Tamasaburo Bando: "Acting is communication. Its root lies in the strength of one's conviction."

If "reaction" comes first, it can never become genuine.

Acting requires intimate communication. Even if an actor has something they wish to convey, if it doesn't reach the audience, there is no meaning in performing, nor in the actor's existence. Needless to say, not only communication with the audience, but also close communication among actors and between actors and staff, determines the quality of the performance. This might sound a bit formal, but fundamentally, the human mind unconsciously follows three processes. It begins with "sensing." This means feeling everything before you, everything you touch, through your five senses. Next comes the stage of "permeation," where the heart understands what has been felt. Then comes "reaction." I believe acting is the reconstruction of this entire process.

Here, one crucial point: reaction must not come first. Both performers and audiences tend to mistake reaction for acting itself. Acting without going through the preceding stages fails to connect with the audience. It means the actor feels nothing, merely reacting. First, perceive; then let it permeate the heart. This is the difficult part, greatly influencing the performance. The actor's skill is tested in whether they can produce reactions that feel natural, like human physiology, without seeming contrived. Artificiality exists in any work. However, I believe it's crucial to reach a point where that artificiality disappears.

 

Souls touch souls simply by sharing the same space

I hear the origin of the word "communication" means "to share" or "to impart." We actors don't exchange words with the audience while performing, but I believe communication is established simply by sharing the same space. Isn't that what communication fundamentally is? People being in the same place, seeing each other's presence, sharing the atmosphere that flows and drifts through that space. If that exists, communication is fully established even without words. That is the connection between hearts, the touch of soul to soul.

It is precisely because of this touch of souls that I believe all art, not just performing arts, is communication itself. Any artist who seeks to show their creations to others does so because they want to connect with people's souls. Painters and musicians alike are driven by a desire to make human communication more profound. Likewise, the audience is drawn to the work because they too wish to touch the artist's soul.

A simple yet powerful wish: "I just want them to enjoy it"

When I think about modern communication, I feel we've become overly reliant on tools amid this wave of informationization. While devices like smartphones for exchanging information have advanced, they are merely "means" for communication, not communication itself. Simply staying in touch doesn't always mean feelings are truly conveyed. And even when physically close, communication can break down if interactions become too routine. Romantic times, times of longing, are precisely when we crave connection because we can't be together. A single word, a single line of a letter, can deepen communication. As a performer, what I've always valued above all is one thing: making the audience enjoy themselves. It's very simple. By a fortunate connection, I've served as Artistic Director of the taiko performing arts group "Kodo," based on Sado Island, since April 2012. Even in my role as director, the answer remains the same.

This year, from January to March, my production "Kodo One Earth Tour ~Mystery" will tour the United States and Canada. I created this work hoping audiences would experience in the theater the unreal spaces encountered in shrines, temples, or forest-like settings, and the mysterious atmosphere emerging from darkness.

Even as countries change, my wish remains the same: "I want you to enjoy it." That's all. It may be simple, but what matters is the strength of that desire. Perhaps the root of communication lies in the intensity of one's feelings. With a strong desire alone, one can perform with genuine feeling, penetration, and reaction, without artifice. And then, something can be shared with the audience.

Kodo
Based on Sado Island, Kodo is a taiko drumming group that explores the possibilities of traditional musical performance centered around the taiko drum and recreates it for the modern era. They have performed over 5,500 times in 47 countries. In 2006, they staged the performance "Amaterasu" in collaboration with Mr. Bando Tamasaburo, with a revival scheduled for May 2015 at the Shochikuza Theatre in Osaka. In 2012, they invited Mr. Bando to serve as their Artistic Director.