yojiro Ichikawa   Kazego Principal Puppeteer
  • Arina li   Miss Hara/Kazego Principal Puppeteer
  • Anna Kato   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Heather Lai   Off-stage Swing Kazego Puppeteer
  • Matthew Leonhart   Kazego Principal Puppeteer
  • Mei Mac   Mei
  • Amanda Maud   Nurse Emiko/Kazego Puppeteer
  • Ai Ninomiya   Kaze no koe/Singer
  • Yuki Nitta   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Ami Okumura Jones   Satsuki
  • Bright Ong   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Mark Takeshi Ota   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Daniel Phung   Off-stage Swing Kazego Puppeteer
  • Emily Piggford   Yasuko/Kazego Puppeteer
  • Si Rawlinson   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Gun Suen   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Dai Tabuchi   Tatsuo/Kazego Puppeteer
  • Jacqueline Tate   Granny Ogaki/Kazego Puppeteer
  • Shaofan Wilson   Kazego Puppeteer
  • Naomi Yang   Tsukiko/Kazego Puppeteer

Creative team

  • Steven Atkinson   Associate Sound Designer
  • Alin Conant   Associate Director
  • Nicole T. Chang   Sounds Effects and Soundscape Designer
  • David Gallagher   Orchestral Manager
  • Tony Gayle   Sound Designer
  • Pippa Hill   Dramaturg
  • Joe Hisaishi   Executive Producer and Composer
  • Jessica Hung Han Yun   Lighting Designer
  • Phelim McDermott   Director
  • Mervyn Miller   Puppetry Associate
  • Hannah Miller CDG   Casting Director
  • Griselda Yorke   Executive Producer
  • Tom Morton-Smith   Adaptor/English Lyrics
  • Kimie Nakano   Costume Designer
  • Isobel Nicolson   Associate Set Designer
  • Bruce O'Neil   Music Supervisor
  • Tamykha Patterson   Associate Light Designer and Lighting Programmer
  • Tom Pye   Production Designer
  • Finn Ross   Video Designer
  • Andrea Scott   Video Designer
  • Iskandar R. Sharazuddin   Resident Director
  • Matt Smith   Music Director
  • Will Stuart   Orchestrator and Arranger
  • Basil Twist   Puppetry Designer and Director
  • You-Ri Yamanaka   Movement Director

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Accessibility

The show features puppets, some large scale that will interact in audience space. The show contains themes of an ill parent in hospital. It also features live music and sound effects that will be loud at times.

There are a range of Audio Described, BSL-integrated, Captioned and Relaxed performances across the run.

Audio Described
Wed 28 Feb, 7pm (Touch Tour 5.00 – 5.30pm)

Listen to the audio introduction notes

Captioned performances
Wed 28 Feb, 7pm

Relaxed Performance (Audio Described & Captioned)
Sat 17 Feb, 2pm (Touch Tour 12.00 – 12.30pm)

View the BSL synopsis
Read the visual story
View the sonic story
Read the intro notes

My Neighbour Totoro Teacher Pack
The activities provided in this pack can be used by teachers either as stand-alone practical approaches to this story or as supporting activities for students seeing the production.

Find out more about Accessible Events at the Barbican.

Relaxed performances

A Relaxed performance is ideal for those who would benefit from a more informal approach to noise and movement in the auditorium or would feel more at ease knowing they could enter and exit freely. There will be a relaxed performances on 17 Feb, 2pm.

For this production:

- The house will be opened early to allow you more time to find your seats.

- The Front of House team are briefed on providing a more informal service and relaxing the standards in regard to audience behaviour during the performance.

- Latecomer and re-admittance points will be relaxed to allow people to leave and re-enter the auditorium more freely.

- The house lights will remain slightly raised to during the performance to ensure your safety if you need to move about.

- The performers are briefed about Relaxed performances and know that you may need to move around and make noise.

- A quiet chill out space is provided with comfortable seating.

- This production is suitable for babes in arms

- The performance has not been sensory adapted.

Please get in touch with us if you would like to discuss further before making a booking.

Contact the Theatre team at [email protected]

Read our visual story

Barbican Theatre

Location
The Barbican Theatre is located within the main Barbican building. Head to Level G and follow the signs to find your seating level. 

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.

RSC Supporters

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