Direct Talk

This is director Koike Hiroshi.

For more than 40 years,
he's travelled the world,

creating innovative productions alongside
performers and artists from various regions.

Koike's diverse, dynamic work

integrates acting, dance,
music, and fine arts.

He has received invitations
to perform from across the globe.

His work has been performed in 42 countries.

I love producing performances abroad

because of the possibilities, but I also
want to discover a new side of myself

by working with completely different people.

We asked Koike Hiroshi,

one of Asia's leading stage directors,
to share his thoughts on his work.

Making Cultural Connections on the Stage

Koike is currently working on a production
with collaborators on three continents:

Europe, Asia, and South America.

He's now in Kuala Lumpur,
the capital of Malaysia.

"SOUL of Odyssey"

is based on "The Odyssey,"
the epic poem from ancient Greece.

In his stage adaptation,
Koike aims to depict the idea that humans,

despite numerous hardships
and challenges, must go on living.

The Odyssey is one of the world's
three great epic poems.

Epic poetry expresses everything
about humanity,

as well as the world.

The Odyssey is, after all,
a journey of adventures.

It's a long journey, you know.

It's a little like my own experience—

I've been doing quite
challenging things for a long time—

so there's an overlap with that as well.

Rehearsals will go on for over a month.

Nine performers, including actors
from Japan and Malaysia,

will dedicate over eight hours a day
to practicing, carefully crafting each scene.

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country,

so the team includes
people from various backgrounds.

The performers and staff members
are of Malay and Chinese,

Indian and British descent.

The country's diversity is
why Koike chose it for this production.

This area is right around Little India.

What makes Malaysia so interesting
is that it has welcomed various ethnicities,

more so than other Asian countries,

and the same can be said
of the current production.

People are speaking Cantonese or Mandarin;

it's just diverse.

Such diversity is
fundamentally ingrained here.

The foundation of this country
is its multi-ethnic, multicultural nature,

and I believe that creates
an interesting freshness.

So that's why I thought of
doing The Odyssey in Malaysia first.

It's time for the first rehearsal.

We're moving into the theater today.

Rehearsals will go on for a total of 26 days,

and then we'll enter the theater.

It's going to be challenging
in many ways, you know.

The lead is Lee Swee Keong,
who's of Chinese descent.

Exciting

powerful.

And then there's good opportunity for us
to perform and explore

something unexpected,

because Koike san is very highly demanding.

Lee has known Koike for over 20 years.

At 56 years old, he is still a top-notch dancer
thanks to rigorous training.

A strong physique or body
easily transcends language.

Whether it's traditional dancers
from various countries,

or ballet or even modern dance,

physical strength surpasses boundaries.

These can be national borders,
cultural boundaries, or linguistic boundaries.

Physical strength easily
crosses the boundaries

that are unique to each country
and allows for mutual cooperation.

I have personally witnessed
this on multiple occasions.

Tin Raman is a newcomer to Koike's work.

He eagerly seeks Koike's guidance

because he is not satisfied
with his own performance.

When working with an artist
for the first time, what's important?

The most crucial point is flexibility,

in other words, open mindedness.

If an artist has a flexible mind,

they can easily hit it off with the team,

regardless of their age.

We have to show this potential.

That means our philosophy.
Our philosophy shows to the audience.

The day before the performance,

the final rehearsal is supposed to
take place, with lighting and sets.

However, something unexpected occurs:

a power outage.

But one hour it's impossible.

Two hours, we need two hours, minimum.

Apparently, these kinds of mishaps
are rare in Malaysia.

A staff member says this has never happened
in the 30 years that he's been doing this.

So I'm faced with quite a rare case here.

Our staff are saying maybe the team
doesn't want me to leave.

When we overcome a challenge, we're almost
guaranteed to make a new discovery.

In other words,
we start to see our true selves.

I think we don't just see
the negative aspects,

but also plenty of positive aspects.

This allows us to see the next horizon.

And for that to happen,
challenges are unavoidable.

That evening, a generator finally arrives.

Koike somehow manages to complete
the rehearsal late that night.

As a young child, Koike wanted to
go off in search of adventure.

His life in the theater began
during his first year of university.

In his 30s, he began performing in
Europe, America, and Asia.

Since then, he's staged productions
all around the world.

I had always wanted to see
things I'd never seen before,

go to places I'd never been,
and hear sounds I'd never heard.

That desire persisted for a long time,

and I had always been fascinated by
what lies beyond the sea.

When you're in Japan, you're inevitably
surrounded by similar people,

similar cultures, similar ways of thinking,
and of course, the language is Japanese.

By going outside the country,

I thought I might get the feel
of a new world, of a new sensation.

That's why I love creating
stage productions abroad;

I feel new possibilities.

I work with people
who are completely different,

so the sense of time is different,
and spatial perception is different.

I guess I want to work in such an environment
to discover new aspects of myself.

In 2013, Koike began working on
the ancient Indian epic "Mahabharata,"

the piece that led to his recognition
as one of Asia's leading directors.

Collaborating with artists
from seven Asian countries,

he spent nine years staging performances
in India, Southeast Asia, Japan,

ultimately presenting the work
in 10 countries.

Asia's top artists, individuals
with the highest levels of technique,

and at the same time,
people with diverse backgrounds.

The aim was to create a performance
with a brand-new perspective.

That was Mahabharata.

After seeing images of the performance,

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi
praised it on his own radio program.

Mr. Koike's aim is to demonstrate that

diversity and coexistence are
of the utmost importance in our society.

Finally, in Malaysia, the much-anticipated
performance is about to debut.

Koike considers music and visuals
to be integral to the production,

so he is busy making adjustments
right up to the final moment.

Have a good show! Have a good show!

In one spectacular moment,
people struggle to survive in a raging storm.

Koike created a surreal scene,

using a dynamic set design that evokes
the wind and visuals depicting waves.

What a pity to be so shallow.

Joining the stage is
Noh theater artist, Imai Jinya.

Koike wanted to blend
traditional Japanese performing arts

with the diversity of Malaysia.

I'm sure lots of people were surprised.

During the performance, chanting suddenly
begins as the actor shouts "Yo!"

Something that I always prioritize is rhythm,

and so when it fits rhythmically,

the small Noh drum or the voices
resonate very strongly.

They play an extremely important role.

Through the precise coordination
of mirrors and live footage,

a mysterious world unfolds
that transcends time and space.

It was great that despite doing
something quite experimental,

the laughter never stopped,
from beginning to end.

That was a big surprise for me.

I watched it thinking,
"Wow, this is amazing."

The four-day run ended successfully.

Audience numbers grew,
and the final performance was sold out.

The audience reaction was extremely positive.

It was interesting to see that,

despite the diversity,
people perceived it as good entertainment.

To bring this project to fruition,
Koike spent 44 days in Malaysia.

Five days after leaving Malaysia,
Koike was spotted outside Tokyo Station.

He was conducting a dance workshop,
choreographing the moves of the young dancers.

TOKYO BIENNALE 2023
TOKYO ART FARM

Most young people now tend to be closed off.

I'm very concerned that many of them,

rather than wanting to
take on new challenges,

seem to be more focused on
succeeding within their own borders.

I think that cultivating
a broad view of the world

opens up possibilities for young people.

One option is to go abroad.

Or to try something
they've never done before.

Seek out things they've never seen.

It's hard to think big
if they stay closed off like that.

Possibilities expand
when they try to see a new world.

Finally, we asked Koike to write down
his most important message.

Seek future possibilities.

We must always see the future
as full of possibilities;

otherwise, we wouldn't be able to go on.

So I suggest that everyone think about
how we can open our hearts to the future

while constantly seeking possibilities.