VOA文化艺术2024--Japanese Theater Shares Cultural Similarities in Britain

A playhouse in London, Britain and a theater from Osaka, Japan, are working together to prove cultural differences between the two countries are only on the surface.

London's Charing¹ Cross Theatre and Osaka's Umeda Arts Theater first worked together on a performance in 2019. After a break caused by the pandemic, they are jointly² staging two plays in London this month. The plays are rooted in Japanese culture and deal with secretive relationships, but the concerns are universal.

Actor Susan Momoko Hingley spoke³ of Japan's export of culture, including films and television series. She told the Reuters news agency, "It's really about getting great stories from all sorts of different cultures to Britain and to the West."

She stars in One Small Step, written by Takuya Kato. It tells the story of a couple working for a company that is colonizing⁴ the moon. The plot becomes more complex with the news the woman is pregnant. It raises concerns audiences almost anywhere can relate to about motherhood, career and inequality between men and women.

All about equality

Kato, who is also the play's director, said, "In terms of equity⁵, I think nowadays many people often say that we are striving for fairness within companies, within societies and between individuals."

"But I think it is something that we understand with our heads but might not necessarily grasp it with our hearts," he added.

The London production, Kato said, gave new life to his play "at the intersection⁶ of two different cultures." He noted⁷ that for Japanese creative industries, the market within Japan may not be enough to support them. Working with companies in other countries helps the theater companies and expands knowledge of the culture.

"If we don't grow the part of coproductions, which we have traditionally struggled with, it would be difficult to survive as both an industry and culture in the future," he said.

Second play to come

Following One Small Step, which runs until October 9, Charing Cross Theatre will host Tattooer⁹ later in the month. The play, by another Japanese writer, Takuya Kaneshima, tells the story of a tattoo⁸ artist.

Words in This Story

stage - v. to produce (a play, performance, etc.) on a stage

audience - n. the people who watch, read, or listen to something

strive - v. to try very hard to do or achieve something

grasp - v. to understand (something that is complicated or difficult)

intersection - n. the place or point where two or more things come together

1 charing   

n.炭化v.把…烧成炭，把…烧焦( char的现在分词 )；烧成炭，烧焦；做杂役女佣

参考例句：

• We married in the chapel of Charing Cross Hospital in London. 我们是在伦敦查令十字医院的小教堂里结的婚。 来自辞典例句
• No additional charge for children under12 charing room with parents. ☆十二岁以下小童与父母同房不另收费。 来自互联网

2 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 colonizing   

v.开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The art of colonizing is no exception to the rule. 殖民的芸术是� 有特例的。 来自互联网
• A Lesson for Other Colonizing Nations. 其它殖民国家学习的教训。 来自互联网

5 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

6 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

9 tattooer   

文身师，黥墨师

参考例句：