Category: Playwrighting

The Performance of Ghost Hunting Part I

Alex Matsuo

This is a two-part post about my studies into the relationship between performance and the act of ghost hunting.

A performance is typically defined as an event where there is someone who is presenting something, and there are a group of people observing. This definition of performance is not limited to only theatres or television and movies. A performance can take place at nearly any time of day at any kind of location. Performances can happen at school with the popular crowd, and they can happen at ghost hunts. Scholars have written thousands of book on performance studies and there are even degrees dedicated to the discipline. As a society that is ever growing and changing on a regular basis, there are so many different types of performances out there that appease almost every person out there. From traditional musicals that warm the heart, to the heart-wrenching dramas that influence someone to call their mother to tell them they love her, to the soul shattering avant-garde performance that makes you analyze what it means to be human….performance is an essential part of our existence that is necessary in order for us to survive and thrive.

Before we dive into the performance of ghost hunting, let us take a moment to consider the relationship between performance and spirituality. The earliest roots in theatre lie in ancient Greece in something called, “ritual reenactment”. Back before theatre and performance was established, the ancient Greeks wanted to honor the gods by telling stories of their greatness. This initially began as “oral tradition” where someone would dramatically tell stories of the gods, with an audience watching. The audience would then become performers themselves and spreading the stories around like wildfire. With ritual reenactment, these early performances including singing hymns and performing some kind of movement.

To keep this along the lines of being the abridged version, the villages and tribes began to compete with each other by adding costumes, live music, and written texts in their performances for the gods. One could argue that the original audiences were the gods, and the transition from performing for them to performing to fellow humans was one of the breakthrough moments in the creation of live theatre. Overall, theatre is a very spiritual experience, which the philosopher Aristotle argued that it was needed for the purposes of catharsis, meaning the purging of emotions. If you have ever cried during a movie, you had a cathartic experience. Catharsis was seen as a necessity for cleansing the soul.

With the thought in mind that theatre was originally intended to be spiritual and for the gods as a gift, is it a surprise that there are rumors about theatres being haunted in the first place. Some of my favorite cliché ghost stories come from the urban legend of haunted theatres from the spurned woman in white who lost her chance to be on the stage to the Macbeth curse causing shenanigans in each production, there is a strong connection there. Until the media came into existence with television and film, theatre was the vehicle for expressing society’s belief in the paranormal, and you can watch that belief evolve over time by just analyzing the plays from each time period.

I suppose that the title of this article can be misleading, as it is not an article on how to perform a paranormal investigation or ghost hunt, there are enough of those books out there on the market. Instead, it is a venture into a theory that theatre people, whether they are actors, tenant, directors, dancers, etc. they are inadvertently capturing the attention of the ghosts and causing a performance from both the living and the dead. Artistic people are interesting enough on their own, and I would not be surprised if a ghost chose to attempt communication with an artistic person over someone whose not. I will say that artists are very open-minded to the world around. Could they be lifting a psychic wall around them and making them more vulnerable to having some sort of communication with the other side? If you were dead, and you couldn’t find a way to communicate with the living, and you found someone who could hear you, wouldn’t you do whatever you could muster up to catch their attention? The answer is probably yes. But this isn’t a performance. That is the lost seeking out a solution. When the situation is reversed, and there is someone trying to communicate with a deceased person, the ghost isn’t able to communicate in the way that they used to in life, so they have to pull out the dramatic displays in order to get their point across. I would imagine that this is an extremely frustrating endeavor.

The most obvious example of performances in ghost hunting is in paranormal reality shows that became increasingly popular in the early 21st century. It is a far cry from ritual reenactment and the once cathartic experience that was the performance space. I think perhaps the reason why for this widespread popularity was the fact that the paranormal is an unknown area of knowledge. You can’t get a college degree in paranormal studies and many people who do come forward with experiences in the public eye are portrayed as being insane and not to be taken seriously. At the end of the day, these production companies need to make money. You make money by drawing in an audience, and you keep that audience by continuing to make your show entertaining. I won’t say that the “paratainment” business has sullied the investigation field, but instead, has brought exposure to the paranormal and hopefully making people more open-minded about the existence of ghosts. In the last ten years, there has also been a dramatic rise in the number of ghost tours at numerous haunted locations, where a group of people will go ghost hunting for a night while locked in a building with a guide. The paranormal reached a new height when it came to monetizing the potential interactions with the dead, which many people pay big money for. But because the factor of money is now included in the experience, I have to wonder if along with tickets being paid, if there was an expectation of goods to be delivered (such as a paranormal experience). In turn, does this turn ghosts into entertainers? And if so, what does this mean for the ghosts at the Tenth should Jeff decide to move forward with the guided ghost tours?

I would like to say that my investigations and research into the building have not subjected the ghosts into being put into a situation where they are being asked to perform tricks, since I don’t expect them to ever perform for me. If they choose not to communicate, while I may be disappointed, I acknowledge that it is their right to not talk. But another researcher from the outside looking in may have a different opinion. Where is that fine line between requesting communication and asking the ghosts to essentially perform tricks? I suppose that it is all in the eye of the beholder and the ghosts that are being placed in that situation. If you were to ask me what my long-term goal was for the Tenth, it would be that someday the most prestigious researchers in the paranormal and psychic phenomenon visit the Tenth. It would be great to be able to secure the building for a weekend (at the very least) and let these researchers loose in the building and see what comes of it.

Performers, in terms of actors, dancers, musicians, and artists, seem to be completely different people compared to business professionals or those who don’t consider themselves to be artistically minded. For example, let us go back to the Ganzfeld experiment, which is the sensory deprivation experiment that leads to the altered state of consciousness. There was a study conducted in 1992 where the American Society for Psychical Research used twenty of the most gifted students from the Julliard School in New York City and put them through the sender-receiver experiment. The results were extraordinary because there was a success rate of 50%, which was double the success expectation rate. The facilitators of the experiment, Charles Honorton and Marilyn Schlitz then used eight musicians for the remainder of the experiment. Six out of the eight students either had direct hits or a 75% success rate. Again, these are extraordinary results. The theory behind this success rate was due to the participants; especially the musicians have a dissociated state of mind. Very much like meditation, being dissociated is very much like the feeling of being on autopilot and disconnecting from the outside word. According to John G. Kruth, the executive director of the Rhine Research Center, jazz musicians who often improvise their music will go into this state as they play, channeling the environment around them as they make up their own tune. What would happen if we allowed a bunch of actors to go in and ghost hunt for a night? What kind of results would come up from the night? If we go by the results of the study of the Julliard students and the Ganzfeld experiment, it seems as though there could be potential of a productive interaction with the ghosts.

Ready for more? Here’s Part II.

Howard Barker & Theatre of Catastrophe

Alex Matsuo

A truly fascinating and yet terrifying playwright I’ve come across is British playwright, Howard Barker.

Howard BarkerGranted, he’s not Sarah Kane-scary, but his work is disturbing.  Barker created the genre of “Theatre of Catastrophe” to describe his work, because no other genre described his style the way he wanted it.  In the 1980’s, Barker coined the term, “Humanist Theatre” to describe the traditional style of British theatre that he so detested.  Theatre of Catastrophe was the response to Humanist Theatre.  Barker wanted to create something that would wake up the audiences of theatre today.  And while his main arguments are against British theatre, his thoughts can be applied to the American theatre as well.

To sum up Theatre of Catastrophe in a few sentences; instead of evoking one collective response from the audience, he challenges the audience member to deal with the play on their own terms and their own interpretation.  This means that instead of a play having a clear, single and direct theme, Barker’s plays are much more fragment and ambiguous so that the personal interpretation can be achieved.  In interviews, he uses the example of Brecht, stating that when he goes to the theatre, he doesn’t want to be “instructed by Brecht.”  Barker’s work contains the themes of sexuality, desire, ecstasy, individual will, criminality, performance, and death.  He doesn’t hold back in the way it is presented (example; dropping a bucket of horse blood on the actors).  He often writes about some of the most grim historical events and shows them in a manner that is open and yet, provocative.

Barker is one who wants to go against the mainstream form of theatre.  I’m currently Playsreading Barker’s Arguments for a Theatre, and I will admit that it is exhausting, even after being a little more than halfway finished.  Not exhausting as in the dialogue is dry or difficult, but coming to grasp this term and considering it as the wake up that mainstream theatre seems to need right now.  Theatre of Catastrophe, if I’m reading and interpreting this correctly, is meant to change what we know as theatre with explosive dialogue, provocative staging, and gory stories.  Ironically, I couldn’t find a uniformed definition or interpretation of Theatre of Catastrophe, and when I compared Barker’s definition from the 80’s to now, it has evolved and changed and become more extreme over the decades.  I truly had to keep track of my timeline as I began researching Barker and his theories.

Britain clearly has some disinterest in his work, while theaters in Paris can’t produce enough of his work, according to an interview with Kevin Quarmby.  I suppose it is more of a cultural deal.  But my initial thoughts are I somewhat feel that Barker is doing the one thing that he detests, and that is instructing the audience.  Even if his work is obscure and in fragments that are open to interpretation, he has to have some sort of thought or intent behind it for the audience.  There is still a theme to take away from his plays.

Although, I have not seen any of Barker’s work on stage, I’ve only read it.  I can say that his work is definitely meant to be seen and not read.  I can appreciate and applaud his work and respecting the idea that we all interpret work differently and that one cannot put the audience into one little box when it comes to the reception of work.  Others seem to not feel the same, such as Michael Bettencourt, who very much eloquently and strongly expresses his feelings on Barker.

Howard Barker is an interesting individual and deserves some attention from those who are interested.  So in closing, if there’s a Barker play opening on a stage near me, I’ll buy my ticket, but I will go in very prepared and of course, with an open mind.

A “Brief” Rant About the Oxfordian Theory of Shakespeare’s Authorship

Alex Matsuo

shakeMost people know that I’m very much obsessed with Shakespeare.  I studied his work quite immensely in undergraduate and graduate school, and I still conduct research for my own personal endeavors.  I’m by no means an expert, while some disagree (aw, shucks).  But I can work my way out of paper bag when it comes to Shakespeare.

I think one of my biggest pet peeves is the authorship debate.  I’m open-minded to different theories as long as they can support their case with good research.  However, speaking out to question Shakespeare’s authorship without anything to support your claims infuriates me.  But at the same time, there is nothing better than debunking claims…

…especially when it comes to the Oxfordian theory.

For those of you who don’t know, the Oxfordian theory is the theory that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford actually authored Shakespeare’s works.  In fact, you might be familiar with a certain movie that came out last year, “Anonymous”, which is loosely based on this theory.  My problems with that movie can make up a whole other blog post (especially when they convey the “real” Shakespeare as nothing more than a bumbling idiot).

The Oxfordian theory has been rejected by most experts and scholars in the field. 220px-Edward_de_VereThere are obvious flaws to it.  There is no evidence, at least scientific evidence in carbon dating along with tangible proof, that there was any connection between Shakespeare and de Vere.  “Oxfordians” reject the methods that historians have used to make their case, and unless you’re “in the loop”, you couldn’t possibly understand how de Vere could be the actual author of Shakespeare’s works.

The Oxfordian theory especially loses when it comes to the plays and sonnets that were written AFTER Edward de Vere passed away in 1604. Keep in mind that Shakespeare passed away in 1616.   And not to mention that many of Shakespeare’s plays that were written and performed post-1604 had references to post-1604 events, after Edward de Vere died. 

King Lear was written between 1603 and 1606 and first performed in front of the court of King James I on December 26th, 1606.

Timon of Athens was first performed between 1607 and 1608.

Coriolanus was believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608, and the opening scenes of the play (the grain riots) are believed to be a reference to the Midland Revolt and the Inquisition of Depopulation of 1607.  An event that Edward de Vere could not have foreseen unless he could predict the future.

Antony and Cleopatra was written and performed around 1606.

Macbeth was believed to have been written around 1606 while the play’s first performance was in 1611.

The Tempest was written around 1610/1611 with its first performance in 1611 and is most famous for being Shakespeare’s last written play.

Henry VIII is probably the most questionable one when it comes to dating and whether it was actually written by Shakespeare (Oxfordian theory aside….Ben Jonson anyone?).  Most date the play to have been written around 1613.

And then we have the wonderful sonnets that were being written long after 1604.  Some are even dated to have been written up to 1621.

Wait…didn’t Will die in 1616?

Yes, he did.  And keep in mind that I am not bashing ALL authorship theories, just the Oxfordian because it is the most ridiculous and yet seems to have the largest following.  There are authorship theories that I will give credit to.  While I consider myself to be a lover of Shakespeare, I would be a fool to believe that Shakespeare wrote all of his stuff.  There is clear evidence of manuscripts and certain sections of the plays that are considered to be “un-Shakespearean.”  Well, we have to ultimately decide, what is Shakespeare?  We are dependent on centuries old documents and it’s hard to decipher what we really have that is authentic or not.

Back to topic.

Here is a list of theories that suggest Shakespeare was a fraud and my rebuttals against them.

This was inspired by Roland Emmerich’s video with his explanation as to why Shakespeare was a fraud.  Watch it first, and then read below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXhR0PFLkqs]

We have no documented evidence of anything done in Shakespeare’s handwriting.

Sir_Thomas_More_Hand_DActually, yes we do.  We have his revisions he had done to the play of Sir Thomas More by Anthony Munday.  Sir Thomas More has been concluded that it was written by several authors with each author labeled with the name “Hand” and then a letter following the name.  There are about three pages of Sir Thomas More that are accepted as being written by Shakespeare’s hand, known as “Hand D.”  The handwriting was similar to the existing signatures of Shakespeare as well as similar verse structure as his other works.  And not to mention similar spelling characteristics that were deemed “Shakespearean.”

In reference to the six shaky signatures of Shakespeare, back then, penmanship was atrocious in general.  The Earl of Leicester, Robert Dudley’s, love letters to the Queen makes the doctors’ handwriting look like calligraphy.

Also, keep in mind that even know Shakespeare is now a famous figure, back in his time, he was a commoner.  And we rarely, if ever, have personal correspondence from commoners.  All we really have are some royal love letters because the Vatican got a hold of them somehow.

Shakespeare’s daughters couldn’t read or write.

Unless you were a wealthy woman, female commoners didn’t read or write and certainly did not attend school.  And let’s not forget that Shakespeare was very much absent from the lives of his wife, Anne Hathaway, and their daughters.

Shakespeare wrote about the aristocracy and showed he had extensive knowledge while Ben Jonson wrote about the people he knew; the common people.

First off, Ben Jonson was hardly the view of the people. He was not very well liked as a playwright and he is known to have been a jerk. Second, the only plays that dealt with the English royalty were the history plays which he took from Hollinshed’s Chronicles, he didn’t gain from personal knowledge.  Also, it was very common back in the day to write favorably about the aristocracy, and Elizabeth was known to be a supporter and patron to Shakespeare.  Write for your audience.  Also, Shakespeare did appeal to the commoners, the groundlings didn’t attend his plays because they were forced to.

Shakespeare doesn’t mention the death of his 11-year old son in any of his works.  How can a writer who writes from his heart and soul never mention this?

I believe sonnet #33 debunks this theory:

Full many a glorious morning have I seen
Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye,
Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;
Anon permit the basest clouds to ride
With ugly rack on his celestial face,
And from the forlorn world his visage hide,
Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace:
Even so my sun one early morn did shine
With all triumphant splendor on my brow;
But out, alack! he was but one hour mine,
The region cloud hath mask’d him from me now.
Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;
Suns of the world may stain when heaven’s sun staineth.

Shakespeare's_children

Also, after Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, died, his work took on a more darker tone.  For example, we have Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, and King John.  King John contains unexpected moments of deep emotion, and scholars believe that was Shakespeare working through his emotions.  Plus, it’s obvious to note Hamnet and Hamlet are awfully similar.

Shakespeare demonstrates extensive knowledge about other countries and appears to be well-educated with an extensive vocabulary.

Just because I write a play about a mathematician doesn’t mean that I’m a math wiz.  Just because I’ve written a play about Japanese internment, doesn’t mean that I was actually there.  Not only that, Shakespeare had sources to draw from to explain his extensive “knowledge.”  But anyone who really looks at the text will see that it was written by someone who clearly hadn’t traveled outside of his home. I can write about China all I want, but you will be able to certainly tell that I’ve never been there. Also, when it comes to his vocabulary, let’s not forget that the Oxford English Dictionary uses Shakespeare as the origin of words that may have been around for decades prior.

The original plan of Shakespeare’s burial site had him holding a sack of grain, not a quill and parchment paper.

_41619432_shakespearebust203long

Outside of London city lines, a job in the theatre was viewed as inferior and easilydismissed.  The change in the burial site plans was only allowed by special license from the Master of the Revels. Of course he had another job to make ends meet.  That is still relevant to many involved in the theatre today; you need a second job to pay the bills.

The last will of Shakespeare does not mention his works, how can someone not care about their life’s work?  That must prove that Shakespeare didn’t write his plays.

That theory assumes that Jacobeans valued playbooks and intellectual property as highly as we do in our modern age, when they actually didn’t. In fact, in order to print a play and make money off of it, you didn’t need to own it. Look at the quartos of Shakespeare’s work and copies of the folio.  All you had to do was register it with the stationer. Ben Jonson seemed to be the only playwright back then who cared about the printing and ownership of his plays.

In closing, there are a lot of theories out there regarding Shakespeare’s authorship.  While there are theories with credibility, it is important to investigate and debunk the theories that don’t have tangible support behind it.  The idea that it was all one big conspiracy, like “Anonymous” conveys, is highly unlikely.  Not only would that be extremely difficult to keep hidden, but also, the fact that there is very little proof showing that this conspiracy actually happened is noteworthy.  Finally, it is important to note that while there are theories out there that potentially show that Shakespeare may have been a fraud, these theories are arguable and vulnerable to contradicting views, even more so than the argument that Shakespeare actually wrote his works.

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.

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]

Yotsuya Kaidan and Japanese Ghosts

Alex Matsuo

I will start off by saying that the Japanese 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 Japanes 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:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-bgSFJiKc]

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!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3xsUBQcv9o]

Actor, Playwright, Director, Researcher…Superhero

Alex Matsuo

Well, not really.  I just seem to have a lot of my plate but for no reason.  It is self-inflicted.

You know you’re a nerd when you go to the library and you have to refill the meter twice and pray that you don’t get a ticket for going over the 1-hour parking limit.  I checked out some books for the group project for the introduction to the paranormal class I took from Ryan Buell.  I’m also going to be taking his demonology course in October, so I checked out some books to help myself prepare for the next few months.

I also went to Borders and found some really interesting books on Shakespeare.  Ironically, I came up with my own research topic for Shakespeare-related materials and I got the idea while working on my group project for Ryan’s class.  I’ve decided that I’m going to read Will’s text and see how many times ghosts appear and take note of anything paranormal in his plays.  I’m a bit excited, so I’m going to go ahead and get started on it…I’m not sure if it would be a good dissertation topic, but then again I’ll never know.

Speaking of dissertation…

I’m trying to decide whether the PhD or the MFA route is right for me at this moment.  Technically, I can go for both at different times of my life.  But I found an MFA program that fits me where I am right now.  The application process is a lot of work, but I think it’s manageable.  It’s at Goddard College and it’s a low-residence MFA program so that you can focus on your own creative work and mold your own program.

Anyway, I’m off to the library again.  Adios!

Suzan-Lori Parks

Alex Matsuo

One of my favorite quotes is, “You’re only yourself when no ones watching!” Well, who said it? I’ve met celebrities, well-knowns, etc.  I’ve never really been star struck, maybe the occasional, “Oh wow…that’s Alan Rickman teaching me how to be an actor” (true story).  But never really been “star struck”.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv2ahmcZdxM]

Well, that changed for me this year.  Her name?  Suzan-Lori Parks.  She has been a source of inspiration for me for a few years now.  I had two opportunities to see Suzan-Lori Parks in person this year.  The first time was during her “Watch Me Work” session in NYC and the second time was when she came to SDSU and spoke.  And every time I saw her, I got so excited, giddy and overwhelmed.  I remembered my eyes stinging as if my eyes were welling up with happy tears.  Okay, I’ll admit it, I got so excited I started crying a tad.  I even had the chance to take her photos…but until I have permission to release them…they shall remain hidden.  My camera has captured true genius.  I also had one of my biggest breakthroughs in her presence during her “Watch Me Work” session and I had the chance to talk to her about Japanese Eyes/American Heart.  She loved the idea, the topic and my passion for it.  When I received encouragement from her, it was my confirmation.

If you don’t know who Suzan-Lori Parks is, stop.  Google, check out The America Play or Topdog/Underdog, know who she is.  Especially if you’re a theatre person.  She is brilliant.  So brilliant and a genius.  Aside from family members, if you ask me who is my biggest inspiration and who has influenced me into the artist I am today, I will say Suzan-Lori Parks.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhnGEk5eODE]

Do You Know Any Japanese?

Alex Matsuo

There was a lot of excitement the past few days…the excitement is over and now it’s back to business.  Whenever I have to explain my last name, people usually will ask me if I know any Japanese.  I know very little.  If I got off a plane in Tokyo tomorrow, I’d have the look of confusion and of course would not be able to get around without a translator.  But the knowledge of the language and culture did not come from my Grandpa.  It came from my curiosity to learn about my Grandpa’s culture, but only the Japanese part and not the Hawaiian part.  He was born and raised in Hawaii so it was a bit mixed.  My great-grandfather came to Hawaii from Japan while my great-grandmother was born in Hawaii.  People will often look at me with some disappointment that I don’t know more.  A part of me would want to shout from the rooftops and say, “It’s not my fault!”  But really…does it matter?  Why should I let this question bug me so much?

This is yet another question/issue/dilemma that I address in Japanese Eyes/American Heart.  One of the characters has a line that says,

“He was Japanese in a time and place where it was not okay.  Even if you completely Americanized yourself, you were still watched, suspected, never to be trusted.“ -(Japanese Eyes/American Heart, Act I, Scene 4)

And that’s why I don’t know any Japanese.

When I was younger, I attempted to learn from a Japanese singer named Seiji Tanaka because he made covers of American songs.  It’s kind of amusing actually…his rendition of “Saturday Night” is my favorite…and I’ll end on a lighter note for this short posting:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AyfyWREFFY]

BTW, I’m accepting artwork submissions for the play’s poster.  If you saw the first staged reading and wanted to make some artwork, contact me directly.  A few people talked to me after the first staged reading and hopefully someone is still interested.

Random Side Note:  I’ve just realized that I’ve met and worked with more well-known British actors than American actors.  I wish the United States had the same vibe as British theatre…I remember seeing my Shakespeare teacher from BADA playing a major role in “Vanity Fair”.  I’m tempted to send JE/AH across the pond and see what feedback I get since I have the connections.

Shakespearean Connections

Alex Matsuo

As I’ve been working on my play and editing out The Tempest, as I mentioned before, there’s been a void.  I spoke to my mother last night about the void and she mentioned that when she read the play, she thought the connections to the text were astonishingly strong.  A few people agreed as well who were in attendance and one of my Theatre 100 students thought that my play helped them to understand the prose.  Interesting?  Maybe.  At first, I was relieved to go through and delete Will from my play and concentrate on my own works, but I’ve been finding myself going back and re-reading other plays that might inspire me.
Maybe it’s that time of the month, or maybe whenever I’ve been writing, I’ve been more emotionally vulnerable, but I tend to cry when I write.  Not a “boo hoo” sort of way, and I’m giving myself a hard time about being cocky for being “moved by my own words.”  I always called BS on people for that stuff and now I’m finding myself guilty of the same thing.  I don’t even realize I’m affected until the tears come down my cheek.  Is this a representation of pouring my soul into this play?  I hope not.  I want to tell a good story that will move and affect people.  I don’t want people to see this play and think, “Wow, this chick has some unresolved issues that she just threw up on the stage.”
My advisor and mentor, Dr. Peter Larlham inspired me to memorize one sonnet a month.  I’ve already got one under my belt.  I really want to start falling in love with Shakespeare again.  I sort of walked away from him for a few months, but now I’m reading to get back in.  I also want to expand my knowledge of British Literature and the history behind it all.  Am I missing academic life?  It sure sounds like it, doesn’t it?
I’m also thrilled to report that many of my original actors are on board for my informal workshop next month.  I’m also looking for new actors, particularly of Japanese descent, to come as well.  I’m excited about the new possibilities that await me, and hopefully, I can maintain my sanity for 6 more weeks of my job.