Today (Thursday 30 March), Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV, announce that the record-breaking production of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro will return to the Barbican Theatre for a strictly limited run in Autumn 2023.
The Anglo-Japanese alliance signed in January of 1902 by British Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne and Japanese diplomat Hayashi Tadasu witnessed a period of diplomacy in the early 20th century between the two nations before its termination in 1923. Three years later and Japan transitioned into the Shōwa era, a period overseen by Emperor Hirotito and one that would endure the impact of defeat post WWII, shaping the course of future generations and as a result of this, migration being a means for many to seek a hopeful future elsewhere. Exploring the stories of Japanese migrants living in the UK post WWII, New Earth Theatre present Tsunagu/Connect Live – an immersive promenade production comprised of verbatim recordings of participants who took part in an oral history project led by the theatre company in 2020.
From left to right – Tomoko Komura, Meg Kubota, Yuki Sutton and You-Ri Yamanaka.
Shōwa era Japan (1926-1989) – ruled by Emperor Hir0hito witnessed the transition from empire pre-WWII to state post war, the impact of their defeat in the war one that would shape the course of future generations, migration a means for many to seek a hopeful future. In 2020, New Earth Theatre launched an oral history project that resulted in over 30 Japanese women being interviewed about their experiences of being a migrant in the UK – a perspective we seldom hear and one that is vital for addressing representation within the arts. Created in response to this project, New Earth Theatre present Tsunagu/Connect Live – an immersive, promenade work placing the voices of four Japanese women at the fore featuring performers Tomoko Komura, Meg Kubota, Yuki Sutton and You-Ri Yamanaka. Currently showing at Shoreditch Town Hall until Saturday 30th April, cast member Meg tells us more about what to expect!