In September, Associate Artistic Director, Joey Jepps, together with Kazuko Hohki, spent 1-week researching and developing a new interdisciplinary theatre show exploring legendary Japanese punk pop group, Frank Chickens.

Frank Chickens was founded in London in 1982 as a duo with Kazuko Hohki and Kazumi Taguchi, but the group has now expanded to more than 20 members. They were John Peel‘s favourite, had an independent chart hit with “We Are Ninja”, won the Foster Comedy God Award in 2010, released five albums and toured worldwide. Kazuko even had a Channel 4 TV series: “Kazuko’s Karaoke Klub. Since the late 1990s, Kazuko has been making theatre work, fusing idiosyncratic storytelling with film, animation, interventions and original music.

Some thoughts on the week from Joey:

“As a half Japanese artist who moved to the UK from Asia, I rarely feel represented now-a-days in the media, let alone when I look to the past for inspiration. Then, I came across Frank Chickens and Kazuko. Kazuko’s eccentric style, her unabashed punk nature and the joy she radiates when performing absolutely hooked me. 

Kazuko and I first met to talk about this show in January 2026, and the trust she has put in me during this process has been second to none. The conversations we have had over the last week about identity, “Japaneseness,” belonging and how Art fits into our lives has opened my mind to the endless possibilities of this project. I look forward to continuing to work with Kazuko and the team to finish this story and bring the magic of Frank Chickens to more audiences.”

At the end of the week, Joey and his team presented a very early version of the show. Industry audiences were given  a sense of the technical ambitions they plan to achieve, the narrative direction and how the two play with one another. 

Keep your eyes peeled for future updates on this exciting project!

Team:
Joey Jepps: Project Lead & Co-Creator 
Kazuko Hohki: Co-Creator, Performer & Founding Member of Frank Chickens 
Cheuk Him "LJ" Lam: Digital Technologist 
Yuki Sutton: Performer 
Gabriele Uboldi: Dramaturg 
Photography: Maggie Zhu