Shimokitazawa-based theatre company 52PRO!, long a mainstay of Japan’s small-theatre scene, now presents the Japan premiere of its new co-production with Ridge Theatre in Taipei, Seven Letters (敬啓者; “Dear Sir or Madam”), portraying everyday scenes as human drama and revisiting, through theatre, the intricate relations between history and culture while opening up a new space for dialogue.

Synopsis
We return to 2016. On the eve of relocation for residents of a juàncūn—a “military dependents’ village” in Beitou, Taipei, established in 1949 for soldiers of the Republic of China and their families—a young Taiwanese man named Abo comes home to help his family move. Among his late father’s belongings he discovers seven letters. In his youth, Abo’s father had corresponded with a Japanese man named Fujita. Was his father truly the child of a U.S. serviceman, or a Taiwanese elite who once studied in Japan? As Abo probes this mystery of his father’s origins, and the web of relations between postwar Taiwan and international powers—relations that have repeatedly intersected, risen, and ebbed—these histories gradually surface through the seven letters. As the fog of history lifts, they reveal a sincere friendship that reaches across borders and stretches through time.

Ridge Theatre

Founded in 2025 in Beitou, Taipei, Ridge Theatre carries forward long-term local initiatives—including Ridge Studio and Ridge Books. As a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering regional culture, it pursues community-building in collaboration with local residents through theatre festivals, educational programs, and other projects.

Performers: Tsukahara Daisuke, Chou Hou-An
Director: Ho Ying-Kuen
Playwright: Shen Wan-Ting
Premiere production in Taipei: Department of Cultural Affairs. Taipei City Government