Discover a Japanese-Vietnamese co-production of Russian theater in Yokohama's Izumi Ward

The place where plays are born
File.8 "Uncle Vanya"
Koichi Imai (editor/writer)

There is an organization called "Theater Center Without Walls" that has the concept of "those involved in performing arts, regardless of culture, ethnicity, nationality, or affiliation, can build mutual understanding as one joint activity group and aim to engage with society through theater as a medium." Director Tsuyoshi Sugiyama, Muneshige Hiroyuki of the Black Tent Theater Company, set designer Chika Kato, and actor Tsai Hemi are among the participants. As an international co-production project between the Theater Center Without Walls and the National Vietnam Youth Theater, Sugiyama's three-year co-production "Uncle Vanya" will be performed at the Izumi Community Cultural Center in Yokohama, Teatro Fonte.
Interestingly, Izumi Ward was formerly the site of a Vietnamese refugee center, and is also home to many second and third generation Vietnamese living in Japan.

First, I would like to introduce Sugiyama Tsuyoshi.

Sugiyama aspired to be an actor and studied under a professor at the Paris Conservatoire in France who also served as assistant director to Peter Brook. From 2008 to 2010, he was a trainee director at the Russian National Mossovet Theatre, where he studied directing under Yuri Yeremin, the deputy artistic director and director.
Meanwhile, in Japan, he launched the theater company A La Plus. After meeting Muneshige and others and performing in Serbia, he founded the general incorporated association "Theater Center Without Walls" with the aim of participating in overseas festivals and international co-productions. To date, he has mainly held theater workshops in Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

"In 2014, the Japan Foundation ran an initiative to invite people involved in the performing arts from Vietnam to Japan for around three months. At that time, I was asked to host actors from the Vietnam National Youth Theatre in a long-term actor training workshop that I was running. We had only planned to host them for one day, but we ended up running it for about a week because it was so much fun."

Through this connection, in 2016, Sugiyama's production of Chekhov's The Seagull was invited to the Vietnam International Theater Festival in Hanoi (later to be invited to the international theater festivals in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Croatia). There, he reunited with members of the Vietnam National Youth Theater and held a workshop. The production won the Best Play and Best Director awards at the festival. These experiences led to the production of Uncle Vanya.

"They liked 'The Seagull' so we decided to create a work over a three-year plan starting in 2017. In the first year, we did research and held workshops while sharing each other's creative methods. In the second year, we stayed in Vietnam for about two and a half months to create a work, which then toured Hanoi and other parts of Vietnam. Then, in the third year, we decided to perform it in Japan, which is how we got to this year."
Sugiyama's acting and directing origins lie in the Russian Stanislavski system. In fact, Vietnamese actor education is also heavily influenced by Russia. Because of this, there is a common language and understanding, which makes it very easy to work with him.

"In Vietnam, plays from Shakespeare to works by modern playwrights are performed. But there is a feeling that something needs to change in order to create a unique identity that can compete with other Asian countries. Also, despite the strong influence of Russia in theater, it seems that Chekhov has never been performed in the past. No, I heard that they had tried several times but were unsuccessful and never produced a play. One of their goals was to revive Chekhov's works in the modern era and attract interest, including from young audiences. And they liked my play The Seagull, from its style to its structure and approach, so they decided to work together. In that sense, this project was important for contemporary Vietnamese theater. It is precisely because Vietnam has a painful history that I feel a vitality from the Vietnamese people that they are trying to overcome it while maintaining a cheerful attitude. But there is also sadness at the root of it all. I feel that this is something that connects to Chekhov's works."
Here's the synopsis of Uncle Vanya:

For a long time, Vanya, his mother Voynitskaya, and his niece Sonya have been living peacefully in their country mansion with their nanny Marina and freeloader Teregin. Then suddenly, Sonya's father Serebryakov, who has retired from his job as a university professor, and his second wife Elena arrive. With Serebryakov's doctor Astrov also involved, life in the mansion changes completely. As the uncontrollable emotion of love overlaps, their lives heat up and begin to intersect. Then, Serebryakov makes a major announcement that shakes everyone up.

"When you think of Stanislavski, you may have a strong impression of realistic realism. But while my direction, while of course, respects the original work to the fullest extent, in order to deliver it to today's audiences, I also use modern visuals, sounds, and sensibilities, and am characterized by a variety of expressions that make full use of metaphors. I see 'Uncle Vanya' as a story of two people with different worldviews: one who seeks true beauty, and the other who seeks vanity. I wanted to express in every way possible the impossibility of these two people understanding each other, coexisting, or living in harmony. Those who seek true beauty value the fundamental and primitive part of humanity, that is, connections such as loving others and living together. On the other hand, those who seek vanity are self-centered, coming from the city, and desire their own status, fame, and technological development, forgetting that their lives are made up of coexistence with others. I explored with the actors what metaphors we could use to depict the differences between the two, with the aim of leaving it up to the audience's imagination as much as possible."

When Chekhov's works are discussed, they tend to have an image of being dark, gloomy, and boring, and the same is true in Vietnam. This makes them difficult for theater fans to accept, but Sugiyama's direction is passionate, dynamic, and speedy. Uncle Vanya has been performed as an official repertory piece at the Vietnam National Youth Theater since 2018. Then, in October, it was announced that it won the Best Play and Best Lead and Supporting Actor awards at the Vietnam International Theater Festival, which saw 21 works participate from eight countries: Hungary, Israel, India, South Korea, China, Singapore, Greece, and Vietnam.

"Winning the award has made me even more determined to have Japanese audiences enjoy our show. I don't think the Japanese theater world is particularly aware of what Vietnamese performing arts are like, so I hope that this will be an opportunity to convey the high quality and appeal of our work. Furthermore, there are now many Vietnamese people working in Japan, so I would be happy if this performance can draw attention to them."

This event has ended.
Japan-Vietnam Contemporary Theatre Joint Project
"Uncle Vanya"
[Date and time] Tuesday, November 26, 2019 Doors open at 14:30 / Performance starts at 15:00
[Venue] Yokohama City Izumi Community Cultural Center, Teatro Fonte
[Author] Anton P. Chekhov
[Translated by] Kiyoshi Kanzai
[Direction/Composition] Tsuyoshi Sugiyama
[Art] Chika Kato
[Dramaturgy and Planning] Hiroyuki Muneshige
[Cast]
Le Khanh, Duc Que, Thanh Binh, Quynh Duong, Tu Quynh, Phuong Thuy, Thanh Duong, Tu Wine, Manh Hoang, Tsai Hemi, Takashi Matsuda, Kiyotaka Nishimura, Asaki Nakamura, Tung Anh
[Tickets (all reserved seats, tax included)] Adults 3,000 yen / Same-day tickets 3,500 yen, Students and foreign nationals 1,500 yen
*Preschool children are not allowed to enter.
[Ticket reservations and sales] Kanagawa Ticket Tel. 0570-015-415 (10:00-18:00)
[Inquiries] K. Planning TEL.03-3419-6318

《Patrol Information》
[Date and time] November 22nd (Friday) to November 24th (Sunday), 2019
[Venue] Theatre Tram (Setagaya, Tokyo)