"Coming from a Dark Place" Interview with Tomohiro Maekawa and Eriko Ogawa

Playwright and director Tomohiro Maekawa and director Eriko Ogawa, who have won numerous theater awards and are active in a wide range of activities, can be called the hopes of modern Japanese theater. In the summer of 2012, after the Ikiume performance "Mission" directed by Ogawa, "A play for children and adults 'I come from a dark place'" was born from the two people's tag again.

This work, which was born from a harmonious combination of actors and staff, literally excites audiences of all generations, and will tour eight domestic theaters this summer, the first rerun in two years. We talked about the first time for the two of us, "making a play for children," and their thoughts on the replay.

Text by : Sora Onoe
Photo: Masanobu Nishino

■ Tomohiro Maekawa | tomohiro MAEKAWA

Born in 1974. Playwright and director.
Born in Niigata Prefecture. He presides over the theater company Ikiume (formed in 2003) and uses it as a base for his activities.
Draws a different world that appears side by side with familiar life.
Outside of the theater company, he continues to take on a wide range of challenges, such as teaming up with Ennosuke Ichikawa in Super Kabuki II "Sora Wo Kokumono" and Yukio Ninagawa in "Taiyo 2068". In 2014, he won the Outstanding Director Award at the 21st Yomiuri Theater Awards for directing "Katarin" and "Notes in the Basement". In addition, he has won numerous theater awards, including the Tsuruya Namboku Drama Award, the Kinokuniya Theater Award, the Yomiuri Literary Award, and the New Artist Award.

http://www.ikiume.jp/index.html

■ Eriko Ogawa｜eriko OGAWA

Translation and directing. Born in Tokyo in 1978.
In 2004, graduated from the Actors Studio Graduate School Directing Department. 2004-2005 Lincoln Center Director Training Institute trainee.
From 2006 to 2007, he was a trainee of the 2005 Cultural Emerging Artists Overseas Dispatch System.
In 2010, he won the Yuji Odashima Translation Drama Award for Sam Shepard's "The Dead Henry Moss" (produced by CAT/J.Clip). In 2012, she won the Sugimura Haruko Award at the 19th Yomiuri Theater Awards for "Twelve People -Kiseki no Monogatari-" (office cottone), "Night Visitors" (Hibikito), and "Pride" (tpt). In 2014, he won the 48th Kinokuniya Theater Award Individual Award, the 16th Koreya Senda Award, and the 21st Yomiuri Theater Award for Outstanding Director. One of the most sought-after performers today.

Maekawa: It was my first time creating a play based on the premise that children would appreciate it, but I didn't make any unusual preparations or make any major changes to my ideas. As I said at the production announcement for the premiere, even when I remember my childhood, I had many experiences where I would remember things that I didn't understand a little bit later on. I thought that if I didn't make my steps too kind, people would be able to focus on me. However, I was conscious that my style was a bit logical (laughs), so I tried to keep the story development as simple as possible, and after laying out the foreshadowing, I took care to make the time to develop it shorter than usual. .

Ogawa: I don't have anything to worry about either. If anything, I had high hopes that I would be able to enjoy using the direct staging and gimmick-like gimmicks of the theater, which I can't usually do.

Maekawa: Normally, when I write a play, I ask the actors and staff to listen to the development, and I listen to a lot of other people's opinions in order to refine it, but I wrote this work almost in one fell swoop without consulting anyone. Something like. The main character, Teruo, reflects a lot of my own childhood experiences. (laughs)

Photo: Aki Tanaka (From the KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater premiere in 2012)

Ogawa: I just found out that Mr. Maekawa's real-life experiences were reflected so much (laughs).

Maekawa: Normally, I don't mix personal experiences into my works. However, by adding my own experiences, I think that the work has become something that does not depend on the age of children and adults. Teruo feels vague anxiety and fear about his grandmother's house because of his "guilt". Because of the guilt that lurks in the subconscious, you feel things that other people don't feel, and things that you shouldn't be able to see change shape and appear, and that's what horror is all about.

Ogawa: That's true. Precisely because it is such a standard play, we had the actors, the staff, and of course Mr. Maekawa come to the rehearsals many times, and we were able to come up with various ideas while making it. It was a very exciting and fun time for me. The staff of KAAT are always working at full capacity and taking care of even the smallest details.

We had a feeling that it would be fun, but at the final stage, we were worried about whether the children would be happy with it. Since it is the first time, their reaction is unknown. So, just before the first day, I decided to have more than 20 pairs of parents and children watch it as a preview. I was forced by the staff, but I was really saved by that reaction.

Maekawa: Oh yeah, he laughed a lot more than I expected, and he watched me carefully when I was concentrating.

Ogawa: They quickly understood the rule that "people in the dark world can only be seen by Teruo-kun," and they were amused by Teruo's slight trepidation. However, when I asked him what he thought after the performance, he gave me sharp retorts such as, "The position of the shadow projected by the projector is out of place!"

Maekawa: I was impressed and relieved that I was watching a lot.

Ogawa: Even in the actual performance, I can clearly see that the children are creating the atmosphere of the theater. Some children laugh and get scared before adults, and sometimes even say things like, "I'm not scared!" I was keenly aware that the presence of the children made this work complete.

Maekawa: It was also nice to have face-to-face seats surrounding the stage. In particular, there are children in the front row, and from the audience facing each other, the children's reactions can be seen as part of the work. That's why I think the children's direct reaction had a strong influence on the work.

Photo: Aki Tanaka (From the KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater premiere in 2012)

Ogawa: Also, personally, I would say that the directing of this work is a somewhat nostalgic, theatrical gimmick that I usually couldn't do even if I wanted to. I was able to experiment with various things, such as how to create contrast between light and shadow to express the presence of invisible things, and how to use simple and straight techniques such as the wind swaying the curtains, and using them after meticulous calculations. This was possible thanks to the cooperation of the art, lighting, and sound departments, but it was also personally rewarding for me to realize once again that ``theater is originally meant to be enjoyed in this way.'' As a result, even my family, who usually complain about the stages I direct, said, "There is no work that surpasses this one" (laughs).

Maekawa: When I went to the rehearsal room for the first time, Mr. Ogawa was directing meticulously as usual. (laughs) But it was the right way to make it without flattering children.

That's why I think the audience, who are more honest and severe than anyone else, became my ally. During this tour, we will be taking the work to various regions such as Chubu, Kansai, and Kyushu, but I want children to see the work without fail at any of the theaters.

Ogawa: Really, the presence of children is a must for this work.
In order to have a better and more enjoyable experience, we would like adults to come with their children.

Maekawa: The cast and staff are all the same members for the repeat performance. That's why we aim to evolve and deepen it, so I'm sure those who have seen the premiere will find a different kind of enjoyment.