Author: Alex Matsuo

The Creative World That Surrounds Me

Alex Matsuo

First of all, many apologies for not keeping up with this blog.  I’ve had lots of exciting things come my way the last few months and I’ve gotten wrapped up in the whirlwind of the awesomeness.  Is that a word?  If not, I don’t care.  I’m still using it.

Recently I’ve taken notice of all the wonderful and creative people in my life.  Being involved in theatre has meant that I’ve taken for granted the fantastic creativity that my friends exhibit to the world around them.  They inspire me.  Until now, I hadn’t stopped and smelled the roses.  I stopped and really thought about and took in the fact that I’m surrounded by artistic creativity.  It’s not exclusive to just my theatre friends.  Even my non-theatre friends have some amazing creative projects happening in their lives where I just kind of stand there with my jaw dropped in awe.

Sometimes, I feel like creativity is put into a category or a bubble of sorts.  Only reserved for the artists, actors, singers, musicians, etc.  But believe it or not, there is creativity happening all around us where we least expect it.  Creativity has led to technological and scientific breakthroughs.  Creativity has provided a form of catharsis for those who think they aren’t creative.  Accept it or not, but our lives revolve around either our own creativity, or the creativity of others.  When we listen to music, read a book, look at graffiti, go to the movies, watch TV…it’s all from someone’s creative (and sometime’s corporate-centric) mind.  I meet so many people who say, “Oh I’m not creative like you.”  Or, “It’s dangerous to have a career solely based on creativity.”  I disagree and yet, agree.

“It’s dangerous to have a career solely based on creativity.”

I agree with this statement.  It is dangerous.  It’s a shame to admit it, but it is dangerous to have a career that completely depends on the quality of your talent and creativity.  It’s easy to put your creativity aside to provide for yourself and a family.  It’s necessary at that point.  Unless you’re very talented, meaning that people will pay big bucks for your work, hear you talk, and see you perform…it’s a good idea to have a plan B career so that your job can supplement your passions.  It’s partly what I do.  But I manage to find work that is relevant to my degree in a world that perceives itself as not creative.  Schools are cutting the arts program first, and it’s sad because creativity is needed for human survival.  Otherwise, people would be walking around like robots following the status quo and unable to think for themselves, let alone think outside the box.  I try to find creativity in all aspects of life, even in the science and mathematics departments (even though I’m terrible at it).  It took someone thinking outside the box, especially to come up with the scientific name, “Ytu brutus“.  It makes you wonder…how much creativity is out there and we haven’t take a moment to notice it?

“Oh I’m not creative like you.”

Well, have you ever tried?  I truly believe that everyone has a creative side that they can tap into.  It’s all about having the bravery to give it a shot, and the sense of humor to laugh at yourself if you think you look totally ridiculous.  I’m not good at painting at all, but I do it anyway…for myself.  My paintings probably won’t ever be seen by others except myself, and I’m okay with that.  Tapping into my creative side is theraputic for me.  I work through stress and emotions by singing, writing, painting, and moving my body to music (I don’t call it dancing).  I can say that I’m not as good as others when it comes to certain artistic venues, but I do have my strengths.  But there’s always going to be someone out there better than me.  And whether they are famous for their work or not, there’s always someone out there whose put in more effort and work than I have.  And you know what?  That’s okay.  I know many white collars who work corporate life by day, but then by night they put on the torn-sleeve shirts, ripped jeans, and go to band practice and write music.  The secret agents of creativity are probably my favorites.  You wouldn’t think they had this creative side until you get to know them.  It’s like meeting a superhero…I’ll admit it.  I get excited when I find out people’s creative passions and I always want to talk more to them about it.

My advice to anyone reading this:  Take a moment right now.  Yes, right now.  And think about all the people in your life.  Got it?  Okay.  Now pick a person.  Think about their creative side.  Think about what they do.  Think about how their creative work has influenced and/or inspired you.  Now, move on to another person.  Before you stop, think about yourself.  Think about what you do that is creative.  What is your creative outlet?  What do you do that you are passionate about?  What helps you escape the stresses of life?  What helps your mind to get moving?

There is creativity all around us.  We just have to remind ourselves to take a moment and enjoy the fact that we are so lucky to have a left brain and a right brain to keep ourselves creatively logical.

Till next time…

Anton Chekhov and The Seagull

Alex Matsuo

Biography

“Medicine is my lawful wife and literature is my mistress” – Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) is known as the father of modern theatre.  Anton was born in Taganrog in 1860.  Chekhov is best known for his works such as The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard and The Three Sisters.  Taganrog is a seaport town, located south of Russia near the Black Sea, and was home to Chekhov and his five siblings.  His father, Pavel Yegorovich Chekhov, was a grocer, and a devout Orthodox Christian.  Pavel was physically abusive, and often terrorized his family during Chekhov’s childhood.  But his mother, Yevgeniya was a storyteller to her children.  It is said that Anton gained his gift of storytelling and creative inspiration from his mother.  While growing up, Chekhov was an average student and soon gained the reputation of being a prankster and having a wild imagination.  Pavel soon found himself in bankruptcy and left his family for Moscow to find work, leaving Chekhov to take care of his family and fend for himself.  After graduation from school, Chekhov soon began to study medicine at the University of Moscow and balanced his life between student, caretaker and writer.  He began writing for extra money to support his family.  He graduated from university and began his practice in medicine in 1892.  He often wrote about the street life of Russia in humorous ways and was becoming a success. He was soon approached to start writing plays, in which he became a huge success. Chekhov dramatically changed how the world saw the stage by writing by displaying fully developed characters, dramatic off-stage moments and the use of subtext.  In 1901, he married Russian actress, Olga Knipper.  In 1904, Chekhov was terminally ill with tuberculosis and later succumbed to the illness.  He was buried next to his father in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.

 The Seagull

The Seagull was the first of four major plays that Anton Chekhov wrote in his writing career for the theatre.  The Seagull was seen as a truly innovative piece of work that set the stage for modern theatre as we see it today.  The Seagull spoke the mind of Chekhov through the character, Trigorin.  The play also addressed the inner workings of the human soul and its interaction with the emotion of love. In 1896, the premiere of The Seagull in St. Petersburg was a near failure and almost turned Chekhov away from theatre due to its poor reception.  The play was the first of its kind at the time that went against the social norms of drama by introducing complex plots, and complex characters and the audience did not receive it well.  But the play caught the attention of Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, who was a friend and playwright himself.  He urged Chekhov to bring the play to Moscow Art Theatre and brought in Constantin Stanislavski to direct.  The play became an extraordinary success.  Had The Seagull not caught the attention of Nemirovich-Danchenko, it would not have been put back on the stage and become a huge success that it was.  It was the play’s newfound success that gave Chekhov motivation to give theatre another try, and the drive to continue to write plays.  If The Seagull had not been a success at Moscow Art Theatre, the world would have never been given the great pieces of work such as The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya and The Three Sisters.

Clearly Beauty & Class Are Exterior…

Alex Matsuo

I was having a pretty good morning today.  I got to sleep in for the first time in a while and I was looking forward to my relaxing morning before trekking on my day’s journey.  Then I logged onto Facebook and saw a blog posted by someone I very much respect.  The title of this blog post stood out to me for personal reasons…

News Editor says Tattoos are Classless and Worthless

I clicked on the link to a blog and I was a bit shocked at what I was reading.  I didn’t believe someone could be that narrow-minded and judgmental to people (more specifically women) who have tattoos.  Suspecting exaggeration and embellishment, and being the dramaturg/researcher that I am, I looked up the original article.  Nope…The Hope Blog was dead on.  As I sit and wrap my head around this article, I thought about the times I’ve shared my tattoos with friends and family.  All my tattoos are located on my back.  They all have a very special meaning to me.  And for the first time (outside of limited profile on Facebook), I’m going to share my tattoos to the world wide web.

This was taken about 2 years ago after my “Faith, Hope, and Love” piece was completed (the bruise on the bottom is from roller derby). I got this piece to serve as a reminder to myself to never settle on people who treat me badly and to always have faith in myself, hope in myself, and most importantly, love myself.  It took me years to get to this place of loving myself enough to take care of myself and standing up for myself and this is what this tattoo symbolizes.  Moving on, the triquetra piece was my very first tattoo that my dad bought for me and I had it done in the Castro when I was 19 with my dad holding my hand.  He also got a matching piece.  I’m a Christian and my faith is important to me.  Now that I’m distant from my dad, it is one of my most treasured pieces of ink.  And finally, the heart clef represents my love for music.  Music holds so many emotions and can be joyful, funny, cathartic, relaxing, and the list goes on.  I have basic knowledge of playing the piano and guitar, and even in my simple skill level, I find a sanctuary sitting at my piano or playing a few chords on my guitar.  For those of you who are curious, yes, I plan on getting more ink in the future, but I’m waiting for the right piece to come along.

Tattoos are personal choices.  And frankly, tattoos are no one’s business but the tattoo bearer.  There are some who do get inappropriate tattoos that are more public than other, but do not classify tattooed people in the same category.  Yes, there are some who take ink too far.  Yes, there are people who get tattoos while under the influence.  Yes, there are people who regret their tattoos.  But allow me to emphasize that not all tattooed people belong in the same bubble.  Just like how other kinds of people don’t belong in the same bubble.

This article opens with, “I get it. It’s the 21st century. You’re cool, you’re rebellious, you’re cutting edge, you have a point to prove, and you’re a woman. Awesome.”  I’m not rebellious, maybe I’m cutting edge, I have many points to prove (I suppose) and I’m indeed a woman (last time I checked).  Were those the reasons why I got my tattoos?  Heck no.  Tattoos are more of personal choices and a process of self-expression involving several hours in a chair going through pain.  There is a level of commitment involved when getting a tattoo that is stronger than physical, it is an emotional journey.

Lisa Khoury manages to put every woman with a tattoo under the category of being classless and worthless.  While I can usually respect other opinions, especially those that I may disagree with, this one…I can not respect.  When it comes to displaying a judgment against a large group of people without even considering their stories and backgrounds or even showing some hard data to back themselves up, you got to be a bit…um…classy?  People are entitled to their opinions.  Unfortunately, that opinion may be ignorant and ill-informed.

And her antidote for wanting to get a tattoo?  Go to the mall, wear high heels, get a gym membership, improve your body…look pretty.  Um, excuse me?  Who even said one gets tattoos to improve their body?  I don’t see my tattoos as an improvement, but as a representation of a chapter in my life and there to remind myself of my own values.  And by the way Ms. Khoury, beauty and class are more than skin deep (pun intended).  You my dear, have managed to prove the definition of irony by writing a classless and worthless piece of writing that not only reflects the ugliness within but also how much you don’t value yourself within by attempting to degrade and lower a specific group of women who have tattoos.  Ms. Khoury, based on your definition of class, I qualify.  I have a Master’s degree, I have a well-paying job that helps the community, I strive to take care of myself (mostly with the exception of eating out too much), etc.  But I have tattoos.  So therefore, by your standards, I don’t have class.

Ms. Khoury’s article also puts much emphasis on the exterior, “An elegant woman does not vandalize the temple she has been blessed with as her body. She appreciates it. She flaunts it. She’s not happy with it? She goes to the gym. She dresses it up in lavish, fun, trendy clothes, enjoying trips to the mall with her girlfriends. She accentuates her legs with high heels. She gets her nails done. She enjoys the finer things in life, all with the body she was blessed with.”  So, women with tattoos are obviously unhappy with their body and a tattoo is an attempt to improve it.  So what about all the fit ladies with tattoos?  And also…high heels?  Really?  I’m clumsy in high heels and therefore I cannot wear them without breaking my ankles so that’s why I got a tattoo instead.  Obviously.  And enjoying the finer things in life?  Of course classy and elegant ladies sit at home in the kitchen enjoying the finer things in life.  Heaven forbid she goes out and tries to change the world with her sleeved arm.  It is indeed sad that in the 21st century, we still cannot get past the gender stereotypes.  The definition of class by Ms. Khoury’s standards are purely exterior and should only judged as that.  This goes farther than women with tattoos.  Based on Ms. Khoury’s definition of class, a woman who lives simply and doesn’t wear lavish clothing, doesn’t go to the mall, doesn’t constantly work to maintain her appearance is classless.  If you’re too poor to pay for makeup, high heels, gym memberships, etc.  I find her definition of class a rather selfish and superficial definition.

“I’m not here to say a girl should walk around flaunting her body like it’s her job – that’s just degrading.”  Okay, then what were you describing before?  What are your alternatives for shopping and getting your nails done?  You seemed to have forgotten to mention that.

“So what’s more attractive than a girl with a nice body?  I’ll tell you what: a girl with class. Looks may not last, but class does. And so do tattoos.”  You know what’s more attractive than a girl with a nice body?  A girl with class who is open-minded, strong, doesn’t judge, intelligent, and ready to take on the world in whatever capacity she can without attempting to degrade other people’s life choices.

Ms. Khoury also asks some questions at the end, which I shall answer:

“But at the end of the day, are you really a happier person?” 

Yes.  My tattoos are a part of me.  Who exactly are you to tell anyone what can and cannot make them happy?

“Has this tattoo, for instance, caused you to learn something new about yourself? Has it challenged you?” 

Yes.  My tattoos are there as reminders of how far I’ve come and I’ve yet to be defeated.

“Has it led you to self-growth?”

Yep.  

“Nothing comes out of getting a tattoo. You get a tattoo, and that’s it. You do something productive, though, and you see results. That’s a genuine, satisfying change in life. Not ink.”  I felt extremely empowered and productive after my tattoos were finished.  I felt complete and proud.  I’ve never felt anything like that after shopping with my girlfriends or getting my nails done.  You just look pretty like a doll, and you spend too much money.  Just a thought.  And why does Ms. Khoury only recommends buying a gym membership? You can work out outside for free.  I do feel proud after a workout, but comparing that feeling of pride with the feeling of pride after a completed tattoo is like comparing major surgery to a scraped knee, at least for me.

I find it funny how Ms. Khoury’s definition of elegance and class are solely based on maintaining your appearance.  Nothing about volunteering at the local soup kitchen, using money to give to charities instead, nothing about helping the community and those around you.  Nothing there about inner beauty.  Only help yourself and make sure you look nice.  And what is even more ironic is that even though painted nails, trips to the gym, shopping, etc. are temporary, they are permanent rituals that must be continued in order for maintenance.  Plus, Ms. Khoury compares the female body to a car in the title of her article.  All my tattooed female friends are possibly the coolest, and most giving people on this earth.  They think of others first before themselves.  They are strong women.  They are mothers, they are aunts, they are best friends, they are sisters, they are grandmothers, they are wives, they are preachers, they are volunteers, they are daughters, they are girlfriends, they are caregivers, they are teachers, they are nurses, they are rescuers, they are today’s women.  Passing judgment on a tattooed woman is just about as silly as judging a woman for not having tattoos. 

But I digress.  There are moments where not everyone will agree with each other.  This is one of those moments, and as much as I want to feel bad for The Spectrum and Ms. Khoury because they will receive an intense backlash from the tattoo world.  Actually, based on the reactions I’ve seen.  The backlash has already started, and it is indeed self-inflicted.  And I wonder, do any of Ms. Khoury’s friends have tattoos?  Are they hidden like mine?

Wouldn’t that be the ultimate kicker…if someone near and dear to Ms. Khoury were to have a tattoo and then read her article.  Food for thought.

Fin.

Staged Reading of “Japanese Eyes/American Heart” in San Diego

Alex Matsuo

You are invited to a staged reading of my play…

Japanese Eyes/American Heart by Alex Matsuo

An original play that centers around memory. It tells the story of a granddaughter’s journey to solve the mystery of unexplained war medals of her deceased grandfather who was a Japanese-American soldier in World War II. As she tries to find out what her grandfather faced between the time Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima, she realizes that the journey hits close to home emotionally when discovers the broken lives and the lost identities that resulted from those tragic events.

10th Avenue Theatre

930 10th Avenue

San Diego, CA 92101

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

7:30pm

Admission: Free

Donations will be accepted

 *Run Time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

Comment cards and discussion will follow.

Trailer:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZUHKjl87hw]

Are We Sending Fat People Into Hiding?

Alex Matsuo

Today was a full day of errands for me.  I was driving down the main road by my house with my friend and her boyfriend.  We were at the stoplight and we see this large woman on her bike, donning shorts and a tank top, riding her bike across the street.  She wasn’t dressed immodestly at all, and it was hot out today (welcome to San Diego in January).  I saw her and I said, “Good for her.  I need to get my bike out and ride to places too.”  Then my friend’s boyfriend said,

“Yuck…she needs to stay in her lazy car so that no one else has to see that.”

It took every bone in my body to not tell him to get out of my car and walk the rest of the way to the grocery store.  Being overweight myself, I’m no stranger to the cruel comments made towards people like me.  Even though a lot of us seem to be okay, it does kind of sting.  Here, my friend’s boyfriend was saying this and it made me wonder if he had ever thought that about me when I run with his girlfriend.  Plus, I’m pretty active.  I play roller derby, I skate, I swim, surf, (try to) skateboard, I’ve ran two 5K’s and working on my third, take dance classes and I take a walk every day.  I’m a lot smaller than I used to be and I’m darn proud of myself for that.  I still have a long ways to go.  I’ve accomplished a lot in the last two years since I decided to live an active lifestyle and yet, I let comments like the one above, shame me into hiding on occasion.  Especially if I feel bloated.  The whole self-conscious issue bears it’s ugly head all over again.

We, as a society, have been taught to be prejudiced against overweight people.  Especially in the realms of finding a potential mate.  Now I have to preface that I am not “pro-being overweight”, I believe that each and every person needs to adapt to a healthy lifestyle and eat well in order to reach physical and mental harmony.  But think about how many times we have gawked at someone who is morbidly obese, especially if they aren’t wearing proper fitting clothes.  I’m just as guilty for laughing at the morbidly overweight on People of Walmart website.  We could excuse ourselves and say, “Well, they were out in public like that so they should be ready for that.”  I suppose this is an extreme scenario.  But how many times has a person looked at an overweight person riding a scooter and think, “They need to get up and take a walk around the block a few times” while having a look on their face?  And how many times has a girl been judged because she’s not a size 0?  Come on now!  It’s not just overweight people, it’s the issue of body image all over the place!  You really want to hurt someone?  Comment on their weight.

It’s the situations I have stated above that discourages some people to go into hiding and remain holed up in their homes while slowly gaining weight.  I let my weight hold me back for the longest time when finally I said, “F*ck it, if people are going to judge me…I just don’t care anymore.  It’s their problem.”  And since I stopped caring what people think of me (for 98% of the time), I’ve lost more weight than ever, I’m more active than I was in high school and I’m much happier.  Caring less about what other people think has taken care of my mind and soul and it seems as though the physical part is taking care of itself.  I will no longer go into hiding out of fear that people may comment on “the fat girl running” or “the fat girl skating on the street”.

To the people who are guilty of making those hurtful comments (like my friend’s boyfriend whose remaining anonymous), stop it.  What good are you doing by bullying and intentionally hurting people?  It’s an obvious reflection of how you feel about yourself and shows you have a world of other issues to deal with.  To those who have thought “the thoughts” but would never dare to say them out loud, start the process of changing the state of your mind.  If you see an overweight person and they’re giving it their all, smile at them.  If they are struggling and look like they could use a motivational ear, smile and say, “Keep going.  You got this.”  Who knows, your kindness could change that person’s life and help them to finally reach their goals of getting healthy.

My parting words to whoever is reading this and they’re trying to lose weight, it took me a long time to learn that weight loss starts from the inside out.  Take care of your mind and soul and the rest will follow suit.  I’m striving to be healthier in my every day life and losing weight is just an added bonus.  Mold your mind to become stronger against negativity on your journey to be healthier and not only will you feel good about yourself, you will also be empowered.

Not to mention, if the only “negative” thing people have to say about you is your weight, you’re already a pretty fabulous person and too cool to let comments like that get to you.

Stay healthy and stay strong, my friends.

My Thoughts on Julie Taymor’s The Tempest

Alex Matsuo

I got a late Christmas gift.  After missing out on seeing Julie Taymor’s The Tempest due to an extremely limited theatrical release, a dear friend of mine gifted the DVD for me for Christmas.  The anticipation of seeing this film has been building for well over a year now.  I enjoy film adaptations of Shakespeare because there are so many possibilities for the text to change and come alive on the screen.  And now with the latest technology breakthroughs of visual effects, the possibilities are endless.  When I first got wind of the Taymor’s film adaptation, I was excited.  When I found out that Prospero, typically a strong male role, would be changed to Proserpa, a female role, I was thrilled.  And then, when I got confirmation that Helen Mirren would be playing Prospera, I was ecstatic.  I had been in a performance of The Tempest where Prospero was played by a woman and therefore, always open to the idea.  I realize that there are many qualms regarding this, but what I advise is that one should remain open to the change.  Love it or hate it, but always give it a chance.  You may be surprised at what you may end up liking it and perhaps even fascinated at the newfound ideas and messages it may convey.

Shakespeare is a topic that I care about intensely.  I don’t watch adaptations just once.  My private process, as nerdy and presumptuous as it may come across, includes watching the film once with no play in hand and a very basic understanding of the idea and concept behind the film.  Then, I’ll take note of my initial reactions and questions, and with that in mind, I will look up any articles or documentaries discussing the process in further details (how, what, why, when).  Then, I will consult the original script if there’s any dramatic changes that stand out.  Then I will watch the film again with the play in hand, and making more detailed notes.  Hey, I figure if I ever do an adaptation of Shakespeare and I need to cut something, it’s not a bad idea to see what others have done.  Then I will watch the film with commentary, take notes again.  And finally, I will watch the film after all the extra little details and knowledge in hand and just enjoy the film and reap the benefits of all that extra research I’ve done.  I know.  I’m a nerd.  And believe it or not, what I do just skims the surface.  I could go into the background of certain acting styles and processes, design elements, etc.  By the way, this blog will be filled with many spoilers.  If you read something and I…spoiled…it for you, read at your own risk.

I completed my first viewing with mostly positive reactions.  The set of the film was a beautiful combination of nature and man-made imagery.  Miranda ran through about four different types of ground (rock, grass, sand, dirt).  It was stunning.  Now, the first thing that stood out to me was the editing of the text.  Of course, with Mirren playing Prospera, the changes are necessary, (ie. Lord to Mum, he to she).  But “Master” stays just that….Master.  Mistress wouldn’t be an appropriate change anyway, even though the syllable would keep the line consistent and the gender change would imply that the line has to change.  Taymor took an extra step and embellished the back story to be more appropriate and I applaud her for making the back story better fit the context of her adaptation.  Prospera was married to the Duke of Milan and she studied the sciences and the art of magic.  When her husband died, he left his dukedom to his wife, and Antonio accused her of witchcraft.  Hence to Prospera beign disposed of.  Gonzalo’s aide remains consistent.  This change to the back story adds another layer to The Tempest.  Not to mention that this presents a threat to her gender and not just her as a human being.  Throughout the film, Mirren is in pants, and it isn’t until she faces Antonio, Sebastian, Alonso, and Gonzalo, is she back in a dress and remains in that dress.  Also another notable change was the cut of Iris, Ceres and Juno.  That is alright though.  It was never one of my favorite scenes.  Not to mention the rearranging of dialogue had me raise an eyebrow a tad.  Finally, the cut of Prospera’s final speech almost had me in outrage and the feeling of being robbed.  However, I needed to calm down because in this film adaptation, I can understand why Taymor didn’t have Mirren deliver the speech.  It wouldn’t have fit, in my humble opinion.  As I watch the books float in the water during the final credits, I began to notice that the singer was singing the final speech.  Taymor found a way to sneak it in.  Interesting.  This is not the only time a speech was turned into a song.  Ferdinand’s speech was turned into a song, appropriately called, “O Mistress Mine”.

There were several actors who stood out to me.  Helen Mirren was fantastic as she always is.  I wish I could say more, but I enjoyed her Prospera and the underlying rage she kept inside and the softening of her character in the end.  It was brilliant.  The next actor that stood out to me was Ariel, played by Ben Wishaw.  It was a brand new and thoughtful perspective of Ariel that I had never seen before.  Ariel is often played playful with a side of anguish for his (or her) freedom.  Wishaw took on a tormented Ariel, with stunning visual effects.  Taymor was inspired by Brian Oglesbee, who is a photographer who worked on a water series and she brought him in to help with the film.  The dialogue between Ariel and Prospera through the water is visually fantastic.  There was a beautiful moment between Prospera and Ariel where Taymore let Ariel become physically manifested in act V, scene I.

And finally, Djimon Hounsou.  Where do I even begin?  His performance of Caliban moved me to tears.  I’ve never sympathized much for Caliban and I’ve never really enjoyed certain performances where Caliban’s humanity was taken away and replace by a stereotypical monster.  The Caliban in my mind was very much human, with human emotions.  Hounsou brought my dream Caliban to life.  If nothing else gets you to see this film, watch it for Hounsou.  I suppose I should address Russell Brand’s performance as Trinculo.  He was great, and the role suits him.  Alan Cumming was…well…Alan Cumming.  I admire Cumming’s work and I always enjoy him on screen.

Overall, I recommend this film to pretty much anyone.  The delivery of the dialogue is especially well done and easy to understand (in my opinion though).  I believe open-minded Shakespeare buffs will enjoy this film, while the purist Shakespeare buffs won’t enjoy it quite as much, I hope I’m wrong.  It’s an interesting adaption well-worth watching and enjoying.  The Tempest was Shakespeare’s final masterpiece and in a way, this play sums up all of his works and bids farewell to his audience with Prospero’s final speech.  Elements of Taymor’s previous 1986 stage production (which used some fantastic puppetry) lived on in this film and she has wonderful ideas.   I believe this film was not only well done, but it did this play justice.

Trailer:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyGl2uIQ-Q]

The Six Years After: Love, Live, and Remember

Alex Matsuo

Six years ago today, I was in a car accident that almost killed me.  I was 19 at the time, just finished the fall semester of my sophomore year of college with horrible grades, and very emotional from an incident with my ex-boyfriend that evening.  Plans were made, he ditched the plans, and when I cried, he told me “Your tears don’t matter to me”.  I was crushed.  He was really the only reason why I was in that area in the first place (then come to find out he was wishing I would get hit by a car).  My friend Jenny invited me over to her place for New Year’s and with eyes full of tears and a broken heart, I got in my car and made my way toward her place.  I was driving onto the I-8 west from Montezuma Road in the rain.  My car hydroplaned, and I lost control.  I hit the railing and skidded into the railing over the road.  I got out of the car, a girl stopped and called my mom for me, and another man stopped and helped direct traffic.  I was in Jekyll & Hyde at the time, and we were in tech, so all my costumes, makeup, shoes, etc. were in the car.  I knew my car would have to be towed, so I opened the backseat (driver’s side) door and started to go through my things.  Then, I turned around and saw a car heading towards me.

The car headed towards me.  The car hit me.  I flew onto the hood of the car, rolled off the hood and I fell 25 feet down to the road below.  I landed on my hip and I laid there crying and screaming for help.  I remembered wiggling my toes to make sure I wasn’t paralyzed.  Toes moved.  Good.  I tasted blood in my mouth.  All my teeth there?  Yes.  Hair covering my face.  Arms around my head.  I couldn’t move.  My lower body burned.  Why couldn’t I move?  Why was I conscious this whole time?  I kept screaming and crying for help.  I heard a bunch of women rush to me.  Immediately, one of them asked if there was anyone that needed to be called and I said, “My mother” and I was able to give her my mother’s number.  The rest of the women laid their hands on me and started to pray for me.  The burning in my lower body eased a little.

I started to hear the ambulance sirens.  The wailing got louder and louder until finally, I heard the paramedics approach me.  They immediately asked me if I had been drinking.  I get it.  New Year’s Eve, girl falls off a freeway ramp.  I told them no.  Then I heard a spectator say that I was drunk.  Really?  Anyway.  The paramedic told me that they would have to turn me onto my back.  I said okay.  I didn’t anticipate the excruciating pain that followed.  I screamed.  I couldn’t take the pain.  Then, the paramedics used shears to cut my clothes off and another paramedic waited by with a blanket and covered me immediately.  As I was on my back, I saw the woman who hit me.  She was leaning over the guard rail, crying.  We locked eyes for a moment until I was carried onto the ambulance.  I heard my mother’s voice.  I couldn’t move my neck but I can’t forget the fear and pain in her voice as she told me she loved me.  I told her that I loved her too and to call my best friends at the time.  I needed support.

The trip to the hospital was a blur.  My blood pressure was so low that they couldn’t give me anything for the pain.  Every bump into the hospital hurt.  I remember the room.  It was so white.  The man laying next to me was covered in blood.  They had to put a shield between us and all I saw was red.  The doctors told me that they had to move me from the stretcher to the bed.  I started crying again because I knew of the pain that was to come.  I begged him to not move me.  My body was broken.  The doctor insisted that they would do the best they can to support the broken portion of my body.  As I cried and begged, a nurse put her hand on my head and held my hand with the other.  The crew counted to three.  I screamed again.  The pain was unbearable.  I saw my mother and Lizz, my best friend at the time, turn away as I screamed.  I remember everything was cloudy.  My blood pressure was so low, and the doctors were injecting things in me and telling me to stay with them.  Was I dying?  I looked over at the shield next to me and the man next to me was so still.  Was I in a room where people had died?  I looked back up to the ceiling.  Slowly, things became sharp again.  I heard muddled voices and eventually I closed my eyes.

I’m not sure if I died, but I saw things.  I saw things that I still can’t explain to this day.

I opened my eyes and I looked at the clock.  The neck brace was gone.  And there was a hospital volunteer cleaning the blood off my face.  I’ll never forget his name.  His name was Joe Apple.  As he was cleaning up the blood from my face, I looked at the clock again and it was 12:02am.  It was 2006 officially.  I looked at Joe and wished him a happy new year.  I was feeling much better, realizing that I was given pain medication finally.  Morphine is good stuff.  That evening, I had to get a catheter (not so fun), and I had to get compression socks put onto my legs.  I couldn’t walk.  I could feel my legs, but every attempt to move them was rewarded with awful pain.  The police came in and got a statement from me.  My nurse was wonderful.  She made me feel so safe and she sat and held my hand as I was crying.  I couldn’t be in my show anymore, I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t move in my bed.  Eventually, after being covered with numerous warm blankets, and being comforted by my nurse in the late hours, I fell asleep.  That night, I vertically sheared my pelvis, broke three vertebraes in my back, shattered my tailbone and lost a little chunk of my arm and gashed my forehead.  The next morning would being a six month road to recovery and transitioning back to normal life.  The road would include major surgery, living in a wheelchair, using a walker, months of physical therapy, and forming bonding friendships and relationships that would change my life forever.

As I look back on that night, six long years ago, I look at the person I am today.  While I was recovering at home, my friends came over every week to have movie night with me.  They didn’t mind taking me out and trekking my wheelchair in their trunk.  I truly believe that if my friends weren’t there, I probably wouldn’t have survived the road to recovery.  Every New Year’s Eve, I look back and think about how much worse this car accident could have been.  The traffic light on the street below where I landed, happen to be red at the time.  Otherwise, I could have been hit by another car after I landed, or worse, landed on a moving vehicle.  The angle I landed was weird.  I didn’t land on my head, even though I rolled off head first.  I didn’t land on my legs or my bottom.  I landed in a position that did the least amount of damage.  I’m grateful to be alive today and with all the “what-ifs” that continue to go through my head, I can only account for the fact that I’m alive, I can walk, run, skate, and dance.  I only experience residual hip pain on occasion, especially if it’s cold.  Besides a scar on my backside, if you met me today, you couldn’t tell what happened six years ago.

Then I think about the people I met that night; Joe Apple, the nurse, the girl who helped me in the first accident, the woman who called my mother for me, and the mysterious women who prayed over me.  I kept in brief touch with all but the mysterious women.  No one remembers their presence.  Not even the woman who called my mother.  But I know they were there.  I felt their hands on me.  I remember their voices and calming words.

As I close this reflection, I have to acknowledge the several people who were there for me through thick and thin while I was recovering; Amber, Lizz, Natasha, Lauren, Dante, Robby, Alex, Jenny, JJ, Dirk, Anneke, Shaun, Cory, Troy, Joe, Laura, Jordy, Leilani, Maria, John and if there was anyone I forgot, my sincerest apologies.  There were so many that helped me and were there for me.  I was overwhelmed by the support and I know God was watching over me not only the night of my accident, but also brought me wonderful people to be there for me during recovery.

And finally, my mother.  She was the biggest trooper in this whole situation.  She had to watch me, her daughter, suffer and nearly die while maintaining her own strength and her patience.  I wasn’t the easiest person to deal with.  I often got frustrated with my current state and took it out on her.  I cried daily, I felt so helpless and she was there for me.  I could never repay the commitment, love, and kindness she showed, as well as giving me a slap of reality when I got too dramatic and feeling sorry for myself.

The message I want to leave you with is to cherish your time and make the most out of your life and the most important of all…love.  Do everything with love and compassion.  Life is too short to focus on the negative and hatred.  Sometimes the most bitterest of people need love in their life and no one was brave enough to even attempt to show them love.  Also, if I have learned anything from the experience of my car accident, don’t wait to lose weight before you go to the spa, don’t wait until things “seem right” to take a chance.  Do it now.  You never know when life can change (or end) in an instant.  Live your life to the fullest.  Love the people around you and love the strangers in your life.  You never know what may happen in the future.  Be ready for anything to happen.  Bad things happen, but focus on your response and how you handle the bad times.

And finally, may the year 2012 be the year that all your dreams come true.

Not All Audiences Are the Same

Alex Matsuo

The following is a paper I wrote for my theories class during my graduate studies.  We were asked to write about our own theories of theatre using theorists we studied for that semester.  Since writing this paper, I often revisit it to tweak and alter since my theory has changed numerous times.  Hopefully you’ll enjoy…

Theatre as I see it should have a goal of reaching out to the audience to teach a lesson as well as entertain.  Theatre should be able and attempt to change lives, as it holds a mirror to society.  Teaching and entertaining needs to have a delicate balance, because too much teaching will bore the audience and too much spectacle for the sake of wowing the audience will have them walking away amazed, but their world has not changed.  Theatre is for all people from different backgrounds, good or bad.  In order to make it appeal to all people, there needs to be different styles and methods in which to execute such a potentially life changing art.  Its function should be to allow the audience to escape to a different world from their own and make them laugh, cry and question.  It is the duty of the theatre to provide entertainment and teaching through different genres of theatre, from mainstream musical theatre to classical to abstract and even types of theatre that don’t appeal to the general audience.  If the theatre were to pick one generic style of theatre, it would truly ensure the death of theatre itself.  Only one kind of audience would attend one generic style of theatre and what is the rest of the world to do for entertainment?  The theatre would lose its competition to the television, movies and video games.

The term “audience”, depending on the type of theatre that is presented, is a fairly vague term for such a venue that has the capability of reaching a wide vast of different people from all backgrounds. “Audience” tends to be generalized into one type of group.  When one picture an audience in your head, they imagine a large number of people packed in a theatre, waiting to be entertained by the event on stage.  The visionary’s version of that theatre could vary depending on the specific style of art, language, genre, or visual presentation.  There are shows that only appeal to children, such as educational performances, puppet shows, circus, and mainstream musicals such as the Disney On Broadway family; The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, just to name a few.    They provide entertainment and most of the time, may a large sum of money because of its wide audience appeal. Then there are performances that are only appropriate to be viewed by adults.  It may be because of complex language or a complex and unique structure that asks for something different from the audience.

The process of achieving this sort of goal in my vision of the theatre would include a variety of different plays, musicals and new works throughout the season.  The mainstream, commercialized, or “Disneyfied” theatre would build the budgets and increase them enough to be able to do the more classical and complex or abstract works that may appeal to a different audience.  By including classical theatre into the mixture, there is more opportunity to explore an older style of plays that would include the works of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Moliere, Thyestes, etc.  Producing Greek tragedies would bring theatre back to its roots.  The theatre I envision would be the familiar proscenium arch with a deep stage in order to accommodate different styles of sets.

The audience should be able to experience a different variety of feelings when it comes to watching a show.  In contemporary times, for many people, theatre has become a place to escape from the real world and to forget about one’s troubles for a few hours.  With popular musicals (or the “Disneyfied” shows), such as Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, etc. ending up with long term runs on Broadway as well as productions being put on all over the country and even the world.  These shows have an appeal to many people, especially families and young, aspiring, musical theatre performers.  Musicals such as these have a greater attraction to the general public.  Then there are the audiences who prefer the more challenging, complex and abstract plays from playwrights such as Suzan Lori-Parks, Samuel Beckett, and Caryl Churchill, just to name a few.  Plays by these artists have a specific message to tell and the way the message is presented utilizes tools to make the audience member view theatre in a different way than just conventional musicals, or the older style of classical theatre.

Beginning with the most popular and mainstream type of theatre; musical theatre, or as I would like to call it, “Disneyfied” theatre.  It is important to address the assumptions associated with this genre because these are feelings reflected from many artists and critics.  It is generalized as a genre that is popular with a wide audience and only in existence for purposes of making money. Bertolt Brecht describes the expectations of the audience in terms of the older style of opera, “It is true that the audience had certain desires which were easily satisfied by the old opera but are no longer taken into account by the new.  What is the audience’s attitude during an opera; and is there any chance that it will change? (Brecht 451). In the context of Brecht, the audience of the older opera time has been conditioned to enjoy a certain type of theatre filled with spectacle and seen as an event for the wealthy to show off their wealth.  In some cases, especially with Wicked, Mamma Mia and other popular shows, there are several productions occurring at once with one set, often rotating the same actors throughout the different productions, same costumes, music, lights, etc.

The criticisms associated with the genre include statements such as, “There isn’t any substance to this.”  The shows can be viewed as often surfaced and don’t hit any nerves deep within the audience’s mind.  There is no need to question what they are seeing on stage.  Shows such as these are focused on spectacle (music, sets, lights) and making money.  Theatre such as this is bounded to its standards and rules because that formula makes money.  Brecht goes on to say, “We have seen that opera is sold as evening entertainment, and that this puts definite bounds to all attempts to transform it.  We see that this entertainment has to be devoted to illusion, and must be of a ceremonial kind.  Why?  In our present society the old opera cannot be just ‘wished away.’  Its illusions have an important social function.  The drug is irreplaceable; it cannot be done without” (Brecht 452-453).  This quote is fascinating when it comes to the audience relationships to the theatre.

The second genre that is often under criticism is classical theatre.  It can still make a large sum of money due to the material being free domain and can be produced by theatres with a low budget.  Or in the opposite idea, theatres can be elaborate in their costumes and sets because they do not need to pay licensing rights to put on a production.  Depending on how the classical play is presenting, it can either appeal to a general audience or the play could be interpreted and produced into a piece with mature content and appeal to a specific audience.  Classical plays offer more flexibility to alter meaning and themes based on the artistic vision of the director.  This genre is generally stereotyped as theatre that only appeals to older people and those of higher intelligence.  What is wrongly assumed of classical theatre is that it is accused of being outdated.  For example, the language of Shakespeare has been adapted to hundreds of different versions altering time, space and even the genre of comedy and tragedy itself.  In the terms of Shakespeare, the Bard can be adapted to appeal to many different types of audience to the general family friendly style of theatre to the more mature content that requires a different audience for viewing.  Does this make Shakespeare the perfect playwright and the perfect style of theatre that could appeal to all different kinds of audiences?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  This is because there are audience members out there who will have the inability to comprehend Elizabethan English, whether it’s stemmed from early exposure to Shakespeare that proved too difficult to comprehend at the time, or the audience member will assume that they will be bored because it is “Shakespeare.”

There is also greater risk in producing work such as this because of the older language and if the director and actors do not have a good understanding of the text, the meaning can be lost and all efforts to show the work would be in vain.  The acting styles of the actors who participate in this genre of theatre are often challenged with different acting styles.  Edward Gordon Craig discusses the actor’s real role in the theatre, “Acting is not an art […] Art arrives only by design.  Therefore in order to make any work of art it is clear we may only work in those materials with which we can calculate.  Man is not one of these materials” (Craig 393).  The audience would be lost because if the actors don’t understand what they are saying, the audience will not understand either.  This may require a separation of emotion and physical being within the actor in order to communicate the play effectively.  If emotion took over the best of the actor, the text would most likely be lost.  Denis Diderot poses the question of the technique of acting that relies solely on emotion, “If the actor were overcome by feeling, how could he play the same part twice running with the same spirit and success?  Full of fire at the first performance, he would be worn out and cold as marble at the third” (Diderot 198).  The technique of the actor in all three of the genres will alter and change based on the material that they are working on.

The third genre that is presented is the more abstract kind of theatre.  This is theatre that may not follow the social norms or structure of creating a play.  It may include cross-gendered characters, non-linear plot, and complex language to comprehend.  This type of theatre could be stereotypically placed into the parameter that it is only meant for theatre people, scholars, critics, artists, etc.  This type of theatre could be meant to educate, and to hold a mirror (or a fun mirror in some cases) to society and show the audience the flaws of our world.  Abstract, new works, performance art, etc. challenges the audience to think critically at what they are viewing and the theatre has become more of an educational environment that wants the audience to walk away changed.  The acting styles of the actors who participate in this genre of theatre are often challenged with different acting styles.  The actor’s role in the theatre is not as tangible as a set design or a costume piece.  In terms of the different genres of the theatre, the actors are important in the communication of the story.  Craig believed in the separation of emotion and focusing on the movement of the actor to create consistency in the role.  Craig describes, “Do away with the actor, and you do away with the means by which a debased stage-realism is produced and flourishes.  No longer would there be a living figure in which the weakness and tremors of the flesh were perceptible” (Craig 396).  Outsiders can also view this style of theatre as self-indulgent pieces of work that closes the audience off from the artist who is creating.  Diderot talks about the differences between art for the self and art for the audience,

“Is it at the moment when you have just lost your friend or your mistress that you will begin composing a poem on her death?  No!  woe to him who at such a moment delights in his talent.  It is when the storm of sorrow is over, when the extreme of sensibility is dulled, when the event is far behind us, when the soul is cal, that one remembers one’s eclipsed happiness, that one is capable of appreciating one’s loss…”(Diderot 201).

What Diderot means by this statement is that the artist should be human and feel the feelings of loss, hurt and grief.  It is only after the process is over is when the artist can objectively create art.

A Dramatic Conversation Between the Three Genres: A Short Play by Alex Matsuo

MICKEY:  People will pay big money to see my shows!

WILL:  Yes, but will the audience learn anything from seeing your performances?  With all your glitter, light, smoke and mirrors?  They will be taken away to a different world that will teach nothing but how to reflect lights and make people fly around.

 MICKEY:  But I make people feel good! I take them away from their rough workdays and I keep the kids quiet for three hours.  It’s like having a baby sitter and the parents are sitting right next to their child.

FOUNDLING FATHER:  Both of you are wrong!  I present the audience with unique and different theatrical circumstances that are separate from the social norm.  I ask the audience to think about what they are seeing on stage.  I am challenging their intellectual minds and I have a message to send and a story to tell.

 MICKEY:  But can you take a ten-year-old child to a Churchill play?

 FOUNDLING FATHER:  Well, I suppose you will have to leave the kids at home.  But think of the knowledge that these people will embark –

WILL:  I may have a difficult language to understand, but if the actor is a good actor, then there is no problem of comprehension.  William Shakespeare is being taught to children at a younger age all the time and they seem to understand the storyline.

MICKEY:  My style of theatre doesn’t take much intelligence to be enjoyed.  The audience doesn’t need to be asked to think about what they are seeing on stage.  Especially the young people.  After dealing with school and work all day, the last thing they want is to be lectured about some tragic flaws about themselves.

FOUNDLING FATHER:  And that’s why you make so much money.

MICKEY:  Exactly!

WILL:  And your money helps pay for our theatre.

FOUNDLING FATHER:  Using other people’s money to fund my visions?  I like that.

MICKEY:  And I suppose you bring in other types of people who might see my theatre as shallow and mundane with flashy lights.

WILL:  I suppose, in some complex way…we all need each other in some sort.

 FOUNDLING FATHER:  But wait, there is another type of theatre we didn’t include in this conversation.  They’re a bit more risqué and violent so to speak.

WILL:  Ah…I know of whom you are talking about.  Should we even invite them to this conversation?

Fin.

There is the type of theatrical performance that many do not see as theatre.  This is the question and argument that I present to you, the reader.  There is a style of performance where the viewers pay for a ticket, and they sit in an audience.  The stage has a curtain, props, lighting, and blocking.  But the content of this show is controversial.  There are a few controversial styles of performance where onlookers can say that this genre or style is not theatre.  The styles include live sex shows, strippers and even animal slaughter.  An Elizabethan form of entertainment, called bear baiting, was often a popular bloody event at the Globe theatre that occurred when Shakespeare’s plays were not running.  A bear would be chained and tied down while a pack of dogs were released and the entertainment of the event would be to see who would survive.  Bears would sometimes survive and go on to participate in bear-baiting several more times in their lives.  The practice is even mentioned in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Slender: […] Why do your
dogs bark so? be there bears i’ the town?

Anne Page: I think there are, sir; I heard them talked of.

Slender:  I love the sport well but I shall as soon quarrel at
it as any man in England. You are afraid, if you see
the bear loose, are you not?

Anne Page:  Ay, indeed, sir.

Slender:  That’s meat and drink to me, now. I have seen
Sackerson loose twenty times, and have taken him by
the chain; but, I warrant you, the women have so
cried and shrieked at it, that it passed: but women,
indeed, cannot abide ’em; they are very ill-favored
rough things. –Act I, Scene I

Events such as these at first glance would not be classified as theatre.  But unfortunately for most, there will be a person out there who will find meaning in animal sacrifice being portrayed on stage.  Whether to classify any of these styles as theatre is a topic that many will be ready to argue.  The type of audience that these events attract are stereotypically individuals who are in the lowest class of people.  But there are people of higher class that get some sort of meaning from presentations such as these.  The technology of theatre (sets, lights, props, and costumes) is utilized to create a presentation.  After careful thought, would the current reader think that this is theatre?

Realistically speaking, plays such as these would not be filling houses of the thousands, depending on the playwright and who is starring in the play would also affect ticket sales, but in the realistic world of community and regional theatres, these works would not be paying for the season’s budget.  Between these three genres that I have discussed, although they are all different, in the end they all need each other.  The “Disneyfied” theatre will bring in the money and build the budgets necessary to do the classical and abstract pieces.  These three genres need each other in order for the other to survive.  The “Disneyfied” theatre could quite possibly spark the interest of theatre to a young audience member.  Inspiration has to come from somewhere and starting small would be the best way to weed out those who do only enjoy the surfaced productions with the smoke and mirrors.

When it comes to the question of meaning, in retrospective there will be fans of each genre ready to criticize the other two for having pointless life spans on stage.  But what needs to be understood is that there is not one universal style of theatre that will appeal to every person who goes to the theatre.  The job of the theatre is to entertain, educate, and make the audience question and criticize.  But there are audience members who might only want to be entertained.  And there may be scholars who want to visit the theatre solely on the purpose of being intellectually challenged.  To sum this theory up into a single sentence, not all audiences are the same.  There needs to be a wide variety of theatre out there in existence in order to keep theatre alive and thriving.

Works Cited

Brecht, Bertolt. “The Modern Theatre Is the Epic Theatre.” Theatre, Theory, Theatre: The Major Critical Texts from Aristotle and Zeami to Soyinka and Havel. By Daniel Charles Gerould. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema, 2000. 446-53. Print.

Craig, Edward Gordon. “The Actor and the Übermarionette.” Theatre, Theory, Theatre: The Major Critical Texts from Aristotle and Zeami to Soyinka and Havel. By Daniel Charles Gerould. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema, 2000. 393-98. Print.

Diderot, Denis. “Conversations on The Natural Son & The Paradox of Acting.” Theatre, Theory, Theatre: The Major Critical Texts from Aristotle and Zeami to Soyinka and Havel. By Daniel Charles Gerould. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema, 2000. 191-201. Print.

Fisher, James. “The Eugene O’Neill Newsletter.” EOneill.com: An Electronic Eugene O’Neill Archive. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. <http://www.eoneill.com/library/newsletter/x-1/x-1f.htm>.

Lebowitz, Naomi. “Steven’s PAISANT CHRONICLE.” Explicator 61.3 (2003): 160. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Dec. 2010.

The Idea of the “Working” Artist

Alex Matsuo

I have been very blessed in the fact that I am making income from my passion.  However, there was a time where I did have to work a job that I didn’t very much care for, but it supported my passion so that I could do what I love to do.  I’m extremely lucky right now.  My job doesn’t feel like a job.  But will it last forever?  Of course not.

I am not one to turn down an opportunity if it comes my way, especially if it’s a project that I’m passionate about.  I know that there will be times where I will make no money from theatre and I’ll have to live like a starving artist.

And there will be times where I will have no opportunities in the theatre.  So what does the artist do about it?  Sit at home and wait for the next job?  I say nay to that.  If I’m not working on something, I’ll create my own.  I’ll write a play, look into producing something, sing at an open mic night, etc.  I always want to be working on something and tapping into my creative side.

What I’m saying to my fellow artists is, if you find yourself not getting work…create your own.  It will be a rewarding experience.  🙂

Yotsuya Kaidan and Japanese Ghosts

Alex Matsuo

I will start off by saying that the Japanese people really know how to tell a good ghost story.  Merely listening to a Japanese ghost story sends shivers down my spine and makes the hair on the back of my neck raise on end.  Being a quarter Japanese, I’ve had a fascination with this part of my heritage, and I’ve been wanting to learn more about the Japanese culture.  I’ve decided that for my next project, I’d like to adapt a popular Japanese ghost story for the stage in a contemporary Western theatre style, but also pay homage to the kabuki style in which it originated.  I love kabuki theatre as a whole.  I can’t really explain why except that I love the artistic form and how it communicates character and story on stage.

If you need a visual on “kabuki 101”, here is a handy YouTube video:

While on my journey into looking into more kabuki plays, I ran into this Japanese horror story by Tsuruya Nanboku IV, written in 1825, called Yotsuya Kaidan.  He tells the tragic story of Oiwa and Tamiya lemon.  This is my attempt for a brief summary, without revealing too much (and depending on which version you read), lemon and Oiwa are married.  lemon is unsatisfied with his life with Oiwa and their baby.  Oume, another woman, is in love with lemon.  lemon desires the wealth of Oume and wants to marry her instead. To get Oiwa out of the picture, she (or lemon depending on the version) sends a disfigurement cream to Oiwa, which disfigures half of her face and makes her hair fall out.  lemon decides to leave Oiwa and forces a masseur named Takuetsu to rape Oiwa so that he has a legal reason to divorce Oiwa and marry Oume.  Oiwa tries to fend Takuetsu off with a sword and accidentally punctures her own throat and dies, cursing lemon’s name.  In other versions, lemon gives the posion to Oiwa, but not enough to kill her and the poison slowly kills Oiwa in a violently gruesome way.  Her face becomes disfigured, her hair falls out, her eye droops and in her madness, falls on one of lemon’s swords.  lemon returns home, and dumps his wife’s body in the river and the death is deemed a suicide.

lemon and Oume marry.  Oiwa comes back and haunts lemon and makes him lose his mind and a lot of people are brutally murdered.  Throughout the rest of the play, Oiwa haunts lemon with her demonic laugh.  In life, Oiwa was a model woman of nobility, humility and virtue.  But in death, she is a vengeful spirit known as an onryō.  Why is this story still so popular today? At the time of its production, the Bunsei period of a time of repressed women and there was tension all around.  Oiwa was a character that the audience could relate to in terms of being out of control and unable to have any power in their circumstances.  Also, the play consisted of special affects that audiences had never seen before.  Disfiguring makeup and hair falling out along with violence was a good combination for a well attended play.  Even after Nanboku died, Yotsuya Kaidan remains popular today with numerous adaptations, including film.  There is even a curse associated with this story.  And the curse is what attracts me to this impending project I have brought upon myself.  This story also brings me to think of the Greek tragedy, Medea, which is one of my favorite pieces of classical work.

The curse is associated with bad luck, injuries and death.  Much like the curse of Macbeth, the curse Yotsuya Kaidan was blamed for the death of an actress, stage lights falling and injuring actors, deaths of directors, etc.  In order to avoid the curse, one must visit Oiwa’s grave and pay their respects.  I know what you’re thinking, “Wait a minute, this is a true story?”  To answer simply; yes and no.  Yotsuya Kaidan is based on two murders that took place in the 1600’s.  There is a grave that is believed to hold the remains of Oiwa, whose death is marked as February 22, 1636.  If you visit her grave out of curiosity, it is said that your right eye will begin to droop just like Oiwa’s did from the poison.  

Now, Nanboku has a knowledge of paranormal folklore in Japanese culture.  He wrote Oiwa as an onryō.  An onryō is a spirit that seeks vengeance.  Onryō spirits mainly consist of women (especially in kabuki theatre) who are powerless in the physical living world, but after they die, they become powerful.  Onryōs are revenge spirits to right the wrongs that happened while they were alive.  The traditional of the Japanese spirit world consists of the world of the living and the world of the dead.  I’m still fresh in my research, but from my understanding thus far; when you die, you go to Yomi, which is an underworld guarded by horrifying spirits and you rot for eternity.  In contrast to Yomi, Takamagahara is the shinto view of heaven.  I’ll elaborate more on another posting more dedicated to Japanese mythology because now I’m starting to ramble.  Where was I?  Oh yes.  An onryō becomes so powerful that they can cross the boundaries between the two worlds.  

What will my adaptation be like?  As of right now, I’m just writing.  I’m currently looking for the earlier translation of this piece that I can find since I don’t speak Japanese and reading the original would be a moot point.  It’s still in the baby stages.  Hopefully I will have a tangible piece of work ready for readings by spring 2012.

I will close this blog with an anime adaptation of Yotsuya Kaidan that explains the curse in full detail and presents the conclusion of the story as well.  It’s a bit graphic and might scare you in the end.  The reason why I’m including this video is because it makes two strong statements.  Nanboku begs Oiwa to stop the curse and instead put the curse upon him since he is the one who created the story.  And finally, Nanboku states the Yotsuya Kaidan is cursed because people want it to be cursed.  It’s amazing how powerful thought and beliefs can be.  Thanks for reading!