Download Welcome to MariMari Theatre

Welcome to MariMari Theatre
ln Japan there has been much
less interest these days in
visiting theatres and
watching or indeed making
plays has become a thing of
the past. Presumably this is
due to the rise of TV and the
internet.
We, “Japanese fairy tale
delivery theatre MariMari”
bring a new style of delivery,
a portable theatre. By using
Japanese traditional
theatrical styles and pulling performers and audiences closer together we can
perform our plays anywhere， hospitals, welfare facilities, just name it, we even
take them abroad ！
MariMari means “Come on, come on". We chose this name because our aim is to call
people back to the art of the theatre, a place where a sense of community, and
the imaginations* of individuals is celebrated.
(Audience participation is particularly important to MariMari).
So please， explore with us the wonderful world of MariMari, a Japanese fairytale.
MariMari abroad
2010
2010
2009
2009
2008
2008
Nov,
Jul,
Sep,
Jan,
Oct,
Jan,
performed
performed
performed
performed
performed
performed
at
at
at
at
at
at
Mexico City frstival in Mexico.
Badabum theatre in France.
international theatre festival in Ukraine.
20 primary schools in Scotland.
international theatre festival in Germany.
primary school in France, and UK.
Letter to MariMari
Mari Mari Japanese Theatre Company Workshops in East Ayrshire Primary Schools January 2009
Dear MariMari
I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for the tremendous work you did in our schools at the
end of January. I had the privilege of experiencing three of your workshops and was most impressed
by your acting, your interaction with the children and the sheer enjoyment and enthusiasm with which
you presented your cultural programme.
The feedback from teachers and pupils has been excellent and I will be recording this in my report to
The Japan Society.
Thank you once again for giving our children such an inspiring, educational and enjoyable experience.
With all good wishes.
Yours sincerely
John Wilson
Links Officer in the Arts and Education
Theatre delivery MariMari performance programme
Old tale medley: We will perform five old tales from Japan and Europe, each
approximately 5 minutes long. Between the performances, we will run workshops.
The workshops will include:
- explanations of Mari-Mari's performance philosophy, and the structure and composition of
each play
- how to enjoy theatre (as opposed to TV or video games, for instance)
- exploration of some cultural differences between Japan and Yours.
- props and stagecraft (real costumes, gadgetry, lighting and special effects)
- drawings
- Japanese language experience (for example "Arigatou" (Thank you), Sayonara"
(Goodbye), and the origin of these phrases)
- acting experience on the spot
Mari-Mari uses neither costumes nor props in our performances. It is the acting that
invokes the scenes in the audience's heads, by gestures such as body movements, the
direction of eyes, or the tone of voice.
The Plays
Urashima-taroh
When Mari-Mari performed this play in a British primary school, children were saying “I
saw a castle built in the sea!” and “The party scene in this castle was really fun!”
In the Urashima-taroh workshop, we will ask the children -- who’ve never seen any book
illustrations of Urashima-taroh -- to draw pictures of what they’ve seen in their head.
Then, we will show them some drawings drawn by Japanese children for comparison, to
make them realize that they imagine differently from Japanese children, because of the
culture and information surrounding them, even if they see exactly the same play.
Tsuru-no-ongaeshi
The beautiful fabric of the kimono is central to this story. After the
play, we will invite the children to re-experience the story, by
seeing real kimonos. This will help them understand the actions of
the characters in the play. There will also be the opportunity for
some students to try on the kimonos.
Sometimes Japanese people don’t express their feelings
directly. We also use this play to focus on this reserved way of
Japanese communication by looking at some of the lines between
the husband and his wife.
We will teach the children how to do "Seiza", which is a formal way to sit on Japanese
tatami floors.
Ningyo-hime (The Little Mermaid)
As part of this performance, the children will create the world of Ningyo-hime by using
simple props such as paper cups, straws and torches.
We will demonstrate how this world famous tale had been arranged and acted by Japanese.
The expression of sadness, the art of swordplay… we use tips from Noh and Kyo-gen
(Japanese theatre styles) to simplify the movement.
Warashibe-chohja
The play involves a poor man who (through a series of fortunate trades) manages to swap a
piece of straw for a house. In the workshop, the children will re-create the story by
changing the key items (straw / orange / cloth / horse / house) to something different.
Hanasaka-jiisan
A common technique for expressing nature in Japanese theatre is throwing shredded paper.
By changing the size and shape of the pieces, different effects such as cold snow, powder
snow, or cherry blossom can be achieved. Twisting the paper before cutting can change the
speed at which the fragments fall, which can be used to complete the desired effect.
The technique will be explained before the Mari-Mari performance. In the conclusion to the
play, the students will join the actors to employ this technique.
Conclusion
The programme will conclude with a question /
answer / discussion session.
The entire programme is expected to run for 60 to 90
minutes.
The programme will be changed for improvement.
E-mail Hotaka1022 ＠ gmail.com
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