​『わたしが悲しくないのはあなたが遠いから』

Yukio: During rehearsals, if I had problems, I really had to inspect whether that problem was caused by a “fault in direction” or  a “fault in the actors” or a “fault with the writing”. For example, in Japanese, we use “eh” as a verbal exclamation on many occasions, like when we are surprised, or disagree with something. We agree, on the other hand, with “eeh”, a longer sounding version of the same sound as well. I use this “eh” sound a lot in my dialogue. The Taiwanese actors really tried hard to read this sound as I have written it in the text, but they ended up sounding very awkward. Especially the “eh?” indicating surprise, Taiwanese actors performed this very poorly. I asked them why and they told me that Taiwanese does not use the same exclamation when they are surprised, instead using something more like“ha” or “haa.”. So that was why they struggled with the sound. This is a problem with my writing, so by simply changing “eh” into “ha” this problem was easily solved. Just like in this case, every time something occurred, I had to carefully inspect what was wrong. It was difficult in the beginning and it was very time consuming as well. But as I got used to it, I started to become aware of when a problem was with the actors or with my writing. This process was very interesting to me.

It was very interesting how you discussed a lot with actors throughout the creation process of WKAT in Japan. Did you have discussions with actors a lot in Taiwan as well? Or did you go through a different kind of creative process?

Yukio: Well, it did not really become like a discussion in Taiwan. Let’s say 10 people gather and talk about one theme. In Taiwan, if one of the actors, person A, says something in Chinese, everyone else other than me can understand what this person has said. I need the time to listen to the translation of the conversations and then reply to that, so there is always a delay in communication. Thus, appropriate participation in a discussion is impossible. In other words, because of the extra step of translation the conversation needs to go through, a speedy exchange of ideas does not happen. So the kind of “strategy meeting” we had with Japanese actors was difficult to do. It is very difficult to make happen if people are not communicating in their native tongue. It always results in one party leading the other, and they have to wait until the other group catches up with them. Also if the discussion becomes heated among Taiwanese actors, non-Taiwanese speakers are left out. Therefore I have to think of some new creative process for my creations in Taiwan. An open discussion felt rather slow there. So I guess I really have to consider something new.

Did your creation method change through your journey in Taipei?

Yukio: The making process itself did not change much I think.

Makiko:”Our Planet” premiered and was re-created in Japan, so the Taiwan version was your third time creating this piece. What did you find new? Was there even any change in the first place?

Yukio: How to re-create “Our Planet” by using previous parts of the story was very organized already in my head. I believe I gained self-confidence that I can create this piece with any high school students indiscriminate of their background. Also, it was fun writing a piece when it is guaranteed to be translated. It is usually a very embarrassing moment for me when a Japanese actor speaks out my Japanese lines for the first time in a rehearsal since they are unfiltered fresh words, just as I have written, you know. I do not like hearing it, it embarrasses me a lot. I believe anyone who has written a play can relate to this, the first reading is always painful for a playwright. Lines that come out too direct make me want to rewrite them into something subtler and I also think about how I can express something without being cliche. Let’s say I write “I love you” and an actor says “I love you”, it is very embarrassing to write this phrase in Japanese but it was easy to write “I love you” for the “Our planet” Taiwan production. I mean, my lines will become a different language, right? Then the details of the sentence are very dependent on the translator I think. That’s why I do not think too much about choosing words and phrases anymore.

Makiko: So you find it fun that your work being translated?

Yukio: Yes, it is great fun!

Makiko: So you are not really picky about little details or nuances when your work go through translation?

Yukio: No, I think I have never said anything about how my work is to be translated. I remember I asked actors to repeat a phrase because the translated pronunciation sounded interesting. The good thing about works being translated is that before the lines are spoken by actors, there is one more step, translation, so I do not have to think too much about the details of the line. It is pointless for me to put too much thought into this as the rhythm of the lines will be changed anyway after translation. If my writings were to be spoken out as they are, I care deeply about the lines, but if they go through translation anyway, I do not need to care too much about the sound. A translator will do the job, I just need to finish my writing. However, if I am going to stage it in Japanese again, I will rewrite the Japanese script for that though.

In last year’s interview, you said: “My work will not work if it is just translated”. Did this change?

Yukio: It hasn’t changed much. My work functions with the direction and text as a pair. This WKAT for example, the most important essence of this work is how this production is performed in two different theatres simultaneously. It is written in the stage direction how to stage this play in that way, but still, it is possible that other directors than me might choose to stage this play differently. So, I am afraid that only reading my script is not enough to tell what I am intending to do as a result of the performance. My play is more like a plan rather than a literature piece I think. Also, my plan is made to fit perfectly for my use, so my play often lacks a description for other people to use. If I can stage a play once and document that on the script, it would be great I think. I should try to document my productions more.

WKAT is a play about distance, how did living in a place far away from Japan to create “Our Planet” affect your ideas about distance?

Yukio: I care less about Japan when I am away than when I am actually present in Japan of course. When I was in Taiwan, an earthquake hit Hualien, North East from where I was staying in Tainan. It was really interesting for me to observe what kind of distance Tainan people felt for Hualien’s earthquake.

Makiko: Did you ask actors something related to the earthquake?

Yukio: I asked high school students “Do you have any acquaintances or relatives in Hualien?” but nobody said yes. There were not so many of them who had been there before. So after talking for a bit, we did a usual rehearsal on that day as well.

Makiko: For the students, the earthquake did seem real?

Yukio: Yes, it seemed like it. Japanese people, on the other hand, asked me if I was okay in Taiwan when the earthquake happened. Tainan, where I stayed and Hualien is distance-wise as far as between Fukuoka prefecture and Kagoshima prefecture in Kyushu. It is like worrying over a person in Kagoshima when an earthquake hits Fukuoka. So I always responded that I was totally okay to those who worried about me, but it made me realize the fact that it is difficult for them to imagine that I am in Tainan, and the earthquake happened in Hualien. They only know vaguely that an earthquake hit Taiwan. It was a very weird feeling. In Tainan, the earthquake was on the news every day, but it disappeared eventually from there. People in Tainan were, of course, caring about the situation, but still, they continued their daily chores like eating while listening to the news. Though a tragedy happens within a country, if it is too far away in distance, they can’t really do anything. It is exactly the same as Japan.