Rehearsal for the stage play "Tecchan's Photo Studio" open to the media

On June 21st, a rehearsal open to the media was held for the play "Tetchan's Photo Studio."
We held a roundtable interview with the producers and cast members.

<Comments from performers and related parties>

■Direction and script by Ichiro Anabuki
Not only were all the members different from the last time we performed this piece except for me, but it was also my first time participating with a company, so I was a little nervous. We worked hard to combine the best parts of each other and create an even more powerful piece.
I believe that a stage production grows through its audience, and I am excited to see how this production will grow in the future.

■Assistant Director: Otori Keiya
I have been involved with this production since the beginning, and I hope it will be a work that will resonate with many people and be highly acclaimed. At the final performance, I will do my best to move not only your seats but also your hearts, so please come and see this heartwarming comedy woven together by human connections.

■ Producer: Masaaki Uchida (CEO of TOP CONNECT Co., Ltd.)
The theme of this work is "filial piety." Filial piety is also a theme in my own life. I have always wanted to leave my feelings about this theme in a tangible form. I am very happy that I was able to convey this intention through live acting on stage.
Producing this production made me realize once again that I want to continue supporting stage productions that have themes of family love and filial piety.

■ Producer Taizo Sayama
For this theme of "family love," I chose "Tecchan's Photo Studio," a work by Anabuki-san that I had seen performed in the past and that had made a lasting impression on me. I think that it is difficult to convey the content of a stage play, unlike a video work.
However, I think this work is easy to understand for anyone who watches it, and it will resonate with you. I am glad that I chose this work.

■Kameyoshi
I feel like people are expressing gratitude to their families less and less these days. I hope that this play, which conveys the bond between parent and child and many other forms of family love, will convey the importance of expressing gratitude. I would be happy if everyone feels even a little warmer after watching the play.

■ Anna Sato
This play features many unique characters, including the shopping district members. I hope you will find someone you like or a character that suits you. Please come and see the play!!

■Yamakawa Rio
I hope that after watching the play, everyone will look each other in the eye and chuckle, and be enveloped in a warm feeling. I want them to feel the many forms of love that exist between the people of the shopping district who visit the cafe, and between us, a family of three.

What are the highlights of the work?

■Ichiro Anabuki
The family love is a highlight, but the biggest selling point is the continuous slapstick comedy of misunderstandings.

■Emi Otori
The color changes suddenly between the first and second halves. I think that's what really draws you in. I want you to feel the difference in color for yourself.

What were the difficulties you faced in creating the play?

■Kameyoshi
As I am single myself, I struggled to think of how to show love to my child. I am still trying to figure out how to make people laugh like Anabuki-san!

■ Anna Sato
When thinking about life and death, I tried not to take on too much responsibility and thought a lot about what it would be like if I were Rumi.

■Yamakawa Rio
I had never experienced a life-or-death situation before, so it was difficult to get into the right mindset, and it was also hard to deal with the difference in how love was shown.

<Feelings after rehearsals and enthusiasm for the performance>

■Ichiro Anabuki
Our next challenge is to create an atmosphere that makes audiences who are meeting us for the first time feel relaxed and laugh. I hope that this will be a performance in which each and every actor can discover something new. We will all do our best.

■Emi Otori
When I performed the whole thing and looked at it from a bird's-eye view, I felt it was similar to a concert. During the performance, several people came out one after the other and danced ballet. This excitement builds up, and after it piles up and becomes a mountain, it becomes quiet, and I felt a harmony like music. If we can improve it so that we can play this kind of harmony, I think it will become a great, heartwarming comedy.

■ Project Overview
The second stage production by Masaaki Uchida, the master of connections. Continuing on from his previous work, this project is a Reiwa-era version of the Tokyo AZARASHI troupe's popular play "Tecchan's Photo Studio," based on Uchida's belief in "filial piety." The production is directed and written by Ichiro Anabuki, a theater scientist known for his work on popular dramas such as Nippon Television's "Oyakodaka Seishun Hakusho" and TBS's "Dr. DMAT," as well as the historical drama "Gunshi Kanbei." Anabuki, who is also active as an actor, and Kamekichi, who has attracted attention for his work in the drama "Metropolitan Police Department Outsider," will each play the lead role of Tetsuya. His wife and daughter, Teruko's "Tecchan," Misako, will be played by Megumi Otori, who won the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo Theater City Theater Festival and has starred in numerous stage productions. Sato Anna and Yamakawa Rio will play the heroine's daughter, Rumi.

Interviewers: Hinata Amie, second-year student at Sophia University / Waka Watanabe, first-year student at International Christian University