By Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Barbara Lewis
LONDON (Reuters) – A central London theater and a theater in Osaka, Japan, are working this month to demonstrate that any cultural differences between the two are superficial.
Theaters around the world have turned to international cooperation to maximize their impact, with Charing Cross Theater and Umeda Arts Theater joining forces for the first time for a production in 2019.
After an interruption caused by the pandemic, this month they will jointly present two works in London.
Both are rooted in Japanese culture and focus on secret relationships. At the same time, the concerns are universal.
“It’s really about bringing great stories from all kinds of different cultures to Britain and the West,” actress Susan Momoko Hingley told Reuters, speaking generally of Japan’s export of culture, including films and television series.
He stars in “One Small Step” by Takuya Kato, which tells the story of a couple who works for a company dedicated to colonizing the moon.
The plot thickens with the news that the woman is pregnant, raising questions that audiences almost everywhere can relate to about motherhood, careers, and inequality between men and women.
“In terms of fairness, I think a lot of people today often say that we strive for fairness within companies, within societies and between individuals,” said Kato, who directed and wrote the play.
“But I think it’s something that we understand with our heads, but we can’t necessarily grasp with our hearts.”
London production, he said, allowed his work to be reborn “at the intersection of two different cultures” when for Japanese creative industries the domestic market may not be enough.
“If we do not increase the share of co-productions, with which we have traditionally struggled, it will be difficult to survive as an industry and culture in the future,” he said.
Following “One Small Step,” which runs through Oct. 9, Charing Cross Theater presents “Tattooer” (Oct. 14-26), the story of a tattoo artist who wants to “carve his soul into the skin of a beautiful woman.” , by another contemporary Japanese writer, Takuya Kaneshima.
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Barbara Lewis)
