Interview with Street Wise Opera Founder Matt Peacock

December 4, 2009
By Kyoko Iwaki

Streetwise Opera (SWO) is a British social art organization established in 2002. In addition to presenting a full-scale opera production once a year with a cast of professional musicians and participants from homeless centers, SWO also holds music workshops on a regular basis at cooperating homeless centers as a means to help homeless people toward social independence and self-reliance. SWO’s founder, Matt Peacock, was recently among 30 top social entrepreneurs and community activists featured in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s book Britain’s Everyday Heroes. Still in his mid-30s, Peacock started SWO as an outgrowth of his experience from years of working simultaneously as a music journalist and homeless shelter worker with the aim of using his expertise in the field of music to help homeless become involved in society again and change people’s preconceptions about the homeless and the reasons for homelessness. We spoke with Peacock about SWO’s activities on the occasion of his recent visit to Japan with his organization’s first video work, My Secret Heart, created in collaboration with more than 100 homeless from around the UK.
(Interviewer: Kyoko Iwaki)

Iwaki: In the United kingdom today there are said to be about 700,000 households needing welfare support, including some 500 “rough sleepers” (homeless living on the streets) and approximately 400,000 homeless living in temporary welfare shelters. Streetwise Opera was founded in London in 2002 with the aim of providing support to these people living in harsh conditions through music. As the founder and Chief Executive of this group, can you tell us about its present activities?

Peacock: At present, SWO is engaged in two basic types of activities. The first is the stage performances we mount once a year created through the workshops with professional artists and homeless people and performed mainly by the homeless people as the actors and stagehands. These performances have been held each year since the first production, Canticles, performed at Westminster Cathedral in 2002, using music by Benjamin Britten. That first production was very well received artistically, with the theater critics of a national newspaper giving it a 5-star rating. On the same page of that newspaper a concert by Madonna was given only a 3-srtar rating (laughs). In other words, our approach is different from many social art groups that say the meaning is in participation, not the artistic quality of the performances themselves. I think anyone who gives homeless the opportunity to participate in works know that there will be social benefits through the communication and self-esteem it gives these people. But I believe that if you can put on artistic work that is also of high artistic quality it will open up so many more benefits for the participants, because they feel respected. And we actually had participants in this year’s SWO performance saying that they felt they had gained respect they don’t normally have.

 Then there is the second type of activity we are involved in that is even more important than these annual performances, and that is the workshops we do on a regular basis at 11 centers for the homeless. We have 30 professional musicians working as out workshop leaders, and they do 2-hour workshops every week at the same time on the same day. This regularity is important. That is because of the tremendous passion they bring to this opportunity to perform once a year. That intensity is greater than average people. Seeing how serious they are made me realize how important regularity and consistency is in bringing mental and emotional support to the homeless. So you could say that the two key policies of our project are Respect and Regularity.

Iwaki: In Japan, 90% of the homeless are men and 80% of those are over the age of 50. In the UK, the 90% male figure is the same but the age demographic is very different, with 80% being under the age of 45. What are the main factors that lead to homelessness in the UK?

Peacock: Often there are a number of interrelated factors involved in persons becoming homeless. So it is hard to make generalizations. But if you do try to analyze it, the majority are people who have been institutionalized at one point in their lives, they may have been children in care, or it could be that they went to prison or were in the army. A large proportion are people who go into the streets have been in the army. This is a kind of interesting fact, because a lot of people who have experienced warfare tend to have emotional damage. And they may have spent several years not worrying about where they are living or buying food and all. So that is a big problem.

 A huge amount of young people get into trouble. A lot of women go through Women’s Aid—which is a charity NPO—when they become the victims of violence. And they find themselves in a homeless situation. And you have marriage breakdown, which is a big factor. And then you have men whose marriage is finished. What usually what happens in the UK in the case of a divorce is that the woman almost always gets the house, especially if there are children involved. Then the men don’t have anywhere to live, they lose their jobs and spiral downward from there. Alcohol and drugs is another factor, but that usually happens as a secondary problem after people have been on the street.

 You also have a lot of refugees and other people who have fallen out of the benefit system. There is also a huge amount of mental problems. About 40% of the people we work with have mental health issues that can learning problems or undiagnosed psychosis or schizophrenia or various levels of depression. And once people get on the street there is a massive increase in depression, as you would expect. A study I read recently said that something like 80% of the people on the streets do self harm or have suicidal tendencies.

 The support structure in the UK is very sophisticated, in a way. It started off with churches mainly and the Christian religion helping out. Today there is nationwide system of homeless centers and people can go to them and get lodging and go through a structured strategy of support. Those who are ready to move forward they will be put on a housing list and if they are lucky they can get a house or a flat in about six months. But that is only for those who are 100% ready to move forward. If they are not, it will be meaningless even if they get a place to live.

Read the full article at Performing Arts Network Japan >>>
http://www.performingarts.jp/E/pre_interview/1.html

Interview with choreographer Ushio Amagatsu

February 28, 2009
By Kyoko Iwaki

After going independent from the Dairakudakan butoh dance company led by Akaji Maro in 1975, Ushio Amagatsu formed his own company Sankai Juku. In 1977, this small company with just four male dancers gave their first public performance under the title Amagatsu Sho, and in 1978 presented the work titled Kinkan Shonen (The Kumquat Seed) that would established their name in the dance world. By 1980 they were already giving their first overseas performances in France. In their first year in Europe they won acknowledgement with performances at the Nancy Festival in the spring, the summer Avignon Festival and the autumn Sigma Festival, Bordeaux. With those performances the Sankai Juku name and the term “Butoh” rapidly spread throughout Europe. In 1982 the company entered an agreement with Théâtre de la Ville, Paris to do joint productions of new works. Since then these co-productions have continued at a pace of about one new work produced every two years.

Recently, more than a quarter of a century after bursting into the world dance scene, Sankai Juku was awarded the 2006 Asahi Performing Arts Grand Prix for the work TOKI - A Moment in the Weave of Time and the latest work TOBARI - As If in an Inexhaustible Flux continue to be presented to high acclaim. Until now, Sankai Juku has performed in approximately 700 cities in Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania.

It is now almost 30 years since Colette Godard of Le Monde wrote that watching Sankai Juku at the Nancy Festival for the first time was a two-hour journey of such intensity the viewer fairly forgot to breathe. We spoke with Ushio Amagatsu about his philosophy of butoh and the creative journey he has continued steadily all these years, neither accelerating nor slowing.
(Interviewer: Kyoko Iwaki)

Iwaki: Sankai Juku first went to Europe in 1980, and two years later in 1982 you had already received an offer by Théâtre de la Ville, Paris to co-produce your new works. At the time you must have been surprised by the boldness of such a grand offer to a young private company coming out of the Far East.

Amagatsu: I still remember very well the day I received that offer. In fact it was in 1981. The Director of the Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, Gerard Violette, came with a consultant, the late Thomas Erdos, to the theater in Lyons where we were performing Kinkan Shonen. Their offer was for us to perform Kinkan Shonen and one more new work. The new work was of course to be a co-production with the Théâtre de la Ville, Paris. But—and thinking back now this is really laughable—I didn’t even know much about the Théâtre de la Ville, Paris at that time, so I told them I wanted some time to think about their offer. Years later, Violette told me that I was the first one who had ever told him I needed time to think about a commission offer from Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.
  Looking back now, I never imagined that our co-productions with Théâtre de la Ville, Paris would continue this long. There have now been 12 works produced there in 26 years, and to be honest, I don’t think that all of them were great successes. Still, they continued to offer the commissions, and for that consistency I am truly grateful to Mr. Violette. By continuing to offer those commissions, he gave the support that we needed to develop as a private company without any base of our own. Honestly speaking, I doubt that Sankai Juku would still exist today were it not for Théâtre de la Ville, Paris and the rest of the French arts support system. Although it is mere speculation, I would say that if I had not made that decision to go to France in 1980 but had stay in Japan and tried to continue my career there, I might have given up on dance early on.

Iwaki: Mr. Violette retired last year, and he has been replaced by a young director from theater in his 30s. Will this change the relationship between Théâtre de la Ville, Paris and Sankai Juku?

Amagatsu: At this point, we are still scheduled to produce a new work for the 2010 spring season. And fortunately, I feel that we will be able to continue our co-production relationship under the new director, Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota. However, it is not as if we have a franchise contract with the Theatre, and there have never been any guarantees concerning future, not in the past or from now on. It is always a matter of objective judgment on the part the director after seeing the results of each new creation the artists present.
  Those judgments are not made on the basis of any personal relationships with the artists involved. No matter how long a relationship of co-productions may have continued, if the latest production is definitely not up to the Theatre’s standard of quality, there will be no new commission. In fact, I know of several young companies that have received commissions from Théâtre de la Ville, Paris but were not able to present works that lived up to the Theatre’s expectations and, as a result, there was no new offer after that. It all depends on the quality of the works. It is a severe and clearly defined world.

Iwaki: That places a lot of responsibility on the director who makes those decisions.

Amagatsu: That’s true. And that is why they place extreme importance on going to performances to see, to listen and to meet artists. They believe in their responsibility as professionals and trust their own eyes and ears to find works that they are truly convinced have the quality required for their programs. In light of this, I believe it is truly meaningful that Sankai Juku has been able to continue its series of world premieres of new works at Théâtre de la Ville, Paris since 1982. No matter how outstanding your works may be, it is still difficult for performing arts staged in the Far East to be noticed by European directors. It believe that it is only because we have had the opportunity to perform our works regularly in Paris that Sankai Juku has been able to find venues for our performances all over the world.
  It should also be noted that the theaters in France, regardless of whether they are in Paris or the provinces, they are all supported by the taxpayers. So, if a theater continues to present works that are not up to par, the director becomes the subject of criticism from the audience. There is a clear system of responsibility in France. You have the artists who create works, directors who judge their worthiness and the audience who decide whether or not they like what is presented to them. And for that reason, I believe that I have been able to focus on what I should be doing as a creator, which is to concentrate on my art without the distractions involved in the difficulties of bringing it to the audience.

Read the full article at Performing Arts Network Japan >>>
http://www.performingarts.jp/E/art_interview/0902/1.html

Interview with choreographer Akram Khan

December 27, 2008
By Kyoko Iwaki

Only in his mid-thirties, this young British- Bangladeshi choreographer
has already tied up with the top-list greats in the bustling art world,
gaining him a dashing stellar career and a center stage spotlight.
Some of the names among his eminent co-workers are, the controversial
British sculptor Anish Kapoor, the French ballet diva Sylvie Guillem,
and the international pop icon Kylie Minogue. And now with his newest
creation in-i another beautiful name joins this list, the Oscar-winner
actress Juliette Binoche.
Okay, so some blabby critics and journalists are gradually starting to
call him a high-flying careerist…but is he really so? Meeting up with
him in a cozy restaurant in Paris, the man sitting in front of me with
a café crème and a warm judicious smile, just seemed to be having
fun staying true to his inexhaustible curiosity.

——Since your breakthrough in Zero Degrees (05) you have been dubbed as the “ Prince of contemporary dance”.
Akram: Well, I know. But frankly, I don’t care much about how I am looked upon. I just do what I want to do. Which is, by the way, usually the extreme opposite of what people want me to do. I mean, the truth for me is, that you can never play safe as an artist. You always have to take risks. That is the only true way for creating art. But anyway going back to your question, yes, Zero Degrees was a creative milestone for me. Because before that, in the early days, I used to perform to a lot of empty seats. It was such a depressing life, and I thought I ‘m such a depressing artist. Nobody sees me. I must be doing crap. Then one day a Hindu musician I know came up to me and said, “Imagine that each empty seat has a God sitting there”. So from that day on, faithfully taking in his advice, I put Krishna and Ganesa and Siva and all the Gods I knew in the audience.

——Wow, that is quite an audience.
Akram: It is. And also what you’re going to present to Krishna is totally different from what you’re going to present to Siva. Each of them is individual. So in a way, you become tremendously sensitive and aware of all these Gods in the theater. And for me, this goes exactly the same with people. Once you’re in a theater, you contact each and every one of them differently. The Japanese choreographer Saburo Teshigawara once said something very beautiful regarding to this concept, which I quite agree. He said that if there is 450 people in the audience, and one hour later it becomes 451, because one person comes in late, his whole breathing changes, as he senses every single person in that room. It is the same with me, or at least I’d like to think it is the same. On stage, my five senses are fully awake.

——You premiered Zero Degrees in July 8th 2005. Which was astonishingly the day after the 7/7 bombings.
Akram: Yes I remember clearly. That sunny afternoon—we were just finishing our general rehearsal, and Larbi (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui) and I were smoking outside watching the streets. I immediately noticed something bizarre and asked Larbi, why are all these people with packed briefcases and business suites, walking, to get home? I mean they were like zombies. So shocked by the incident that occurred, they couldn’t help but just keep moving aimlessly and hopelessly. Minutes later, somebody from the theater informed us that there were some bombings. After, we started discussing whether or not we should cancel the performance. It wasn’t an easy call, but at the end Larbi and I decided to do give it a go. Even if there was only one person who dares to come out of his house, we felt that it was so important to do it. Amazingly enough, most of the audience shows up the next day. Though half way through the performance, when I started my monologue about the dead body I saw on train in India…one thousand people simultaneously moved backwards, as if it was precisely orchestrated. I know that it happened out of an undesired horrific incident, but I dare say, it was such a beautiful sight from my perspective. Because everybody was together, everybody was united. For the first time in my theater life, I truly felt that we were all one.

——In this day and age, artists cannot stay indifferent or irrelevant to the society.
Akram: Yes, I agree. Although when I was younger, I chose to be blind. Oh, it is so far away over the water, Iraq is in war but it has nothing to do with me. But now, I feel more and more connected to all of that. The world has become smaller. You cannot choose to ignore. Although in my pieces, I don’t show exactly what is happening in the world. I show part of it, I am more subtle in it, and it is my choice to play more with the abstract. Because when you create in this abstract kind of form, it leaves room for the audience. To delve in and dig in and think in their own way. Actually, this is also the philosophy of Anish (Kapoor), the brilliant set designer in my newest piece in-i. He says that creation is not about what you add, but rather is about what you take away. Because that is when you really see the power of space.

——I sense some oriental philosophy, more precisely, a Japanese Haiku kind of artistry hidden behind it.
Akram: Oh, I love the Japanese culture. Because you never fill up the space. There is always some silence and stillness left behind. It is such a beautiful concept. Also what I adore about Japan is that, the culture living there is like a hammerhead shark. You know that fish, two eyes looking at totally the opposite way? Japan is like that. One eye towards the future and the other towards the past. And it is growing in both directions.

——Do you think that you would like to focus on both ends of the spectrum also, the traditional dance and the contemporary dance?
Akram: I want to take in tradition. I want to use tradition. I don’t want to expel it, because for me the tradition is so rich. But what is important is that you have to present it in a new and original way. And that’s what really takes time in creating an art. You know the funny thing is, time is moving so fast these days — we’re on computers, palm pilots, mobile phones and all of that, but there is absolutely one thing that cannot be changed in time. And that is giving birth. From past till now, it still takes nine months, and I must say that it takes nearly the same amount of time to give birth to a new piece of work. This is my opinion. You cannot speed it up. You cannot force the baby to come out. But unfortunately, in in-i, we forced it and created it in just four months. When it was premiered in The National Theater in UK last year, it wasn’t at all ready. So I must say, this is still a work-in-progress.

——When I saw the show in Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, I was a bit astonished because Juliette Binoche’s dancing was quite better than my expectations, although frankly it is not a professional leveled dance.
Akram: She is refining her dance everyday, but yes of course she is not a professional dancer. You cannot create a true dancer in four months. And neither did I think that I could pretend to be a professional actor in four months. That’s not the point with this piece. What we wanted to do was, just trust our faith, trust our instinct, and dive into the unknown with curiosity. Hoping that we would end up finding a new medium, where dance and theater could work together.

——At the starting point, did you have any vague vision of that goal?
Akram: No, not at all. So when the promoter asked us, “Okay so the show is going to be bloody expensive, what is it going to be about?” Juliette and I were like, “We don’t fuckin’ know.”[Laughs] We didn’t have the slightest clue, and it was so scary. But at the same time, that’s exactly why we were so excited about it.

——Yeah, because you two are the fearless daredevils.
Akram: Yes we might be quite daring. But you have to be careful, because it is not about showing that you are daring. I know that some people think about in-I in that way, that we are just trying to show off how daring we are, but It’s not like that. It’s just that we really felt that we could share and exchange from the experience of each other’s world. She wanted to dance. I wanted to act. And each of us had a little seed of curiosity growing inside. Which made us step into the unknown.

——As a consequence, you two caused a stir both in the audience and the critic. Very mixed reviews, in a love-it-or-hate-it kind of way.
Akram: I know, and that is the whole point. In this world, you either win big or loose big. Otherwise you just play safe — and that brings us back full circle to the right beginning of the conversation. I am not willing to play anything safe.

SHINTOKUMARU

December 14, 2007
An Interview with Tatsuya Fujiwara
Written and translated by Kyoko Iwaki

——To begin with, what was your first reaction when you were asked to play SHINTOKUMARU again?
Tatsuya Fujiwara: If this performance was only meant for the Japanese audience, I’d probably have asked myself, why should I work on this act again? Shouldn’t I be looking forward and not looking back to the past? But fortunately, it had been decided from the start that this performance would be held in Japan and also in Washington DC, which meant that I could reach a much wider audience. This might sound a bit astute, but I thought maybe I could get in touch with some important people whom I could never meet if I just stayed in Japan. And for that reason I thought there was a great value in challenging Shintoku again.
——This will be the second time you’ll be performing in the US. Two years ago, you joined Ninagawa Company’s KINDAINOUGAKUSHU, which received much praise from the audience of the Lincoln Center Festival in New York.
TF: Yes, that was a great experience. I mean, New York is a special place for me, because it was the first foreign city I’d ever visited as a teenager. I still remember watching a number of shows, day in and day out, and being thrilled by each one of them. So, two years ago, it was a similar exhilarating experience for me. I, myself, standing on that very stage! It was like, suddenly, a 10-year-old boy being admitted to play soccer in the Ajinomoto stadium!
——And you also had to attend the press conference held in New York in place of Yukio Ninagawa.
TF: Yes…I was just stunned by the atmosphere. You know, I’m quite a fast learner in terms of memorizing scripts, but I never realized how hard it was to learn just one line in English. In fact, my mother was traveling with me at that time, and I remember having a brief argument with her the night before the conference. Tatsuya, you really don’t need my advice? Mom, you can’t speak English! But anyway, every time I visit a Western country I’m amazed by the fact that most of the theater actors recognize the name Ninagawa. After coming back to Japan and narrating the same to Mr. Ninagawa, he remarked, “So at last, you’ve noticed my magnificence!”
——It’s been a decade since you first performed SHINTOKUMARU. And this was your very first work as a professional actor. How do you look back on that experience?
TF: I am still tremendously honored by the fact that I was given the chance to play this great role. And on top of that, I was able to come in contact two wonderfully talented people through that production, Yukio Ninagawa and Kayoko Shiraishi. As you said, it’s already ten years since then, but these two people are still my greatest mentors. So there’s always this funny feeling inside myself that you can never fool around in front of them. It’s not that you feel nervous facing them but…gosh, how can I explain this feeling. It’s like when you’re hanging around and doing all those mischievous things in school with your friends, and once you’re at home you suddenly feel a bit ill at ease, and try to gauge your mom’s feelings. It’s a similar feeling. So even when I’m kicking up my heels with other young actors backstage, once Shiraishi-san passes by, I suddenly behave like a polite gentleman and bow in salutation. It’s just so true that I can’t misbehave in front of these two people.
——You’ve been a part of Shakespeare and Greek tragedy with Ninagawa, and you’ve also worked with renowned directors like Hideki Noda and Gregory Doran. After all that, when you go back to SHINTOKUMARU, I’m sure that the approach toward the role would not be the same.
TF: Well, I can’t say anything for sure right now, but Ninagawa-san was bold enough to say that we’ll need only three days for the rehearsals. I know that it's a typical Ninagawa joke, but in a way I could agree with his crazy suggestion. I mean, after all those relentless, demanding rehearsals day after day ten years ago, I know that my body remembers all the details on a cell-by-cell basis! So once I get into the groove of Shintoku, maybe the rehearsal process will be surprisingly easy. But one thing I know for sure that this is going to be my last SHINTOKUMARU. It's a great piece of art, so I want it to be performed forever and ever, but I think I would like to move on, and pass Shintoku on to the next generation.
——After SHINTOKUMARU, you’ll be challenging another great role, Konstantin Treplyov, in Anton Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL. Are your plans all thought out for this new challenge?
TF: Not at all. But a few months ago Masachika Ichimura, one of the greatest actors that I look up to, told me that Treplyov is a demanding but a fulfilling role. He also said that having the chance to play Treplyov in your acting career is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So Ichimura-san’s comment kind of boosted up my energy, and now my excitement toward the project is slowly growing. Also, I’m really excited about the prospect of working with Tamiya Kuriyama, a director I’ve never worked with before. I hope that I will develop as an actor, after tackling this work of genius by Chekhov.
——Since you started your acting career at the age of 15, you’ve challenged great roles such as Shintoku, Hamlet, Romeo, Orestes, and now Treplyov. Your career seems to be just flawless. I’m really curious to know how Tatsuya Fujiwara is going to be in the next decade.
TF: I just don’t want to do a half-hearted job, and want to devote myself completely to my work. And if I constantly keep on working hard like that, Ninagawa-san or somebody else might give me a new challenge. So, in terms of my career, I want to be 100% focused. In contrast, I have to admit that my private life is a kind of a mess right now.
(Originally Published in Engeki Book Magazine, December 2007)