Journal Article

Local Theater Responding to a Global Issue: 3.11 Seen from Japan's Periphery

GEILHORN, Barbara

2017

Overview

Scrutinizing local theater productions from Aomori, this article looks into the role of the arts as a critical voice after the 2011 triple disaster. The Aomori perspective is of special interest in this context. While the city was hardly afflicted by the calamity, Aomori is part of Japan's northern periphery and home to nuclear facilities, thereby sharing central problems with the disaster zones such as economic hardship, depopulation, and the threat of nuclear contamination. I analyze two plays by Hatasawa Seigo, a local playwright, director, and high school teacher. The first, Moshiita: Moshi kōkō yakyū no joshi manējā ga Aomori no \"itako\" o yondara (Moshiita: What if the Manager of a High School Baseball Team Called in an Aomori itako Shaman, 2011), was written for and performed by the high school drama club under Hatasawa's supervision and won the National High School Drama Competition Prize 2012. Originally planned for performances in consolatory visits to the afflicted areas, it was eventually staged nationwide. The second, Saraba! Genshiryoku robo Mutsu: Ai · senshihen (Farewell to Nuclear Robot Mutsu: Soldiers of Love, 2014) is a newly arranged version of a play written for Hatasawa's troupe Watanabe Genshirō Shōten (Nabegen) in 2012. The satirical piece is rare in that it focuses on the global issue of nuclear waste disposal. Analyzing two plays by this local director, who is gaining recognition and reputation on a national level, this article aims to scrutinize how these performances relate to site-specific memories and stories and construct narratives that go against the dominant Tokyo perspective.

• Publisher: International Research Center for Japanese Studies
• Subject: Disasters / High school athletics / High school students / Humanity / Nuclear fuels / Nuclear power / Performing arts / Playwriting / Prefectures / Theater