{"id":9826,"date":"2021-09-08T14:09:07","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T05:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/?p=9826"},"modified":"2021-09-08T14:10:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T05:10:39","slug":"students-prepare-for-upcoming-shakespeare-reading-performance-project-with-twelfth-night-or-what-you-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/news-en\/2021\/09\/08\/9826\/","title":{"rendered":"Students prepare for upcoming Shakespeare reading performance project with \u201cTwelfth Night, or What You Will\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To commemorate the 400<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> year anniversary of Shakespeare\u2019s death, students at Waseda have been participating in annual reading performances of the playwriter&#8217;s work starting back in 2016. Though the Covid-19 pandemic unfortunately led to the cancellation of last year\u2019s performance, students are currently hard at work, preparing for the project\u2019s return this September with Shakespeare\u2019s comedic masterpiece: <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Twelfth Night, or What You Will. <\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For this year\u2019s performance, distinguished guest and stage director, Nobuhiro Nishikawa, will come to spectate. Nishikawa will represent Bungakuza, one of Japan\u2019s \u201cBig Three\u201d theatre companies.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2085\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<div id=\"attachment_2085\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2085\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/photo1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"405\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ready for practice at Waseda\u2019s Student Center (face masks removed only for photo taking)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As a runup to the long-awaited performance,<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">we interviewed two students involved with this year\u2019s project:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;335551550&quot;:2,&quot;335551620&quot;:2}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"none\">Ayana Tsukahara (pictured above, left) is a 4th year undergraduate student of Waseda\u2019s School of Law. She is joining this year\u2019s project as a support staff member.\u00a0 <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Seiji Oshio\u00a0(pictured above, right) is a 1st year graduate student of Waseda\u2019s <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Graduate School of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He will play as a cast member for this year&#8217;s performance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Why did you apply for this year\u2019s project?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Seiji: I\u2019m currently attending a seminar class by professor Hiromi Fuyuki, who\u2019s overseeing this year\u2019s project. Not only did my graduation thesis for my undergraduate degree touch on Shakespeare, but I\u2019m also a big fan so I wanted to participate. I was part of the drama club in junior high school and belonged to a theatre training school after graduating from Waseda. Actually, I chose to do my Master\u2019s program here as well to study theatre further. You could say that theatre was what led me to Waseda.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559685&quot;:630,&quot;335559991&quot;:630,&quot;335559992&quot;:300}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Ayana: I applied because I was captivated by the project\u2019s concept: \u201cExperience professional theatre production; put together a stage performance in two weeks.\u201d I haven\u2019t joined any of the acting student circles at Waseda, but I have been wanting to try performing during my time at university. I thought this project would be nice to participate in as it\u2019s a short-term project where you fully focus on the task at hand. I Though I\u2019v<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">e had previous experience with acting, I wanted to experience putting a stage performance together from scratch, so I made the decision to join as a supporting staff member instead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail aligncenter\" style=\"border: none; padding: 0px; text-align: center;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/4a88d1badc2921af96e32a19033ced28-360x270.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/4a88d1badc2921af96e32a19033ced28-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/4a88d1badc2921af96e32a19033ced28-720x540.jpg 720w\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How have preparations been going during th<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">e current Covid-19 situation?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Ayana: The most difficult part is needing to adapt and\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">modify how we prepare for the project in this Covid-19 era. The days we can get together and practice are limited, so we tried some new methods like holding study sessions online. Professor Fuyuki held lectures on the historical background and concept of <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Twelfth Night, or What You Will<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and any doubts or uncertainty we had towards the text disappeared one by one. Even outside of class, we had opportunities to personally talk about the material, and that was really important. Though Covid-19 has somewhat made practice difficult, we must push on get ourselves ready for the performance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559685&quot;:630,&quot;335559991&quot;:630,&quot;335559992&quot;:300}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Seiji: We\u2019ve been using a very spacious practice room in the basement of the Student Center. I think we\u2019re really lucky to have this kind of facility space where we can safely practice during these times. Even in the large room, we follow Covid-19 precautions strictly, such as wearing a mask at all times and thorough sanitization. However, practicing with masks means you can\u2019t see your partner\u2019s facial expressions, and that\u2019s the biggest challenge. Also, our chances to meet in-person to practice are limited. It takes time to build mutual trust with other members, and this situation feels like we are working under atypical circumstances. Besides practice, we\u2019re hoping to dedicate time to interpreting the text material and have discussions about the story of <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Twelfth Nig<\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ht, or What You Will<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"gallery-1\" class=\"gallery galleryid-0 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/0f5db7a440d1254b07dcdd8b0b9c9e2e-360x270.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/0f5db7a440d1254b07dcdd8b0b9c9e2e-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/0f5db7a440d1254b07dcdd8b0b9c9e2e-720x540.jpg 720w\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What have you been focusing on as the performance day draws closer?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Ayana: Performing with no audience and uploading the recording is a first for this project. We\u2019re thinking about ways that we can have those who watch the performance video online feel as if they are actually there as part of an audience, and feel our actors\u2019 passion. As a staff member, I hope to support the actors on their way to a flawless performance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559685&quot;:630,&quot;335559991&quot;:630,&quot;335559992&quot;:300}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Seiji: The timeline for this project is short but intense, and it\u2019s different than participating in a club activity with your friends. Though the communication aspect can be difficult, putting all your energy into this intense, short amount of time means you really form deep relationships with the other members. I feel like I\u2019m using my energy towards person-to-person communication, which is an activity that we don\u2019t do as much in these Covid-19 times. I can really see the steady growth in our communication and acting skills as we\u2019ve been practicing.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/62f80073ad86df66cd771dfc2b69568c-360x270.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/62f80073ad86df66cd771dfc2b69568c-360x270.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/62f80073ad86df66cd771dfc2b69568c-720x540.jpg 720w\" alt=\"\" width=\"360\" height=\"270\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Do you have a message for your viewers?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Seiji: <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Twelfth Night, or What You Will <\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">is my favorite Shakespeare play. There are so many moments where you think \u201cWhat!? There\u2019s no way that would happen in real life!\u201d The worldview in the play is interesting, and you find yourself questioning how such a fantastic story could exist. It\u2019s a comedy that you can enjoy, especially in these Covid-19 times. I really hope that we can take our viewers on a journey into the dreamy world of the play, and have them glad they came along.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559685&quot;:630,&quot;335559991&quot;:630,&quot;335559992&quot;:300}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Ayana: Our practices had many bouts of uncontrollable laughter, and we believe that this feeling will be conveyed even when viewed online. It is a reading performance, but there are also many musical compositions throughout. I think it will be a surprising performance, in a good way. It\u2019s an enjoyable performance even if you haven\u2019t read <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Twelfth Night, or What You Will<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> or don\u2019t know anything about the plot. I invite all to watch and experience Shakespeare with a lot of laughter!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6,&quot;335559685&quot;:630,&quot;335559991&quot;:630,&quot;335559992&quot;:300}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2082\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<div id=\"attachment_2082\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2082 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/08\/photo2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smiles all around! (Face masks were removed only for photo taking.)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Waseda\u2019s 5th Annual Shakespeare Reading Performance: <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Twelfth Night, or What You Will<\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i> <span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The performance will be available to view as a time-limited YouTube video. If you would like to watch this year\u2019s performance, please apply using <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/7YFV9zmvG5uY9w8SA\">this link<\/a>. You will be sent the video link on September 21, after 12:00 JST.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The performance video will be available until Wednesday, October 20, 2021.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Note: The performance will be held in Japanese. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:6,&quot;335551620&quot;:6}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2154 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/flas\/gjs\/assets\/uploads\/2021\/09\/20210916flyer_front-610x863.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"578\" height=\"818\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To commemorate the 400th year anniversary of Shakespeare\u2019s death, students at Waseda have been participating i [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[83,97,95],"class_list":["post-9826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","tag-events-en","tag-en-gj","tag-topics-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9826","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9826"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9838,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9826\/revisions\/9838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/sgu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}