Shunmeiza - Studio
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Shunmeiza Director
The president has told us all about you.
Shunmeiza Director
You have come to us because you wish to hone your craft as actors and stage performers, yes?
Shunmeiza Director
We all wish to achieve the same.
We are very much looking forward to working with you.
We are very much looking forward to working with you.
Shunmeiza Members
Thank you for joining us!
Tsukasa
(Nene was right. They do have a more refined feel to them. They all look so disciplined...)
Tsukasa
(I wonder if this comes from acting as if someone is always watching them. I should start thinking the same way.)
Shunmeiza Director
Now, please allow me to jump right in by explaining what we'll be practicing starting today.
Shunmeiza Director
You will all start rehearsing with us for our next play.
Rui
You mean you want us to appear in it? But we're not official members. Are you sure that you want to include us?
Shunmeiza Director
I am. I was originally going to have you all analyze a few plays and study a few scenes...
Shunmeiza Director
However, since we just happened to be due to start work on our next play from today, and you already have a good deal of experience, I thought that it'd be better to have you all learn by doing.
Tsukasa
(This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
I need to learn as much as I possibly can about what it means to perform in this troupe!)
I need to learn as much as I possibly can about what it means to perform in this troupe!)
Shunmeiza Director
Now, I'll hand out the scripts.
Please check to see if there are any typos or missing pages.
Please check to see if there are any typos or missing pages.
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Tsukasa
(Shunmeiza plays tend to be modern and emphasize realism. Many depict the daily lives of their characters.)
Tsukasa
(We didn't do many productions like that at the Wonder Stage, so this should be a good learning experience for us.)
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Rui
The protagonist is a failing novelist who is struggling to make any sort of living. Tired of such a life, he has made the decision to take his own life by throwing himself off a building.
Rui
However, as he searched for a suitable spot, he reconsiders his decision after speaking with a number of people along the way...
Rui
The plot is fairly simple, but the story is a very heartwarming one because of how it explores the human mind.
Tsukasa
(A story that depicts the human experience, without much melodrama... We've never done anything like this before.)
Tsukasa
(So, regardless of what role I'm given, I must do my best to adapt and try my hand at a new style of acting...!)
Shunmeiza Director
Now then, let's start talking about roles.
Shunmeiza Director
The protagonist, Ichiro Kishi, will be played by Naoki Yata.
Shunmeiza Member A
Thank you!
Tsukasa
(I would've been more than happy to audition for the role, but it can't be helped...)
Tsukasa
(That being said, I'd like to play a character that's intimately involved in the story...)
Shunmeiza Director
Next, Kishi's mother will be played by...
Shunmeiza Director
Next...
Shunmeiza Director
Kishi's editor, Munetsugu Hino, will be played by Reki Bakuno.
Rui
Yes, but I didn't know he was a member of this troupe. I've seen quite a few of the productions he's been in.
Shunmeiza Director
Bakuno...?
Where are you?
Where are you?
Shunmeiza Member B
Mr. Kato, I just received word that he's going to be a little late.
Shunmeiza Director
I see... I'll be sure to talk to him about that later. Would you mind taking his place for now?
Shunmeiza Member B
Happily!
Tsukasa
Is he busy with a prior engagement?
I was very much looking forward to seeing him perform...
I was very much looking forward to seeing him perform...
Shunmeiza Director
Next...
The clerk at the used bookstore will be played by Rui Kamishiro.
The clerk at the used bookstore will be played by Rui Kamishiro.
Shunmeiza Director
Yuriko, the Cafe Printemps waitress, will be played by Nene Kusanagi.
Shunmeiza Director
Chiyo, the Cafe Printemps regular, will be played by Emu Otori.
Shunmeiza Director
Lastly...
Shunmeiza Director
Hino's coworker and fellow editor, Nakayama, will be played by Tsukasa Tenma.
Tsukasa
(Nakayama, eh...?
I flipped through the script rather quickly, but I didn't see his name anywhere.)
I flipped through the script rather quickly, but I didn't see his name anywhere.)
Tsukasa
(But I'm still going to do my absolute best! So, let's check through the script again!)
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Tsukasa
(It's normal for a minor character like this to have only a few lines... Still...)
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Tsukasa
(I learned how to play my characters by dissecting their lines and finding anything that I had in common with them.)
Shunmeiza Director
Alright, I'll give you all some time to read through the script. Once you've done that, please start considering how to play your respective roles. You have...thirty minutes.
Shunmeiza Director
Starting now.
Tsukasa
(I don't have time to worry.
All I can do now is figure something out by familiarizing myself with the story...!)
All I can do now is figure something out by familiarizing myself with the story...!)
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Thirty minutes later
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Tsukasa
(I still don't know what Nakayama is actually like. All I learned is how he's the editor for a literary magazine and is good friends with his coworker Hino... Not much more than that.)
Tsukasa
(I need more information.
How am I supposed to even imagine this character, let alone grasp his personality and emotional state...?)
How am I supposed to even imagine this character, let alone grasp his personality and emotional state...?)
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Next Chapter: Reki Bakuno