Director John Caird: “I first imagined it in images, like Miyazaki”
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Renowned British director John Caird, co-directing the stage adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Spirited Away, described the challenge of translating Miyazaki’s image-led storytelling into live theatre. Caird, an honorary associate director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, said he approached the production by thinking in images first, since Miyazaki advances stories through visuals rather than dialogue. The 2022 Japanese-stage version has since played in the UK, China and now South Korea. Caird recalled difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic when designers and musicians collaborated remotely. His Japanese wife and co-adaptor Imai Maoko—an actress who has performed in Les Misérables in Japan—helped ensure the adaptation preserved Japanese sensibilities. The production uses traditional Japanese performance forms like Noh (a classical masked drama) and Bunraku (puppetry) and stages the bathhouse creatively as a Noh-like set. Composer Joe Hisaishi’s original music is rearranged for live performance, with additional songs by arranger Brad Hark, which Caird said heightens emotional and dramatic impact. The play runs at Seoul Arts Center’s Opera House through March 22.
