Curtain Up for Japanese Play

Weald of Kent Grammar School in Tonbridge experienced a taste of the Land of the Rising Sun last week when year 7 students put on a production of a Japanese folk tale.

The play was the brainchild of Abigail Harris, 17, a student of Japanese in her final year at the school. As part of her Extended Project Qualification, and on top of her A levels, Abigail planned the production from start to finish. She researched Japanese theatre, auditioned, choreographed and rehearsed her cast and finally directed a production of ‘Momotaro’ for over a hundred parents and pupils.

Explaining why she chose the subject for her Extended Project, Abigail said, “I have taken part in lots of plays, including ‘Momotaro’, before, but I wanted to explore how to direct. At university I hope to study Japanese and Drama, so this seemed a good combination of my interests. The experience was more challenging than I anticipated but it was very rewarding to work with the year 7s and see them develop their skills.”

‘Momotaro’ or, the peach boy, tells the tale of an old couple who discover a giant peach floating in the river near their house. They are about to slice it open, when a little boy jumps out. The childless couple decide he is a gift from the gods, and decide to raise him as their own.

Years pass, and Momotaro grows up big and strong. One day, his village is attacked by monsters, who steal a young child. Momotaro knows he must go to Oni Island (Monster Island) and fight them. On the way there, Momotaro is joined by a dog, a monkey and a bird, who promise to help him in exchange for a rice ball.

Once at Oni Island, Momotaro and the animals defeat the monsters, who apologise and return everything they stole, including the child.

Momotaro and his friends return home, where the villagers celebrate and the chief offers his daughter’s hand in marriage.

This age-old tale was delivered entirely in Japanese with an English translation: no mean feat for a class who had been learning the language for just one term. The play also featured other elements of Japanese culture, as the class were dressed in kimonos and performed a fan dance to traditional music.

Connie Dobson, who played Momotaro, said that the experience was “really, really fun” and had boosted her confidence in speaking the language. Vanessa Languillier, who played the monkey, added that learning the lines had sometimes been difficult, but that she would love to do a similar production on a larger scale in the future.

Abigail decided to run a raffle at the performance which raised £125.42 in aid of Hospice in the Weald, a charity close to the school’s heart.

Mary Murayama, teacher of Japanese at the school said that the play showed the “Weald spirit” of the students to get involved and tackle new challenges.

Photography by Jack Grand