Category: Elica’s Zen Acting

Don’t you find it hard to find information in English, on what to watch in theatre, except traditional performing arts such as Kabuki and Noh? I do. And I have been wondering if I could be of a little help in that area through my English blog. Well, there are many things going on, in variety of styles and forms, in Japan. Some may love ANIME, some traditional Japanese, some 2.5 dimension, musicals, operas, ballets. and straight plays. I cannot cover all nor you’d not want to read in one page. So, I will pick up something different, something you could only experience in Tokyo. My country gradually opens and […]

Hi from Elica!How are you doing in this world filled with so many problems? First, take a soothing breath in by enjoying my little rose garden. Now I have a question for you. What is acting? Many times I noticed that good directors tend to say “Stop acting!” or “Don’t act!”  What does this mean? In Japanese language, “acting” has the same interpretation of faking things, faking their behaviour, or faking the feeling. Isn’t it interesting?Both in English and in Japanese, “acting” has the meaning of faking attitude. But we actors, directors, and the theatrists hate to fake! It’s OK to use the word “acting”, but sometimes we feel the […]

For my international friends: Acting skills of actors are not only for theatre practitioners, but also (and more so) for our general daily interactive communication. 【Live Interaction】Looking into the mind’s eye.

How do you get the audience’s WOW! ? Yes, you need a good story.Yes, you need a good script.Yes, you need good actors. But there is more important thing. Even when you have a great story, great script, if the actor or the speaker do not understad the secret of moving audience’s emotion, there would be no result. What is the secret?In Zen, it is to wait. Wait just a slight breath of time, the suspension does a trick.So, don’t rush. Don’t go for the result quickly.Wait.Just a moment of breath. Well, the timing is the most difficult one, though.So practice! {Zen Acting}A moment of breath.

Last week, I held, for the first time, the IMPRO workshop, using Keith Johnstone’s Great book “impro”. I met this book in 1989 in London while I was writing my MA thesis. I was so impressed by the content and always wanted to introduce them to Japanese people. Luckily my publisher liked this book so much and let me translate the book and safely published in 2012. I could have started impro workshop since then, but that time was when I started to build my reputation as a Shakespearean director and actor, and I rather focused on that theme. But during this coronavirus time goes on, I have more time […]

It has been an energetic September. I met many people online internationally.  It was almost impossible before, and I am very glad, even though the situation prevents me from actively working on stage as a theatrist. I met a group of international people who are interested in and in need of developing artistic impression levels of Japanese performing artists. I attended the International Theatre Institute Asia-Pasific Regional Meeting, and met lovely theatrists from many countries I have never been. These new contacts, I feel, are the beginning of my new phase. Today’s Zen Keep working, keep helping, keep inspiring and being inspired.