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dates
2023/12/9 (Sat) 13:00-21:00 (Day 1)
venues
Shinano gallery
4-7 Ote, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-0874
lecturers
・Yoneyama Mari (Comet Magic)
・Katsuyama Shuhei (Comet Magic)
・Aiuchi Tadashi (INDEPENDENCE)
What is the summaryHere
“INDEPENDENCE,” which has held one-person play festivals nationwide based in Osaka for 23 years, is the first official workshop in Nagano where know-how and points for creating one-person plays are condensed into 2 days and experienced and put into practice. I visited the site on the 1st day.
The “Shinano Gallery”, which stands quietly in the Uechi Theater parking lot in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, will be the venue for this workshop. Participants gathered one after another at lunchtime on a warm, sunny Saturday for December.
There were a total of 12 participants. According to Aiuchi Tadashi, who is the organizer of this project and works as a lecturer at the workshop, participants gathered sooner than expected. Surprisingly few of the participants were 6 people living in Nagano Prefecture, and actors, screenwriters, and directors who perform theatrical activities gathered from all over the country.
The workshop started with a lecture by Mr. Aiuchi. From an introduction to INDEPENDENT, I will teach the know-how of one-person plays using self-made PowerPoint, such as the structure/pattern of one-person plays, and creative tips.
Although it was a long course of 2 and a half hours, the participants were intrigued by the explanations while listing specific works performed by INDEPENDENT in the past. There was overwhelming support from over 650 one-person plays in the past, and participants said, “I'm not bored at all.”
Also, Aiuchi said, “I think there is a part where harassment that occurs in small theaters occurs because the director has more knowledge than the actors and has an advantage. I hope actors can also acquire knowledge and become equal to directors through lectures at such workshops.” I also heard about that.
After accumulating knowledge, I watched a video scene from several works whose names were mentioned in the classroom. Along with classroom courses, the level of understanding of one-person plays deepens.
Although INDEPENDENT has recorded images of all the works of the Osaka Finals, it is said that they have never shown them to the public due to their commitment that “the appeal of one-person plays can only be conveyed when watched live.” It is said that it is rare to be able to watch past videos on the occasion of a workshop.
After watching the video, there was a demonstration of the solo play “Shiro and Kuro” by Yoneyama Mari, directed by Katsuyama Shuhei, the lecturer of this workshop. It is a short work of less than 30 minutes in total, and even though there is a preface to the demonstration in a smaller space than the actual performance, everyone is drawn in at once as soon as the work begins. I even heard sobbing voices.
I was unexpectedly overwhelmed by the power of a single actor to seize space and the strength of his body, which cannot be fully conveyed in lectures or images.
Through the demonstration, I felt that the participants' motivation for the solo play increased a lot.
Finally, it's the contestants' turn to try their hand at the play alone. A script extracting the first 5 to 7 minutes from the 10 works that have been performed at INDEPENDENT in the past will be distributed, and each person will select one work at a time and present it after practice. “I'm not looking for high quality, I want you to experience what you've learned in class by actually trying it out,” says Aiuchi.
First, it's time to practice as a pair of 2 people. The 3 instructors have an attitude of just watching the situation, and they encourage participants to proceed with the practice mainly. Aiuchi says, “By entrusting it to participants, you can see moments where interesting ideas that were not anticipated are born.”
With almost all the pairs of people who have just met each other, they start exploring and practicing. While discussing questions that came up during practice with the lecturer, the pair showed each other a solo play and helped each other. Regarding forming a pair of 2 people, Mr. Aiuchi said, “In one-person plays, it's easy to not know if the creator alone is interesting or not. It's important to adopt an objective point of view in practice.” I say it.
After about 2 and a half hours of independent practice with a dinner break on the way, it was finally time for one person to present. The audience was thrilled by the sense of tension in the air.
While there were participants who were so gentle and unexpectedly relaxed, once we started, we naturally saw a variety of expressions that were different from every participant, and every presentation was interesting.
Once the presentation was over, feedback was given throughout. Aiuchi sums it up, “With the power of each actor, we were able to launch a solid work.” Participants cited impressions and realizations such as “I think the advantage of a one-person play is that something can be conveyed from the way they are working desperately, even without any special technology,” and “it was easier to fall into an explanatory play than an act with an opponent,” and after experiencing the depth of a one-person play, the first day of the workshop ended.
The next day, on the 2nd day, a program called “Creating a One-Person Play” was held. They were divided into roles of performer, screenplay, and director, and created and presented a five-minute one-person play.
This workshop was held in Hiroshima Prefecture in November this year, and in Nagano Prefecture this time in December. According to Aiuchi, there are many participants from various regions in both events, and they feel that there is a need all over the country.
While increasing the variety of workshops, my dream grows, and eventually I want to spread it all over the country.
Report: Sasaki Akane
