Looking back in anger

Looking back in anger.The 13th edition of the Bangkok Theatre Festival opened on Saturday afternoon at Santi Chaiprakan park in Bang Lamphu. While the curtain came down there late last night, performances continue from tomorrow onwards at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) as well as Democrazy Theatre Studio in Bon Kai; Thong Lor Art Space, Crescent Moon Space, B-Floor Room and Creative Industries on Thonglor and New Phetchaburi Road; at the Sun Dance Theatre on Silom and at Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts near Siam Square.

With fond memories of the Bunraku workshop and demonstration still fresh in the minds of those who attended, the Japan Foundation reminds us there's another side of Japanese culture to be savoured and enjoyed.

This comes in the form of Tokyo-based Hanchu Yuei's "Girl X" and it's adding an international flavour to our annual theatre fest and kicking off a collaboration between the artists from both countries.

"Girl X" is described as "contemporary Japanese theatre that simply and honestly crystallises the various separations within Japanese society and views of life formed since the Fukushima disaster of March 2011 into a theatrical fiction".

While many plays written since then have discussed this issue, playwright and director Suguru Yamamoto says that "Girl X" is different because of the troupe's "method of using 'words' and 'visual projection'."

Hanchu Yuei's recent works show two-dimensional characters, images, lights and floor plans that are projected. These elements organically blend with the three-dimensional bodies of performers, giving something that can be compared to 2.5-dimensional theatre.

Yamamoto further explains, "Projection of words can appeal to the audience's senses through visual perception. Words are perceived by the ears and by the eyes. In this play, the audience will perceive the words visually and transform them into sound in their head by using their imagination."

"Girl X" was presented earlier this year at TPAM (Tokyo Performing Arts Market) to which Chulalongkorn University's theatre production management professor Piyawat Thamkulangkool was invited by the Japan Foundation and watched almost 20 performances in merely a week.

"I think it's a question of personal taste," he says of why he singled out this work and proposed that the Japan Foundation invite it to Bangkok Theatre Festival.

"And no, it's not because of the suggestive title or the fact that it's not recommended for audiences under 16 years old," he adds quickly as he notices my grin.

"I like works that are simple, clear and clean. I also like the fact that the lighting design, sound design and visuals have been put in one MacBook Air and so they can set up very quickly for any performance and need travel with only four people."

After TPAM, "Girl X" was immediately invited to Selangor in May. The Star critic Sumber Asal Berita enjoyed it very much, writing, "Under the deft direction of Yamamoto, the starkness never felt like a lack of production value. The actors, too, had a few clever tricks up their sleeves, like interacting with each other's shadows or spinning a mirror in front of the projector to bounce the red screen around the room to mimic police sirens.

"And it did not only rely on gimmicks and technology; the serious and sometimes perverse script also gave [actors] Nomoto and Oohashi a chance to showcase their acting chops. The script stuck to a simple, colloquial style of dialogue, finding poetry through repetition and the occasional witty turn of phrase," Berita continued.

Berita's conclusion: "Yamamoto created a very fun and zany pair of shoes for the audience to jump into for an hour."

Yamamoto notes, "Sometimes expressions in the play have an opposite meaning for different groups of audiences. What is serious for the Japanese audience has nothing serious for their Malay counterparts; on the other hand, what the former treats as trivial is shocking for the latter, like the sexual expressions in the play."

Let's see how Thai people respond to "Girl X".

The writer wishes to thank Japan Foundation's Kazue Suzuki for all assistance.

WHO'S THAT GIRL?

Part of the Bangkok Theatre Festival, Hanchu Yuei's "Girl X" will be performed at 7.30pm on Friday and 2pm and 6.30pm on Saturday at the Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts at Chulalongkorn University. It's a 10-minute walk along Henri Dunant Road from BTS Siam Exit 6.

It's in Japanese with English surtitles. The running time is 60 minutes and there's a post-show discussion with the artists.

Tickets cost Bt 600 (Bt 300 for students; Bt400 for Japan Foundation members).

Call (02) 218 4802 and (081) 559 7252. Find out more at www.JFBKK.or.th www.Facebook.com/dramaartschula.