"International Collaboration" -France- Drama reading of "Tokyo Notes" Directed by Frederic Fisbach July 2, 1998 at Theatre Gerard-Philipe in Saint-Denis "Tokyo Notes," one of Oriza Hirata's most renowned works, was chosen as the piece to represent Japan, translated into French and published for the French government-sponsored FIFA World Cup-related event, "Du monde entier (From All Over the World)," held in July 1998. Hirata was invited to the drama reading of "Tokyo Notes" in French on July 2 at the Theatre Gerard- Philipe in Saint-Denis, where he met Frederic Fisbach, director of the drama reading. This young French director thought highly of "Tokyo Notes" and told Hirata of his hope to produce this piece in France and collaborate with Hirata. This was the beginning of their collaboration and exchange.
"Nous, les heros" Written by Jean-Luc Lagarce Directed by Frederic Fisbach and Oriza Hirata May 3-4, 1999 at Toga Yourth Nature Lodge in Toga, Toyama (Toga Spring Festival) May 14-25, 1999 at Komaba Agora Theater in Tokyo Born in 1966, Frederic Fisbach is a young and energetic director actively working in such theaters as the Theatre Gerard-Philipe and the Theatre de Nanterre-Amandier. Hirata and Fisbach got in touch with AFAA (Association Francaise d'Action Artistique), the Embassy of France and other organizations and, in preparation for the "Tokyo Notes" production in France, realized a successful production of "Nous, les heros" as the first program of their Japan-France Theater Exchange Project. The cast consisted of 10 Japanese actors (6 from Seinendan) and 2 French actors. Also, a scenographer and a lighting designer from France participated in this production.
Auditions for "Tokyo Notes" June 16-20, 1999 at Theatre Gerard-Philipe in Saint-Denis For the French production of "Tokyo Notes" at national theaters, which started in January 2000, Hirata had visited France in June 1999 and chose 20 French actors as cast members from about 100 candidates through one-week auditions.
"Nous partirons quand la direction du vent sera stabilisee" Directed by Francois-Michel Pesenti Produced in Japan by Oriza Hirata September 21-23, 1999 at Komaba Agora Theater in Tokyo October 6-8, 1999 at Theatre de Bernardines in Marseille (Festival les Informelles) Francois-Michel Pesenti is a Marseille-based director. He saw Seinendan's "Umi yorimo Nagai Yoru (The Night Longer than The Sea)" in June 1999 during his stay in Japan, which was sponsored by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pesenti was strongly interested in Oriza Hirata and Seinendan's methodology and asked Hirata to join his project. Hirata, Seinendan, and Komaba Agora Theater cooperated with Pesenti in a 3-week workshop and premiere performances (Tokyo and Marseille) in the fall of 1999. Six Japanese actors (4 from Seinendan) and 6 French actors participated.
Workshop December 6-12, 1999 at Theatre de Nanterre-Amandier in Paris The cast of the French production of "Tokyo Notes" consists of the French actors, chosen through auditions, and 3 Japanese actors who participated in "Nous, les heros" (2 from Seinendan). All the cast members experienced a one-week workshop by Hirata before the 2-month-long rehearsals started in Brest. The workshop was held at the Theatre de Nanterre-Amandier. The programs were the same as that of Hirata's workshop in Japan. Hirata thinks it important that the actors come to share with one another and with the director methods and concepts with which to create a drama. So when he directs a cast of new actors he usually holds workshops so that they can better understand his style and view of theater and his view of the world through theater. ("This is what I think theater is," "To me the world looks like this," and "This is what humans are like, don't you think?")
"Tokyo Notes" Written by Oriza Hirata Directed by Oriza Hirata and Frederic Fisbach January-March, 2000 January 13-19 at BREST/LE QUARTZ DE BREST February 01-19 at PARIS/PARC DE LA VILLETTE March 9-10 at AUBUSSON/LE THEATRE JEAN LURCAT March 14-18 at CLERMONT-FERRAND/COMEDIE DE CLERMONT-FERRAND Oriza Hirata and Seinendan's collaboration with the theater people in France started with the drama reading of this piece, leading to a French production of "Tokyo Notes" in national theaters in Brest and several other cities. It was the first time Oriza Hirata's piece was performed in Europe. The production won a number of favorable reviews on major newspapers and theatre magazines in France. All the performances in Paris were full, thanks to the article on the Liberation on February 1, the opening date of the Paris performances, which included a review for the Brest performances and an interview to Hirata. As it turned out, "Tokyo Notes" received a lot of attention in the Paris theatre scene in February 2000.
"NOEUDS DE NEIGE" Directed by Francois-Michel Pesenti March-May, 2002 March 7-16, at Maison des Comoni in Le Revest-les-Eaux, France May 14-25, at La Friche La Belle de Mai in Marseille, France March-June, 2003 March 31-April 5, at the Experimental Theater of the National Chiang Kai Shek Cultural center R.O.C. in Taipei, Taiwan May 31-June 1, at Fujimi Culture Hall KIRARI FUJIMI in Saitama, Japan June 4-8, at Theatre Tram in Tokyo, Japan Francois-Michel Pesenti, a French director, started this Japan-France joint project as a workshop in Tokyo in 1999. For the 2002 production, six Japanese actors (including four from Seinendan) and six French actors got together and rehearsed for one and a half months in France. The 2002 production in France was successful and in 2003 it was presented in Taipei, Saitama and Tokyo.
"Tokyo Notes" Written and directed by Oriza Hirata October, 2002 October 22-26 at Maison de la culture du Japon a Paris October 29-30 at Teatre Antoine Vitez in Aix-en-Provence Seinendan toured five European cities with "Tokyo Notes," one of our most renowned repertoire pieces. In the two French cities, we performed in Japanese with French subtitles. In Paris, the piece was highly acclaimed by fullhouse audiences including theater practitioners such as Mr. Olivier Py (playwright, director, artistic director of Orleans Loiret Centre) and Mr. Yoshi Oida (actor). Hirata's dramaturgy and methodology introduced at the after-performance talk session following each performance was also much marveled at. In Aix-en-Provence the Seinendan performance started the theater's annual season and was well-received by young audiences including university students.
Workshop October, 2002 Along with the performances of "Tokyo Notes" at Teatre Antoine Vitez, Hirata held a special lecture and workshop for drama majors at Universete de Provence. In April-May, 2003, they presented their own production of "Tokyo Notes" in French.
"India Song" Written by Marguerite Duras Directed by Laurent Gutmann December 2002 - February 2003 December 27-29, 2002, Komaba Agora Theater (Tokyo) February 3-4, 2003, Fujimi Culture Hall KIRARI FUJIMI (Saitama) Born in 1967, Paris-based Laurent Gutmann is one of the most remarkable directors working in France and internationally. In the summer of 2002, he held workshops for actors of Seinendan. The next year, he visited Japan again and presented "India Song" after a four-and-a-half-week workshop with eight Seinendan actors. Laurent Gutmann directed From "S Plateau," written by Oriza Hirata, for the production of the Theatre National de Strasbourg, France, in March 2003. "Internatinal Collaboration"Italy-Southeast Asia -Italy- "Tokyo Notes" October, 2002 October 10-12 at Teatro Vaschell in Rome Seinendan toured five European cities with "Tokyo Notes," one of our most renowned repertoire pieces. In Rome, we performed in Japanese with Italian subtitles. This production started the theater's 2002-2003 season. -Switzerland- "Tokyo Notes" October, 2002 October 17-19 at Teatre du Moulin-Neuf in Aigle Seinendan toured five European cities with "Tokyo Notes," one of our most renowned repertoire pieces. In Aigle, we performed in Japanese with French subtitles. Teatre du Moulin-Neuf, opened in 2001, is a small handcrafted theater in a village of a population of 2,000. "Tokyo Notes" was the first overseas production for the theater. The production was enthusiastically received by the local audiences. -Korea- "Citizens of Seoul" Written and directed by Oriza Hirata May 28-31, 1993 at Post Theater in Seoul June 4-6, 1993 at Say Theater in Pusan "Citizens of Seoul" is, like "Tokyo Notes," among the most renowned works of Oriza Hirata and Seinendan. It is set in 1909, a year before Japan's complete colonization of Korea. Seinendan presented this piece in the Korean language in Korea in 1993. This epoch-making production in which the Japanese presented in Korea a work by a Japanese playwright in Korean created a great sensation in the Korean theater world. It was our independent production but the members of Mokhwa Repertory Company and many other Korean theater people supported our realization of this work. QQQQQQ "Tokyo Notes" Written and directed by Oriza Hirata October 22-24, 1999 at Seoul Arts Center in Seoul Our second production in Korea came about as part of "Japan Week" by Seoul Arts Center, a national theater that mainly shows contemporary dramas. The subtitle display system developed by Seinendan enabled this production in Japanese with Korean subtitles. For the set design, the Seinendan scenographer collaborated with a Korean scenographer and a contemporary artist from Aomori, Japan. Furthermore, a workshop and a symposium were held to introduce Seinendan's style and system to young theater people in Korea. QQQQQQ Workshop October 23, 1999 at Seoul Arts Center in Seoul While we were in Seoul for the production of "Tokyo Notes" a workshop was held for drama major students and young actors in Korea. Seinendan and Oriza Hirata's "contemporary colloquial theater" was a theater style completely new to Korea; this workshop helped them understand it through actual participation. QQQQQQ "Sono Kawawo Koete, Gogatsu (Across the River in May)" Written by Oriza Hirata and KIM Myong-Hwa Directed by LEE Byung-Hoon and Oriza Hirata June 3-13 the Pit, New National Theatre, Tokyo June 2-29 Seoul Arts Center New National Theatre planned this performance as one of the Year of Japan-ROK National Exchange in 2002 events. Ms. Kim and Hirata co-authored this piece and Mr. Lee and Hirata co-directed. The Korean and Japanese staff and cast members worked together for two years to realize this production. The cast consisted of six Japanese, including one from Seinendan, and five Korean actors who on stage spoke both Korean and Japanese. In February, 2002, before the rehearsals started, the staff and cast members from both countries met at the New National Theatre and Hirata held a five-day workshop for them. They experienced group creation, theatrical training before the actual rehearsals started. This was the first workshop Hirata gave to the professional Korean actors. Hirata, once an exchange student at a Seoul university and who speaks Korean, advanced his simultaneous conversations theory extremely with this piece, which was highly acclaimed both in Korea and Japan. -Australia- Workshop April 14-18, 1998 at University of Canberra Hirata was invited to the Australian Playwright Convention, a two-week event on the campus of a university for playwrights and other theater people to participate in various seminars, workshops and readings. Hirata held a workshop centered around the creation of a short drama for directors, playwrights-to-be, scholars, and students. It was the first of his workshops with an interpreter. -U.S.A. Canada- "Tokyo Notes" Written and directed by Oriza Hirata October-November, 2000 October 26-28 Japan Society (New York) November 1 Dunlop Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) November 4 Eddy Theater, Chatham College (Pittsburgh) November 10 Alix Goolden Performance Hall, Victoria Conservatory of Music (Victoria, Canada) Seinendan toured four cities in the U.S.A. and Canada in fall, 2000, presenting "Tokyo Notes," one of our most renowned repertoire. This tour production hosted by the Japan Society was a great theatrical success. We also performed various outreach activities during the tour. The New York Times carried an exceptionally detailed article introducing this production. The production was highly acclaimed by the New York theater practitioners and a lot of people came to see the performance. Since this tour, we are continually contacted by people who are interested in translating and publishing Hirata's plays and having Hirata to come and direct a piece at their universities. QQQQQ Workshop October-November, 2000 City University of New York/University of Pittsburgh Hirata held workshops for actors and students in playwriting and directing courses while Seinendan was touring the cities with "Tokyo Notes." He also gave lectures at University of Pennsylvania and University of Victoria to Japanese major and drama major students. QQQQQ "Eclipse" April, 2002 Written by Barry Hall Directed by Motohiro Hase April 5-17, 2002 Komaba Agora Theater (Tokyo) Barry Hall is a spirited playwright, director, and actor based in New York City. This was a new experiment in which an American playwright wrote a new play for the production by Seinendan and stayed in Japan for the rehearsals and performances, working closely with the director, other staff members and actors, and also with Oriza Hirata, the artistic director. QQQQQQ "Whither Batavia?" April, 2003 Written and directed by Barry Hall April 24-29, 2003 Komaba Agora Theater (Tokyo) "Whither Batavia?" is a play by New York-based Barry Hall, written as his second collaboration with Seinendan. Mr. Hall stayed in Japan for the entire rehearsal period to direct his own play, working closely with the cast and staff members to discover new possibilities for translated plays as contemporary colloquial theater. -Ireland- Workshop November 19-20, 2001 at Drama Studies Centre, University College Dublin Hirata held workshops for the Irish, Japanese and other drama major students. QQQQQ September-October, 2002 "Tokyo Notes" September 30-October 2 at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, Dublin In the fall, 2002, Seinendan toured five European cities, Dublin (Ireland), Rome (Italy), Aigle, (Switzerland), Paris, and Aix-en-Provence (France) with "Tokyo Notes," one of our most renowned repertoire pieces. In Dublin we performed at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College, Beckett's alma mater, officially invited as part of the program of Dublin Theatre Festival. "Tokyo Notes" was highly acclaimed and much talked about. The reviews appeared on papers, including a detailed article in the Irish Times. Post performance talks, Hirata's lecture at Bewley's Festival Centre at Liberty Hall, and his workshop for children up to 9th grade at Saturday School For Japanese Children in Dublin were also held. -Southeast Asia- Workshop February-April, 2003 February 24-March 1 Akademi Seni Kebangsaan (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) March 10-15 Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok, Thailand) March 31-April 4 Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia Bandung (Bandung, Indonesia) The Japan Foundation organized this theater workshop tour. Oriza Hirata held a 6-day workshop at each venue and created short pieces with participating actors and drama majors. "Internatinal Collaboration"-Japan- Productions of overseas companies organized by Seinendan and the Komaba Agora Theater September, 2002 "I LOVE DMZ" Seinendan International Exchange Project 2002 Mochwa Repertory Company (Korea) Written and directed by Oh Tae-suck September 4-8 Komaba Agora Theater March-April, 2003 "Feichang Majang" The 30th Anniversary Event of Japan-China Diplomatic Relations Written and directed by Lee Liu-yi March 25-27 Aoyama Circular Theater April 4-5 Itami AI Hal May, 2004 "Fin de Partie (Endgame)" Theatre du Point Aveugle (France) Written by Samuel Beckett Directed by Francois-Michel Pesenti May 23-25 Komaba Agora Theater August, 2003 "Korea Performance Now" Seinendan International Exchange Project 2003 Art director: Shim Chool-jong August 15-17 Komaba Agora Theater January, 2003 "Sin Titulo (Without Academic Degree)" Seinendan International Exchange Project 2004 TEATROFIA (the Canary Islands) Written and directed by TEATROFIA January 10-13 Komaba Agora Theater Janyary 17-18 Fujimi Culture Hall KIRARI FUJIMI