When last year’s season opened, times were becoming increasingly bleak.At that time, I remember asking myself a couple of self-absorbed questions when I started every rehearsal: “Where are we now?And where are we going?”

When I create each and every work, together with the production staff and the cast of actors and actresses, I always focus on thinking what we can do in the form of performing arts known as drama, while facing the present.Of course, a single absolute answer cannot be found simply by portraying human beings and the world.We have to use, all of the powers of human voices, bodies, and sentiments to discover on stage where innumerable hidden truths lie.

“The Times and Memories” series, which was planned five years ago, was intended to reflect the importance of memory to human beings, who tend to forget to look at themselves closely in the mirror.During the past five years, however, the world has continued to create distorted and miserable memories.The present comes about from learning many things from the past.The things learned from the past become important memories and are handed down to the generations that come after us.This year’s theme is “The Future and Memory,” and based on the theme, I plan to create four new stories under the title “Where are we going?”

All things considered, dialogue between human beings has broken down and interaction has become so infrequent!We should remind ourselves again that our voices, expressions and small gestures have great power to convey our delicate feelings to others more precisely than cutting-edge computers.And we should know that there is no single answer to all questions and that a new bridge is built between those who have different values when they are directly faced with, and talk with, each other until they reach mutual understanding.