'The Face of Jizo,' the importance and challenges of telling Japanese stories in English on a stage

An acclaimed Japanese play 'The Face of Jizo' will make its Australian premiere in Sydney this month. It was eight years ago when a Sydney-based actor Mayu Iwasaki approached a fellow Japanese actor Shingo Usami about putting the Japanese two-hander on stage in Sydney.

Sydney-based Japanese actors, Mayu Iwasaki (left) and Shingo Usami. They will appear on the stage of 'The Face of Jizo' written by Hisashi Inoue. Credit: Jasmin Simmons

(From left) Mayu Iwasaki, Mia Kanzaki, Shingo Usami at a rehearsal space in Sydney. Credit: SBS

The setting of the play 'The Face of Jizo' is Hiroshima, Japan, three years after the atomic bomb was dropped on the sixth of August in 1945.

Ms Iwasaki plays the role of Mitsue, a young woman who survived the bomb. Mitsue has a feeling of guilt as a survivor. One day, Mitsue came home from work and found her diseased father Takezo, played by Mr Usami, there as a ghost.

In the audio, Ms Iwasaki, Mr Usami, and Ms Mia Kanzaki talked about the play and shared their thoughts with us. Ms Kanzaki is the stage manager for the play and has a Japanese father.

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