Artist and storyteller Mayu Kanamori’s play, Yasukichi Murakami – Through a Distant Lens will have its first Japanese language reading in Tokyo on 24 and 25 June 2022. A symposium (in Japanese) will follow the reading on 25th. Bookings can be made from 1 June (online viewing available). More details about the event are here. Hope you can join in.

The original English language version of this theatre production by Mayu had its world premiere in Darwin in 2014. It’s a multimedia production based on the life story of Yasukichi Murakami, a man well known in Broome and Darwin before the outbreak of the Pacific War. He was interned and died in Tatura internment camp in 1944.

Event Dates:

Friday 24 June 2022,  2:45 pm (JST)

Saturday 25 June 2022 1 pm (JST)

There will be a Symposium after the Reading

*Doors open 30 mins prior

Location:

Waseda University Ono Memorial Auditorium for Waseda University Students and Staff

Online for all other audiences (free online event). Bookings Here

Creative Team

Written by:  Mayu Kanamori

Translation by:  Keiji Sawada

Directed by: Kae Sugata

Performed by: Keito ShiinaTakafumi HanadaHanae Ozawa

Voice performance by: Go Endo

Sound Design by: Terumi Narushima

Lighting Design by: Masumi Sakurai (Tokyo Butai ShowMei)

Marketing Design by: Chie Muraoka

Documentation & Streaming: Taro Koyama

Photographs by: Yasukichi Murakami courtesy of Murakami Family Archives

Symposium Panelists:

Mayu Kanamori, Terumi Narushima, Kuni Hashimoto, Kae Sugata, Keiji Sawada, Keito Shiina, Takafumi Hanada, Hanae Ozawa

Supported by: The Australian Embassy, Tokyo

Keiji Sawada

Professor at Waseda University and winner of the 10th Yoshiko Yuasa Award for Theatre Translations. He is the author of 『オーストラリア先住民とパフォーマンス』(“Australian Indigenous People and Performance”, Tokyo University Press)『現代演劇と文化の混淆』(“Contemporary Theatre and Cultural Hybridity”, Waseda University Press). His translation work include the 『オーストラリア演劇叢書』(“Australian Drama Series” ①~⑭ ,Oceania Press), and more recently, 『ミス・タナカ』 (“Miss Tanaka”, Edo Ito Ayatsuri Ningyo: Youkiza), 『エブリマンとポールダンサーたち』(“Everyman & the Pole Dancers”, Shinjuku Ryozanpaku), 『ジャック・チャールズ vs 王冠』/ “Jack Charles V The Crown ” (Subtitle /Fuji no Kuni ? World Theatre Festival Shizuoka), 『ジャスパー・ジョーンズ』(“Jasper Jones” , Theatre Office Natori) , 『フューリアス~猛り狂う風~』(“Furious”), 『女と男とシェイクスピア』(“Dead White Males”), and 『面と向かって』(“Face to Face”) (Haiyuza), 『聖なる日』(“Holy Day” ) and 『リムーバリスト-  引っ越し屋 – 』(“The Removalists *)  (Gekidan Haisho) and other works.

Kae Sugata

Born in Yokohama, graduated from the Department of English Literature, Faculty of Literature, Japan Women’s University. After directing 『マンザナ、わが町』 (Written by Hisashi Inoue; “Manzanar: Our Town”), she joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company’s Theatre Research Institute, and has since directed Australian plays, such as  『ハサミ、紙、石(じゃんけんぽん)』 (written by Daniel Keene, “Scissors, Paper, Rock”; translated by Keiji Sawada) as part of Haiyuza’s Bungei Direction Department’s newcomer presentation, and the Haiyuza Lab Performance of 『フューリアス~猛り狂う風~』(written by Michael Gow, “Furious”; translated by Keiji Sawada). She has also directed 『象』(written by Minoru Betsuyaku; “The Elephant”) at the Minoru Betsuyaku Festival as well as devised and directed Haiyuza Theatre Company’s reading of 『戦争とは…』(“Senso to Wa…. “). She is currently working with Haiyuza Theatre Company’s Department of Bungei (Arts and Literature) Direction.

Mayu Kanamori

Sydney based storyteller working across mediums including theatre, performance, photography, video, installation, heritage interpretation, writing, and documentary making. Her performance works include “The Heart of the Journey”, “CHIKA: A Documentary Performance”, “Yasukichi Murakami: Through a Distant Lens” and “You’ve Mistaken Me For A Butterfly”. Her photographic exhibitions include “Unseen Faces of Japan”, “Sugao no Australia” and “Teiju to wa Nandaro: Australia”. As a heritage interpreter, she has created the audio for Nyamba Buru Yawuru’s multi award winning “Jetty to Jetty Heritage Trail” and “Lustre: Pearling & Australia” with the WA Museum. Other works include “Cowra Voices” in Cowra, NSW and “In Repose”, in Broome, Townsville and on Thursday Island. As a radio producer , she has received a commendation for United Nations Association of Victoria Media Peace Award Promotion of Multicultural Issues, Broome  NAIDOC Non Indigenous Reconciliation Award and has been a finalist for Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism. She is a board member of The Koto Music Institute of Australia and a member of Nikkei Australia.

For more about Yasukichi Murakami – Through A Distant Lens, read this Process Blog

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