RC-J THEME “HOW TO” …

RC-J THEME “HOW TO” …
STAGE #1:
UNDERSTANDING THE RC-J “TOP 10” PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS …
① MINI-MUSICAL
DRAMA + DANCE + MUSIC + MIME, THE ACT TELLS A STORY
② FULL PROFESSIONAL STAGE + CREW
PRO-LIGHTING RIG, PRO-SOUND , SET BATTERNS ETC
③ 4 MINUTES STAGE SET-UP TIME
MAXIMUM TIME LIMIT
④ 8 MINUTE ACT DURATION
MINIMUM DURATION = 5 MINUTES
⑤ 4 MINUTES SETS REMOVAL TIME
MAXIMUM TIME LIMIT
⑥ 100 STUDENTS ON STAGE
MAXIMUM = 120
RECOMMENDED MINIMUM = 40
⑦ 20 BACKSTAGE CREW
MAXIMUM = 20
INCLUDING STAFF
⑧ 1 STUDENT PRODUCER
STUDENT ‘MC’ EXPLAINS CONCEPT TO THE AUDIENCE
⑨ BACKGROUND MUSIC & RECORDED SFX
NOT A ‘LIVE’ MUSIC PERFORMANCE + NO ‘LIVE’ SOUNDS
⑩ 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 (1987)
TOHO/FUJI TV + TOHO INTERNATIONAL - USA (COLOUR)
LENGTH:
121 MINUTES
DIRECTOR:
KON ICHIKAWA
STARRING:
TOSHIRO MIFUNE
YASUKO SAWAGUCHI
JAPANESE VERSION: ISBN 4-265-03282-6
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:
OPENING:
A LUS H B AM BO O F O RE S T (3 - D E F FE C T + RE A R- P RO J E CT E D FO RE S T I MAG E + FO G MA CH I NE )
THE STAGE IS IN DARKNESS FOR THE FIRST 20 SECONDS OF ACT – MUSICAL OPENING ONLY
MUSIC CUE (2:45):
OPENING LIGHT FX:
GREEN LIGHT FX:
S O U N D T R A C K F R O M T H E M O V I E “ M E R RY C H R I S T M A S M R L AW R E N C E ” - RY U I C H I S A K A M O T O
30+ PENLIGHT FLASHES TO CREATE A FIREFLY EFFECT – THEN LIGHTS FADE UP TO SHOW BAMBOO
STAGE IN LUSH, GREEN LIGHT AS BAMBOO SHOOTS (30 DANCERS HIDDEN ON STAGE) COME ALIVE
MOONSHINE LIGHT FX:
OLD BAMBOO CUTTER:
GREEN LIGHT EFFECT GRADUALLY CHANGES TO EVENING MOONLIGHT OR MOONSHINE EFFECT
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):
TOWN/STREET SET:
KAGUYA EXITS HOUSE:
THE FIVE SUITORS:
SYMBOLISM/IMAGERY:
“AN AMERICAN IN PARIS” - GEORGE GERSHWIN TO CREATE ‘MODERN TOWN’ FEELING. NEW SETS MOVE ONTO STAGE
ADD TOWN PROPS/SETS (TORII, YATAI, PEOPLE ON BICYCLES, SIGNS ETC ETC) AROUND THE HOUSE SET + DANCE
KAGUYA IS NOW A GROWN WOMAN. SHE INTERACTS WITH THE DANCE CROWD AND THEN JOINS THE DANCE.
5 X DANCERS (BUSINESSMEN) INTERACT WITH KAGUYA WITHIN THE DANCE (MUSIC CUE POINTS)
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:
MOON DESCENDS PARTIALLY:
ROCKET DESCENDS FULLY:
PINSPOT ON KAGUYA. ALL OTHER CAST EXIT. SET/PROPS REMOVED. FOG MACHINE CREATES ‘SPACE LAUNCH’ FX
MOON DISC SUSPENDED BACK-STAGE-RIGHT. REAR SCREEN ILUMNATED WITH SPACE IMAGE (STARS ETC)
ROCKET IS LOWERED INTO PLACE. SPACESUIT IS BROUGHT TO KAGUYA BY ‘ROCKET GIRLS’. LIGHTING ‘FX SHOW’
ROCKET GIRL DANCE:
KAGUYA ENTERS ROCKET:
ACROBATICS/GYMNASTIC ACTIONS (KAGUYA CHANGES INTO SPACE SUIT). MUSIC BUILDS-UP IN POWER..
(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
IN
OUT
1 O FORTUNA
00:00
00:25
CARMINA BURANA
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCH.
UCCG-5150 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
2 KA MATE
3 HYOJO NETORI
00:25
01:20
NEW ZEALAND HAKA
NZ ALL BLACKS - LIVE
ALL BLACKS – NEW ZEALAND
01:20
02:10
GAGAKU
平安のオーケストラ
KICH 2251 KING RECORD
4 DIAMOND
5 O FORTUNA
02:10
05:24
“SNATCH” SOUNDTRACK
DIAMOND
TVT SOUNDTRAX TVT 6950-2
05:24
07:39
CARMINA BURANA
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCH.
UCCG-5150 DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
NO
SONG NAME
1
TWO TRIBES WAR IMAGE
SUBTITLE
2
HAKA
ARTIST/BAND
3
SUMO HAKA
JASRAC CD CODES / RECORDING COMPANY
4
RUGBY EXERCISES
5
SFX ENDING