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Team Crescent Incorporated
The member of Team Crescent are actors ,artists and authors who wish to create and perform socially meaningful stage drama .
Their main theme are such things as prevention of war or international hatred and eventual realization of world peace.
As their stage activities are not based on commercialism, they will play in any rural area where people seldom have chance to see live performance of stage drama. Contribution to the human society through their stage performance is the basic philosophy of Team Crescent |
About the Drama: 『Sweet Vagabond: The Musical』
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Story:
In the year around 1940, the hero Shigeru has repeatedly tried to escape from the orphanage and is caught by the detective Toyama as he has tried to steal a piece of bread from a bakery. Toyama is, however, a very kind person and gives Shigeru a very sweet pan cake. As he has been so hungry at the moment, these sweet tastes so good and becomes unforgettable for the rest of his life.
He is eventually sent to the reformatory for the boys and meets a very strict instructor Hibino who often punishes him very hard. But at the same place, he meets a very graceful teacher Ms.Tominaga. Among others, she teaches him a song "Sweets and Girls". Singing this song is an only hope at the time of the Pacific War ….
One day, an old woman visits the institution and adopts him as her legal son. At the moment of departure, Ms.Tominaga says to him, " If the world today lacks something sweet be a sweet treat yourself. Inspire and console others. Help others enjoy their lives…like a treat." ….
Living with the old woman, he finds the purpose of the adoption is nothing but to use him as a labor and make money for her. Eventually he gets away from her house ….
A few more months and days passing, the War finally ends with Japan’s total defeat. And the shortage of food and necessities attack all Japanese, especially those war orphans. Shigeru meets Kiyohiko, a war orphan, at the underground road of the Ueno Station. Shocked by Kiyohiko’s sad, dark and very perverted view , he tries to help him survive regarding him as if his younger brother.
A few days later, at a park, Shigeru meets Hibino who was a strict war agitator during the time of war, makes speech for peace and democracy without any mental dilemma. Seeing these rootless guys, he decides he himself must definitely become a man who is able to distinguish between truth and falsehood by his own belief and view ….
As for Kiyohiko, he is eventually adopted by a rich doctor and looks like is living a happy life.
But, all of sudden, he gets out of the family, shouting “Orphans by war must not become a good adult. If so, those who started war would repeat war again and again with no regret !!” ….
Thus, reaching adulthood, Shigeru discovers the true taste of sweet appears only in the kindness and warm heartedness to the other people.
Sweet is the symbol of “peace” and by the taste of sweet you can distinguish “truth” and “falsehood”. |
Poem by Shigeru Nishimura
He was here, as were the mountains
He was here, as were the rivers
He was here, as were the woods
But now, he is not here anymore
He is in the hearts of those who care
He is in the tears of those who remember
That's why we need to live
And remember him through our tears
We must live, live, and live
For him
We must live
For him
(This Poem appears several times in the drama)
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Members:
Shigeru Nishimura the Author
Born in 1925, lost his mother at the age of 6 and father at 9、thus became an orphan and eventual wanderer.
After the War, he works as an instructor in an orphanage. Then changing jobs many times, decides to be an author focusing the war orphans. Among many of his works, the most famous one is "The Sweets and a War Orphan" (Rironsha Publishing Company). In 1976, this work was selected as the most recommendable book for the youths by the ministry of education. Immediately after the publication, it was dramatized on TV by famous movie director Keisuke Kinoshita. In 2011, this was again dramatized on screen. International Exchange Fund sponsored this movie and has been shown more than 40 countries in the world.
Kyo Kijima Scenario writer, Verse writer, Director
Born in 1949,famous for the director of "Barefoot Gen" based on the work of Keiji Nakazawa who wrote, by his real experience, about the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb. This stage work was played not only all over the cities of Japan but also in New York, Seoul, Warsaw, Auschwitz etc…
Miho Katayama Producer of Team Crescent ,also manager as well as actress
Born in 1968, Chief director of Team Crescent.
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Phone&Fax; 03-6459-7161
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