THE BUTTERFLY PROJECT
(or SO THAT YOU MAY GO BEYOND THE SEA)
by Joey Jepps and Gabriele Uboldi
TOYOOKA THEATRE FESTIVAL, JAPAN // 20-21 September 2025
translated by Yojiro Ichikawa
an Undone Theatre production co-presented by Toyooka Theatre Festival and Kakilang
CAMDEN PEOPLE'S THEATRE // 2-4 May 2024
Meet real-life partners Joey and Gabs. This is a show about the show they never made. The true story of how a 1904 opera caused the breakdown of their relationship.
A Japanese stewardess and a British pilot walk onto a plane. 25 years later, their son Joey is thinking of ending things with his Italian boyfriend. Turning to his parents’ interracial relationship for guidance, he embarks on a journey to connect with his roots. But as Joey learns more about his family, a pattern begins to emerge: the notes of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly underscore a century of Asian misrepresentation, orientalism, and exoticisation.
Connecting Milan to Nagasaki, Hong Kong to London, SO THAT YOU MAY GO BEYOND THE SEA is an irreverent look at the stories that shape us, whether we like it or not.
SHORTLISTED
The Pleasance's Charlie Hartill Award 2025
"A tender and funny play"
★★★★ - A Young(ish) Perspective
"Light-hearted, engaging drama"
★★★★ - Broadway Baby
"Provocative and thoughtful"
★★★★ - Theatre Weekly
"It pushe[s] the limits of documentary theatre"
- The Greatest Pause
Writers & Performers - Joey Jepps & Gabriele Uboldi
Set & Lighting Designer - Cheng Keng
Composer & Sound Designer - Rudy Percival
Video & Projection Designer - Douglas Baker
Dramaturg - Max Percy
Japan Advisor - Nobu Nakahara
Production Photographer - David Monteith-Hodge
Poster Photographer - Jack Sain
London Production Credits
Stage Manager - Vivi Wei
PR - Matthew Parker
Special thanks to Bri Leung, Kakilang, Applecart Arts, Theatre Deli, Social Convention, Omnibus Theatre, the Japan Society, Nick Hytner, artsdepot, London Performance Studios, New Earth Theatre, Bard The Beholder, Natalie Chan, Ruth Chan, Enxi Chang, Erin Guan, Amy Hsu, Ishimatsu Chie, Clara Janssen, Andrew Jepps, Klara Kofen, Michelle Miners, Hana Tamaru, Joy Tan, Hoyee Tse, and Anya Winful.