The place where plays are born
File.2 Kawasaki Romeo & Juliet
Koichi Imai (editor/writer)
One of the dreams of the Kawasaki City-based theater company "Kawasaki Alice" is to make a big splash overseas. It sounds good to say that today's young theater companies know their limits, but it's a little sad that they don't make such big claims.
Ash, the theater company's director, was a successful musical actress in her twenties with a touring American theater company.
"When you work in America, the language is obviously English. At some point, I began to wonder, 'Why am I performing in English?' I wanted to take the musicals I created in Japan overseas, so I returned to Japan. After searching for about two years, I heard that Tokyo University of the Arts was creating a course in theater. I thought, 'This is it!' and went back to university, not to study acting, but to study directing."
Among the various theater people he met was Miyagi Satoshi, the leader of the Ku Na’uka Theater Company. Ku Na’uka is a theater company that has developed a unique style in which a moving actor and a speaking actor play one role together. However, what attracted Ash was not their acting style, but the fact that they realized “putting Japanese to music” on stage.
The music that fills our daily lives is Western rhythms such as rock and pop. However, Ku Na’uka’s words are set to rhythms that are comfortable for Japanese people. I was also attracted by the fact that they were actively performing overseas. I was invited to join Ku Na’uka as a director and continued to work with Miyagi for a long time.
And when Miyagi decided to move to Shizuoka Arts Center (SPAC) as artistic director, he became independent. It is strange that from there, a connection with Kawasaki City was born.
He was given a job teaching drama at a high school, he participated in a residency program for an Indonesian company in connection with Miyagi, and he became friendly with the president of an architectural firm. Through a series of connections, he began his theatrical career.
In fact, many of the members of "Kawasaki Alice" are former students who, after pursuing various career paths, decided that they wanted to perform in Kawasaki after all. The rehearsal space is also provided by the aforementioned design firm. And so, they gradually began to take root in Kawasaki City.
*"Run Meros" at Engakuji Temple in Kamakura
"Through Miyagi-san's connections, I also participated in Suzuki Tadashi's drama school in Toga Village. It was a shocking and interesting experience that completely overturned my concept of theater, but more than anything, I was surprised to learn that he was building close ties with the local community and that his theater work had a social impact. When I thought about it, I realized that I, too, was interested in connecting with the local community, and it reminded me that 'I love doing things in Kawasaki.'"
*From Toga's "The Blue Bird"
The theater company was named "Alice" because they aim to create plays that will suddenly draw you into a wonderland, and take you to a surreal world. Eight years have passed since the company was founded. In 2017, Ash himself won the Outstanding Director Award at the Toga Theater Competition.
In December 2018, they performed two versions, the Kurenai troupe and the Hanada troupe, in the production "Kawasaki Romeo & Juliet," sponsored by Kawasaki City to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the opening of Lazona Kawasaki Plaza Sol.
"I feel like we've reached a new stage as a theater company. I've never wanted to end up as just another local theater company; it's always been my dream to take our works to the world. It's taken a while, but I'm happy that we've reached the point where we've been asked to produce a performance."
* "Yoroboshi" performed with high school students at Plaza Sol
Plaza Sol is a small theater located in a shopping center in front of Kawasaki Station. We first met there when we performed a play with high school students.
"Romeo and Juliet" is a Shakespeare masterpiece that depicts the short-lived love between two young men from rival families, Romeo and Juliet. The story will be adapted into a musical drama with live music, set in a town that seems to be Kawasaki about 200 years later.
"When you say 'Romeo and Juliet of the Future,' it gives the impression of science fiction, but when I create a play, I always imagine what the play will be like in seven generations. As it has been around for over 400 years, it will continue to live on into the future. The world may be more technologically advanced than it is now, but I don't think the basic activities of human beings will change. Even if society and the environment change, 'Romeo and Juliet' should be able to be performed as usual. We have set the play 220 years in the future, and we all talk about what Kawasaki will be like at that time as we create the play. I hope that this performance will be an opportunity to nurture the theater people of the future and foster the culture of Kawasaki."
This summer, a large-scale audition will be held. The members who gathered will be split into two groups. The Kurenai group will create a performance with the artistic performance taste that Ash is aiming for, while the Hanada group will create a performance that deepens the drama of "Romeo and Juliet."
* Romeo and Juliet production presentation
Inciting conflict is becoming a global trend these days. Kawasaki is a microcosm of this, but Ash feels that even with the negative aspects, the city is full of life and power. How will this story be received?
"I feel that everything in the world is more or less structured in conflict. Humans, to begin with, create conflicts everywhere. Some things are born from the tension of conflict, whether it becomes a fight or not. One example is art. I think that 'Romeo and Juliet' will be a story that resonates with the people of Kawasaki, who live in an environment of conflict and diverse cultures."
Ash didn't write the ending of the script, as it was something the young actors would work out through rehearsals in Kawasaki. Naturally, the two endings will be different.
"I think there are pros and cons to adapting a classic work. I decided that it would be good to use the universal treasure that is Romeo and Juliet to enrich lives, so I started by translating it. I didn't simply set the story in Kawasaki; I aimed to make it our own story. People who live in Kawasaki might find it funny. And I would be happy if the audience who sees this play can find a ray of hope in the tragic story."
* Romeo and Juliet promotion @Kosugi Festa
And the members supporting the play are all local Kawasaki friends, as Ash said, "We aimed for the production staff to be all Kawasaki." Theater is a live art, so no matter how interesting something is, the emotion can only be shared with those who were there at the time. That one-off nature is the charm of theater, so they focused on the visual aspects to disseminate information in advance. The local creative team "Nokuchi Base" supported the production. The name comes from "Mizoguchi."
"Even if we wanted to put effort into flyers and the like, we don't have the budget for that with our size. This time, the representative of Nokuchi Base said, 'Let's get our fees through crowdfunding.' We'll do our best to make this a production that lives up to the enthusiasm of the people of Kawasaki."
This event has ended.
Lazona Kawasaki Plaza Sol 12th Anniversary Exhibition
"Kawasaki Romeo & Juliet"
■Date and time: December 6th (Thursday) - December 11th (Tuesday), 2018
■ Venue: Lazona Kawasaki Plaza Sol
■Written by: W. Shakespeare
■ Translation, adaptation and direction: Ash (Kawasaki Alice)
■Ticket information: General advance tickets: 4,000 yen / Kawasaki discount: 3,800 yen / university and vocational school students: 3,000 yen / high school students and younger: 2,000 yen
Blue Set: 7,600 yen * Advance reservations only. You can see two performances.
■Start times: 6th and 7th 19:00, 8th and 9th 13:00/18:00, 10th 14:00/19:00, 11th 12:00/16:00
