IMPHAL, Jan 20 ? Prominent theatre director Ratan Thiyam?s Chorus Repertory theatre, one of the premier theatre groups in North East India the firstever Asian Theatre Festival ? 2003. The theatre festival began from January 11 and featured a feast of plays performed by five internationally established theatre groups including the ?Black Tent Theatre? of Japan, ?Veitnam National Theatre? of Vietnam, ?Mebuyan Peace Project? of Philipines, ?Nandikar? of Kolkata and ?Chorus Repertory Theatre? of Manipur. The groups staged their plays at the Shrine, the playhouse of the Chorus.
Taking part in a ?pre-show talk? with mediamen and other theatre activitsts of Manipur at the Shamusang Chorus complex here, the director of the Japan's ?Black Tent Theatre? Mrs Natsuko Kiritani said, ?It was a big surprise for me to hear the news that we're going to Imphal to attend this festival?.
At first, we thought that Imphal was in Myanmar, but through internet we finally confirmed that it is in India,? the 55-year-old director-cum-actress told the gathering, saying that they were impressed when they saw the wonderful theatre activities in this part of the globe.? When asked, Kiritani further said: ?Everyone thought that the Japanese do not have any kind of social discrimination in their society. But it was not so ?adding? still we're quite feudal and there are also strains of this tragedy in our Japanese society?. Her play The Lineage which was a curtain raiser play reflects the 'lineage' between the members of a married family's life in Japanese society wherein social discrimination overule the human life.
?We use our traditional skill for body movement etc, in our play" she said. She however agreed that the Japanese culture after the American invasion in World War-II become a mixed culture. ?But, we are proud of producing our own 'costumes for the artistes. The eight-member Japanese theatre team also visited some of the important historical places including the ?Japanese Peace Park? located at Maiba Lokpa Ching and Indian National Army (ina) memorial complex at Moirang in Bishnupur district. "We were shocked when we saw the Japanese memorial here, we also felt very sad - not only for the Japanese soldier but also for those women who lost their spouses during those days" Kiritani said.