RC-J THEME “HOW TO” …

STAGE #1: UNDERSTANDING THE RC-J “TOP 10” PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS …

①①①① MINI-MUSICAL DRAMA + DANCE + MUSIC + MIME, THE ACT TELLS A STORY

②②②② FULL PROFESSIONAL STAGE + CREW PRO-LIGHTING RIG, PRO-SOUND , SET BATTERNS ETC

③③③③ 4 MINUTES STAGE SET-UP TIME MAXIMUM TIME LIMIT

④④④④ 8 MINUTE ACT DURATION MINIMUM DURATION = 5 MINUTES

⑤⑤⑤⑤ 4 MINUTES SETS REMOVAL TIME MAXIMUM TIME LIMIT

⑥⑥⑥⑥ 100 STUDENTS ON STAGE MAXIMUM = 120 RECOMMENDED MINIMUM = 40

⑦⑦⑦⑦ 20 BACKSTAGE CREW MAXIMUM = 20 INCLUDING STAFF

⑧⑧⑧⑧ 1 STUDENT PRODUCER STUDENT ‘MC’ EXPLAINS CONCEPT TO THE AUDIENCE

⑨⑨⑨⑨ BACKGROUND MUSIC & RECORDED SFX NOT A ‘LIVE’ MUSIC PERFORMANCE + NO ‘LIVE’ SOUNDS

⑩⑩⑩⑩ SOUNDTRACKS (CONTEMPORARY) RECOMMENDED MINIMUM = 3 AND MAXIMUM = 8 + SFX

STAGE #2: CREATE/FIND A “STORY” … RC-J 2008 THEME = JAPANESE FOLKLORE: REMIX or ADAPT

JAPANESE FOLKLORE THEMES …

e.g.: mukashibanashi - tales of long-ago; ongaeshibanashi - stories of repaying kindness; tonchibanashi - witty

stories; waraibanashi - funny stories; yokubaribanashi - stories of greed; namidabanashi - sad stories;

obakebanashi - ghost stories

The story of Kintaro, the superhuman Golden Boy. The story of the vengeful Kiyohime, who became a dragon.

The story of Momotaro, the oni-slaying Peach Boy. Bancho Sarayashiki, the ghost story of Okiku and the Nine Plate

The story of Urashima Taro, who rescued a turtle and visited the bottom of the sea. Yotsuya Kaidan, the ghost story of Oiwa.

The story of Issun-Boshi, the One-inch Boy. Kachi Kachi Yama, story of a villainous raccoon-dog and heroic rabbit.

Bunbuku Chagama, the story of a teakettle which is actually a shape-changing tanuki. Hanasaka Jiisan, the story of the old man that made the flowers bloom

The story of the wicked fox-woman Tamamo no Mae. Shira-kiri Suzume, the story of the tongue-cut sparrow.

Taketori Monogatari, the story of Kaguya Hime, the Princess from the Moon

STAGE #3: RESEARCH THE STORY - “TAKETORI MONOGATARI” (aka “KAGUYA HIME MONOGATARI”)

� RESEARCH BACKGROUND INFORMATION + POPULAR LINKS TO EXPAND CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES, SYMBOLISM, IMAGERY …

Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter) written in the 10th Century is the oldest surviving Japanese work of fiction. It is often

referred to as the "ancestor of all romances." Theories as to the background of the story have never been proven eg. the names of five suitors are

those of members of the Japanese court in the eighth century that the story is directed at etc. Today it is known as a children's story,

Kaguya-hime (Princess Kaguya), and shares similarities with Sailor Moon, Cinderella, Thumbelina, Snow White and even Rocket Girls anime.

PRINCESS FROM THE MOON (1987) 竹取物語竹取物語竹取物語竹取物語 (1987)

TOHO/FUJI TV + TOHO INTERNATIONAL - USA (COLOUR)

LENGTH: 121 MINUTES

DIRECTOR: KON ICHIKAWA

STARRING: TOSHIRO MIFUNE JAPANESE VERSION: ISBN 4-265-03282-6

YASUKO SAWAGUCHI ENGLISH VERSION: ISBN 4-7700-2329-4

� RC-J PERFORMANCE PURPOSE = MORE THAN JUST A ‘DANCE’ = MORE THAN JUST A ‘RE-TELLING’ … IT CARRIES A ‘MESSAGE’ …

The Japanese proverb - 'Ugo no takenoko' - translates as 'bamboo shoots after the rain'. This expression suggests that as in life, many things

happen one-after-another just as bamboo shoots bursting to the surface after the rain. And it is how we react and respond to difficult or seemingly

impossible situations that defines who we are. This becomes the performance ‘challenge’ … to explain in music, drama and dance this ‘message’

to the audience that life is …

MISSION: POSSIBLE

STAGE #4: THE “RE-MIX” CONCEPT … eg. ROMEO & JULIET (ROMANCE/DRAMA/FOLKTALE)

(1968) PERIOD DRAMA (1962) MODERN MUSICAL (1995) PUNK SETTING (1996) MODERN CITY (2005) JAPANESE TWIST

A 21ST CENTURY “KAGUYA HIME” … RESILIENCE/WOMANHOOD

In 2007, Fuji Television released a New Year special episode of its program A

Woman's Biography based on the biography of Chiaki Mukai - Japan’s first

woman astronaut. "She has more energy than anyone I know of." - John Glenn,

astronaut, press conference in 1999.

wwwz.fujitv.co.jp/mukai-chiaki/index2.html

RE-MIX = MODERN RE-TELLING OF A “PRINCESS TO THE MOON” …

10TH C KAGUYA HIME 21ST C CHIAKI MUKAI

STAGE #5: THEME IDEA-MAP … ORIGINAL v RE-MIX

SCENE #1 ORIGINAL STORY – PART 1

The tale of an old bamboo cutter who one day discovers a tiny child in a bamboo

stem. He and his wife adopt her, name her ‘bamboo princess’ and the child grows

into a beautiful woman in a few months. All the villagers come to catch a glimpse

of this beautiful girl …

SCENE #1 REMIX – BAMBOO FOREST & BABY KAGUYA … LOCATION: COUNTRYSIDE MUSIC: MYSTICAL (JAPANESE MELODY)

OPENING SCENE: A LUSH BAMBOO FOREST (3 -D EFFECT + REAR-PROJECTED FOREST IMAGE + FOG MACHINE)

OPENING: THE STAGE IS IN DARKNESS FOR THE FIRST 20 SECONDS OF ACT – MUSICAL OPENING ONLY

MUSIC CUE (2:45): SOUNDTRACK FROM THE MOV IE “MERRY CHR ISTMAS MR LAWRENCE” - RYU ICH I SAKAMOTO

OPENING LIGHT FX: 30+ PENLIGHT FLASHES TO CREATE A FIREFLY EFFECT – THEN LIGHTS FADE UP TO SHOW BAMBOO

GREEN LIGHT FX: STAGE IN LUSH, GREEN LIGHT AS BAMBOO SHOOTS (30 DANCERS HIDDEN ON STAGE) COME ALIVE

MOONSHINE LIGHT FX: GREEN LIGHT EFFECT GRADUALLY CHANGES TO EVENING MOONLIGHT OR MOONSHINE EFFECT

OLD BAMBOO CUTTER: HE ENTERS AS THE DANCE CONCLUDES TO FIND ‘BABY’ AMONGST BAMBOO SHOOTS + REJOICES

BAMBOO STUMP: BAMBOO CUTTER SITS ON STUMP ‘TALKING’ TO KAGUYA – WHO COMES ALIVE (BUNRAKU PUPPET)

SCENE #2 ORIGINAL STORY – PART 2

She attracts many suitors but sets impossible tasks for them to win her hand … even the emperor … The first, ISHIZUKURI, she asked

to go to India and find the great stone bowl of Buddha. The second, KURAMOCHI, was to bring her a branch from the jeweled trees

that grew on the floating mountain of Horai. The third prince, ABE, asked what he might do to show his love. The princess said that he

might bring her a robe made from the skins of the fire rats. She asked the fourth, OTOMO, to bring a jewel from the neck of the sea

dragon, and the fifth prince, ISONOKAMI, was asked to bring her the shell which the swallows keep hidden in their nests.

SCENE #2 REMIX – HOME & TOWN … LOCATION: CITY SCENE MUSIC: BUSY CITY (STRANGER IN A NEW COUNTRY)

FOREST HOUSE: BAMBOO SET CLEARS + THE CUTTER’S HOUSE (INSIDE VIEW + WIFE) APPEARS ( FROM STAGE LEFT). CUTTERS ENTERS

INSIDE OUTSIDE: CUTTER/WIFE CELEBRATE NEW BABY + PLACE HER IN CRIB. HOUSE ‘SPINS’ AROUND. CUTTER/WIFE EXIT FRONT DOOR

NEW MUSIC CUE (3:18): “AN AMERICAN IN PARIS” - GEORGE GERSHWIN TO CREATE ‘MODERN TOWN’ FEELING. NEW SETS MOVE ONTO STAGE

TOWN/STREET SET: ADD TOWN PROPS/SETS (TORII, YATAI, PEOPLE ON BICYCLES, SIGNS ETC ETC) AROUND THE HOUSE SET + DANCE

KAGUYA EXITS HOUSE: KAGUYA IS NOW A GROWN WOMAN. SHE INTERACTS WITH THE DANCE CROWD AND THEN JOINS THE DANCE.

THE FIVE SUITORS: 5 X DANCERS (BUSINESSMEN) INTERACT WITH KAGUYA WITHIN THE DANCE (MUSIC CUE POINTS)

SYMBOLISM/IMAGERY: LFX OF MOON/MOONLIGHT – STAGE DARKENS + TOWN SET REMOVED + FOG MACHINE FX + JAXA/NASA IMAGES

MUSIC SEGUES INTO … SOUNDTRACK FROM THE MOVIE “2001 SPACE ODYSSEY” – RICHARD STRAUSS

SCENE #2B REMIX – KAGUYA & JAXA … LOCATION: LAUNCHPAD MUSIC: SPACE/GRANDEUR

KAGUYA CENTRE STAGE: PINSPOT ON KAGUYA. ALL OTHER CAST EXIT. SET/PROPS REMOVED. FOG MACHINE CREATES ‘SPACE LAUNCH’ FX

MOON DESCENDS PARTIALLY: MOON DISC SUSPENDED BACK-STAGE-RIGHT. REAR SCREEN ILUMNATED WITH SPACE IMAGE (STARS ETC)

ROCKET DESCENDS FULLY: ROCKET IS LOWERED INTO PLACE. SPACESUIT IS BROUGHT TO KAGUYA BY ‘ROCKET GIRLS’. LIGHTING ‘FX SHOW’

ROCKET GIRL DANCE: ACROBATICS/GYMNASTIC ACTIONS (KAGUYA CHANGES INTO SPACE SUIT). MUSIC BUILDS-UP IN POWER..

KAGUYA ENTERS ROCKET: (BUT SHE EXITS OFF-STAGE UNSEEN). ROCKET LIFT-OFF SEQUENCE ON MUSIC CUE. STAGE LIGHTS FADE OUT.

BLAST-OFF SOUND FX: SFX.

SCENE #3 ORIGINAL STORY – PART 3

Finally Kaguya-hime declares that she will return to her home - the moon. The emperor sends thousands of

troops to stop her but she eludes them and leaves only a letter behind. The emperor orders the letter burned

on the highest mountain in the land. Miraculously, the letter continues producing smoke and as a result the

mountain became known as Fuji, "the immortal one".

SCENE #3 REMIX – FUJI & ‘FUSHI’ MYSTICAL ENDING

PROJECTOR IMAGE: EARLIER SPACE IMAGE + MOON DISC ARE REPLACED BY A MT FUJI IMAGE WHICH GRADUALLY DISSOLVES TO BLACK

LARGE KANJI: TWO LARGE KANJI CHARACTERS DESCEND VIA THE FRONT BATTERNS – ILLUMINATED BY A ‘BLACK LIGHT’

END

TWO TRIBES: MAKE SPORT - NOT WAR ! A GAME OF RUGBY STARTS WITH A FIERY SHOW OF STRENGTH AND PRIDE. IT LOOKS

LIKE A WAR IS GOING TO BE FOUGHT ON THE GROUND. BUT AT THE END OF A TOUGH GAME, PLAYERS CAN SHAKE HANDS, SWAP

TEAM-SHIRTS AND CELEBRATE TOGETHER.

HISTORY: 1995 NEW ZEALAND 145 – 17 JAPAN JRFU’s WORST-EVER DEFEAT

JOHN KIRWAN (FORMER NZ ALL BLACKS PLAYER) IS COACH OF JRFU

YOSHIRO MORI (FORMER JAPAN PRIME MINISTER) IS PRESIDENT OF JRFU

NO SONG NAME IN OUT SUBTITLE ARTIST/BAND JASRAC CD CODES / RECORDING COMPANY

1 O FORTUNA 00:00 00:25 CARMINA BURANA CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCH. UCCG-5150 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON

2 KA MATE 00:25 01:20 NEW ZEALAND HAKA NZ ALL BLACKS - LIVE ALL BLACKS – NEW ZEALAND

3 HYOJO NETORI 01:20 02:10 GAGAKU 平安のオーケストラ KICH 2251 KING RECORD

4 DIAMOND 02:10 05:24 “SNATCH” SOUNDTRACK DIAMOND TVT SOUNDTRAX TVT 6950-2

5 O FORTUNA 05:24 07:39 CARMINA BURANA CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCH. UCCG-5150 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON

1 2 3 4 5

TWO TRIBES WAR IMAGE HAKA SUMO HAKA RUGBY EXERCISES SFX ENDING