MESSAGE13

芸術は出会ったら、それで人生が変わるぐらいの力を持っているもの千葉 哲也 俳優

I think what we call “art” is something that has the power to change our livesCHIBA Tetsuya Actor

I'm CHIBA Tetsuya. Congratulations on the 20th Anniversary of the New National Theatre!

【First encounter with the New National Theatre】

My first experience was "King Lear" in 1998, the year this Theatre opened. Before that, I had been working in smaller, fringe theatres where the Artistic Director WATANABE Hiroko kindly came to watch. Then I was called in to be in “King Lear”.

【Rehearsal anecdotes】

It was the first time I'd rehearsed in rooms directly linked to the theatre. During the get-in, the lead actor YAMAZAKI Tsutomu said “Let’s rehearse!”, but all the swords and other props had gone upstairs to be set-up at the theatre, and the set was gone too. So we had to do a run-through of “King Lear” holding dusters and brooms in an empty space. I remember thinking, “These people are mad.” That’s my abiding memory.

【The New National Theatre at the time】

When I first worked at the Playhouse, it was all very new and we were doing things by trial and error. We were trying to work things out as we went along, like how our voices would reverberate, or where the dead spaces were. But I was really happy when I first got the call from the New National Theatre.

【Most memorable event】

Memorable event was when we took "Raymonda" to Washington. I was worried whether American audience would take to Japanese dancers performing ballet, since they have an impression of ballet being Russian or French. More than anything, I wondered how they would take in "Raymonda" which was rarely performed in Washington. I was also anxious to find out how they would feel about Japanese dancers performing a work by Balanchine, an American choreographer. But not only did the audience turn up in numbers, they were also very generous with their applause and the tour turned out to be a great success. They appreciated that fact that Japanese dancers had performed a full length classical ballet, and full of praises for “dancing such a difficult ballet to an excellent standard”.

【Most memorable production】

It has to be “Yakiniku Dragon”. When it was first staged, actors were all grumbling that the rehearsals were too long and we were wondering whether this play really was that interesting. And just as we thought, audience numbers were down for a while after opening night. But then out of nowhere, it suddenly caught on. What surprised me about “Yakiniku Dragon” was that we were given a standing ovation, for the first time in my life. And it was genuine, too.

【About “Sumire's Hair Salon”】

New National Theatre asked me again when they revived “Yakiniku Dragon” for the third time, but I had to turn it down because of my age. It’s a good script and an important asset of the Theatre, so I suggested that the role should be handed down to the younger actors. Instead, I came straight out and asked for a part in “Sumire’s Hair Salon”.

【The role of the theatre in the society】

What we call “art” is not really necessary. People can live perfectly well without knowing art or theatre, as long as they have enough to eat. I’m sure there are people who don’t have anything to do with art in their lives. If they don’t know, they don’t know. But once they do know it, I think it has the power to change their lives.

【The attraction of watching a Play】

Maybe it’s the sense that something extraordinary might happen if we go to the theatre. We might experience seeing things we ourselves can’t fully grasp. When I see something I don’t understand, I tend to blame my own lack of learning, but people today would probably say the actor couldn’t express it properly. I think we should create drama that actually impose demands on the audience.