Blog update: “Ran”

Here’s the translation for Maimi’s 5/30 blog update, titled “Ran“:

Hello
It’s Maimi

The final performance of the play “Ran” finished yesterday.

I bid farewell to the Zenshinza theater I went to every day.

After the end of the performance, everyone on the staff and all of my co-stars were tidying up, and while I was looking at the play’s set from a monitor in the hallway,

I started to feel extremely lonely.

This time 2 years ago, being in a play with such a large family, something like being allowed to star in that play, I couldn’t even dream of it.

A novice like me being the lead role… I feel like I was only a bother to those around me.

But still, with the first performance last year and then the revival, I’m happy that I was able to learn and worry about various things amongst everyone who I worked on this play with every day.

Something like a revival, it’s not something I can often experience I think,

and when I first heard of the revival, I was happy, but on the other hand, if I don’t grow myself before the next time…

there was that pressure.

Going to the training room, and when watching all of my co-stars’ acting,

“How will I be able to become like that?
I also want to be become good!!”

I always felt.

Though there’s probably people in this world have have genuine talent from the start,

I am not one of those people, so I have no choice but to study a lot and put in a lot of effort.

I still wasn’t good enough

but the writer/director Hata-san chose me as the star, and I really have a lot of gratitude for that.

At the time of the first showing, I learned that Hata-san had been working on this project within himself for 10 years,

and knowing that he chose me as the star for that work,

I strongly felt, “Though I’m really weak, I gotta crash into it with all my power”

Yesterday, after the final performance Hata-san spoke to me.

This “Ran” was his first work since his honored teacher Tsuka Kouhei-san passed away…

Don’t you think he was watching from Heaven?

It was an honor that I could appear in such an important, important play.

And then, with the revival, there was one more thing I was anxious about.

“I wonder how many people will come to see it?”

is what it was…

In reality, before the play started there weren’t many guests coming for the weekdays.

It was something that everyone had poured their souls into,

so of course I wanted as many people as possible to come see it, and honestly I had some disappointed thoughts.

However, after the first day had finished, the number of people who came to the theater increased before my eyes.

Thanks to that, we were able to almost sell-out the weekday performances, and it continued like that all the way to the final performance.

It was a really happy thing. If it became a play that as many people as possible love, I’m happy.

The revival this time was something I really hoped for, and it’d be nice if someday that day came when I could again stand on stage as Ran…

I love Ran I love the play “Ran”

Lastly,
Hata-san
all of the staff
all of the cast

and then
everyone who came
everyone who cheered for us

really, truly, thank you very much.

P.S.
I’ve attached pictures with my co-stars

(1) A FIGHTING time picture

Nemoto-san who played Itachi was on vacation, so unfortunately she wasn’t there,
but here is Ran’s circle of friends, “Team Akatani”

(2) After yesterday’s performance
“Let’s take a picture together” they called out to me

(3) With the members of my dressing room…
We took this in the lonely dressing room that we had finished tidying up after the final performance

In hopes that someday we can do this together again, I will work hard every day