Though Japan’s Constitution was created for the people, its contents are not always fully understood by them. Oregayo is a one-woman show in which the actress recites excerpts from the document; the textbook “The New Constitution of Japan”, created by the Ministry of Education when the Constitution was enacted; and speeches by Yukio Ozaki, a politician known as the God of Constitutional Government, and Hitoshi Ashida, chairman of the Committee on the Bill for Revision of the Imperial Constitution. The stage is bare save only a metal tree dripping with water. A sole actress moves across it delivering words related to the Constitution.

Writer/director Yuta Hagiwara focuses on works that explore the relationship between the individual body and society. In this piece, he transforms the formal words of the Constitution and related speeches into a more easily digestible style by adding pauses and breath techniques for emphasis. These make a vivid impression on stage thanks to the strong voice and physical performance of the actress.

The title of the show is a clever play on the national anthem “Kimigayo”, substituting kimi, the ancient word for the emperor now used as the second-person “you”, for ore or “I, me”. In the final scene, the actress repeats the articles from the Constitution highlighted earlier while switching the subject from “we the people” to “I”. The Constitution is thus transformed from an impersonal document to the individual “I”. This brings the viewer face to face with all the things large and small that have been guaranteed to the nation’s citizens by the Constitution since its establishment but have been overlooked due to their own indifference and laziness.

2020
Honda Theater

Presented by: The Japan Foundation (JF) (https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/)
In cooperation with EPAD (https://epad.jp)

＜Performance Credits＞
Performer: SHIMIZU Honami (Kamome Machine)
Conceived and Directed by: HAGIWARA Yuta (Kamome Machine)
Stage Manager: ITO Shin (Kamome Machine)
Lighting Design: CHIDA Minoru (CHIDA OFFICE)
Objet: YOKOI Katsunori, YAMASHIRO Hiromi
Producer: SHIMIZU Satomi
Filming: TANGE Koki
Title calligraphy: KOZUMI Rinsui
Assistant Director: CHIBA Rikako

＜Subtitling Credits＞
Multilingual subtitling: Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan through the Japan Arts Council

Chinese Translation (Simplified): Zhenzhen WU
Chinese Translation (Traditional): SWSG
English Translation: Gary PERLMAN
French Translation: Amira ZEGROUR
Spanish Translation: Karla FUJI
Thai Translation: Piyawan Ning SAPSAMROUM

＜Promotional Text＞
ONOUE Sora

＜Company Website＞
https://www.kamomemachine.com/