I'll be joining John McGrath in Tokyo at the end of the month so I thought I’d share some of the process that is going on at the moment

As the writer of the play, it's been weird not being in the room for the start of rehearsals (I would normally be there for the first week, leave them alone for a bit and then rejoin later on – a bit more awkward when the play is in Tokyo).

But, of course, I’ve been in touch with John since he arrived to answer general and specific questions that arise. Some are to do with the translation, some about the staging and some from the actors themselves concerning the text.

I thought it might be interesting, rather than describe the director/writer process, to publish a flavour of it directly from emails pinged back and forth between myself and John (I'm sure John won't mind me sharing this with you). Below is a typical get a set of questions, followed by my answers. They will be a bit odd out of context but show the type of queries that arise from rehearsals:

p.52 Ken 'You haven't given them all of your research'.  How does Ken know this? (As it seems clear he hasn't been told by the company about Iffy's research at all.)  Is he realising it now?  Or is it a question?

Slightly tricky this one but:

As Ken is introduced there is this exchange between Iffy and Grant – 

GRANT: Busy, busy, busy, that’s me. (TO IFFY) That research/ ?

IFFY: When I get a chance.

Ken picks up on this but doesn’t say anything.

So, when Ken says “You haven’t given them all of your research” it’s a moment of revelation for Ken. But it’s understated – as a statement to himself more than anything.

p.56 Ken 'Hail the new discovery'.  is this sarcastic or is Ken trying to get closer to Iffy?

Here, Ken is slightly mocking Iffy, in a playful way. 

She has sounded rather pompous by saying: “I should be meeting the board, shaking hands with investors, helping with the patent, having my picture taken.”

He says “Hail the new discovery” in a kind way and she picks up on this gentle mocking. She takes part in it – “Shout it from the rooftops.”

He continues it with “The next Marie Curie.”

But, again, she shows her serious side with “Someone has to be”.

p.65 Jenny - 'That's more like it.'   Does this mean that she feels Iffy has revealed her true self in her rant - i.e. her ambition rather than her wish to help woman kind?

Yes, that’s right. Jenny, feeling superior, thinks she sees the real Iffy. The later line “I think you’re terrified of failure” relates to this.

p.67 Ken - ' Does this mean we're in love?' Is this as naive as it sounds?  Is Ken really hoping it's true?

Again, this is Ken being playful (or as playful as Ken can get). It’s a joke from Ken but also comes from a place of hope. It’s a very light line – but also a sad one, I think.

p.68  Ken - 'We think the same way, me and you, yes.' Does he mean that they actually are thinking the same things but expressing them differently. or that they are similar personalities, even though they believe different things?  Or is he being sarcastic?

B – (they are similar personalities, even though they believe different things) Ken thinks that, essentially, there is something between them, whether that is a shared sense of humour or a way of going about things. He, too, is someone that likes to keep his cards close to his chest.

I think Kaku has done a terrific job at translating the play – thus heading off many more queries and questions that I would have had to field.

I can't wait to get out there to meet the actors again (I went out last June to help with casting, see the venue etc). The most intriguing thing for me is to see the play in action post-translation, to see the characters after they have been 'filtered' through another language.

It’ll be tricky to judge how successful this has been – until it’s put before an audience…

While I'm in Tokyo it'll also be good to meet with other artists to learn about their process, especially with regard new writing. I’ll blog about that experience from Tokyo.

I'm in countdown mode at the moment, doing too much internet research into how best to get from the airport to my accommodation (I must have Googled this one a dozen times), where the nearest 100 yen shop is, can I buy a dongle in Japan etc.

I'm not a prolific blogger but I hope you'll find my experience as writer of the play interesting and I'll try to keep you updated.

AHx