Seven Streams Of The River Ota

Robert Lepage, Eric Bernier

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 1996
• Print ISBN: 9780413713704
• eBook ISBN: 9781408148952
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

"Of all Lepage's magic boxes, this is the masterpiece" (Independent on Sunday)

Early one August morning in 1945, several kilos of uranium dropped over Japan changed the course of human history. Fifty years later, Hiroshima's vitality is striking: the city where survival itself seemed unimaginable today incarnates the notion of renaissance. Robert Lepage and Ex Machina's The Seven Streams of the River Ota makes Hiroshima a literal and metaphoric site for theatrical journey through the last half-century. In The Seven Streams, Hiroshima is a mirror in which seeming opposites - East and West, tragedy and comedy, male and female, life and death - are revealed as reflections of the same reality.

1: MOVING PICTURES

Hiroshima, 1945–46

1: The Torii of Miyajima

An image of the Torii (arch) of Miyajima is projected on the screen. Gagaku music plays. An American soldier and a Japanese boatman appear in silhouette behind the screen. The boatman helps the soldier put his gear – a duffel bag and a camera on a tripod – onto his boat and pushes off. The background image turns into running video of the Bay of Miyajima. The soldier holds up a light gauge, sets up his camera and shoots pictures. When the boat reaches a small dock, the boatman helps the soldier to alight.

The image of the dock fades away as an elderly woman in a kimono enters stage right and goes inside the house.

2: Hibakusha* 1

The American soldier, Lake O’Connor, enters, walking in the rock garden. An eerie, suspenseful sound accompanies his entrance. He wipes his face and opens his canteen, but it’s empty. Through the doors of the house a woman sitting with her back to the audience is just visible, as is a white kimono, hanging up with its sleeves outstretched.

Luke Is anybody home?

Luke takes a piece of paper out of his pocket and reads, in Japanese. He has a Southern US accent. His words are translated using supertitles.

Luke Luke O’Connor to iu Amerika-gun no cameraman de tatemono to shuhen no shashin wo totte imasu. Amerika-seifu ga genbaku no higaijo-kyo- no toukei wo tsukulu tameno shashin desu. Otaku no sotogawa to naka no shashin wo tolasete itadakitai. Tsulai de shouga nichibei lyoukoku ni totte jyu-yo- na koto nanodesu. [My name is Luke O’Connor. The US Army has assigned me to take pictures of houses and buildings and their surroundings to allow the American government to make statistics of physical damages that have been caused by the bomb. So I have to take some pictures of the outside and inside of your house. I know it may be painful for you, but it is very important for the army and both of our countries.]

The elderly woman comes out of the house. They bow slightly. Luke puts his bags down and climbs the stairs, sets up his camera and points it at the house.

Luke Would you please open the door, ma’am?

She doesn’t react. He moves towards the door. She takes a step to stop him.

Luke Listen. I’m gonna have to get in there to take some pictures. Do you understand? Pictures?

She does not seem to understand. He reaches for one of the doors, but the old woman blocks his way. She looks terrified. Luke backs off.

Luke All right. I’m just gonna take pictures of the outside and the surroundings.

He goes back to his camera, points it towards the audience. As he measures the light, he becomes more aware of the heat.

Luke Could I get some water? Hot. Me. Water?

The woman behind the doors, Nozomai, speaks the Japanese word for ‘water’.

Nozomi Mizu.

Chimes play. Luke gives his canteen to the elderly woman, who is Nozomi’s Mother-in-law. Luke speaks to her as she re-enters the house.

Luke Thank you very much, ma’am, you’re very kind.

Through the doors, Nozomi speaks to him in English with a heavy Japanese accent. Their dialogue is punctuated by soft chimes and gongs.

Nozomi Light is very nice in the afternoon.

Luke I’m sorry?

Nozomi Light is very nice in the afternoon, but at night the sunset on the River Ota is beautiful. The sky becomes orange.

Luke Oh! really . . .

Nozomi Are you from New York?

Luke No ma’am, I’m from Houston, Texas.

Nozomi Houston is in the south, near the sea, isn’t it?

Luke Yes, it is. My God, how come you speak such good English?

Nozomi My husband was a diplomat. He worked for Foreign Office. He teach me English.

Luke Have you ever been to the United States?

Nozomi No,

Luke How come you know so much about America?

Nozomi I read magazines.

Luke What kind of magazines do you read?

Nozomi Magazines from America.

Luke laughs.

Luke What’s your name?

Nozomi Nozomi.

Luke Listen, Nozomi, I’m really gonna have to get in there to take some pictures. Or else, I’m gonna get in trouble. Do you understand?

He half opens a door. Nozomi closes it abruptly from the inside.

Nozomi No. Come Tuesday night. Mother-in-law, not here. I’ll let you take pictures. Tuesday night.

Puzzled, Luke folds up his camera, picks up his bags, and exits.

The Mother-in-law comes out of the house with his canteen, but Luke is gone. She slides open the three center doors to reveal the opaque screen, and goes inside the house. Blackout.

3: Cheesecake

An American soldier, carrying a paintbrush, is silhouetted against the screen, which is tinted chartreuse. Music plays, a mixture of synthesized French horns and percussion. The soldier begins to ‘paint’ the screen with his brush. A photograph of an American military plane from the 1940s emerges. The image turns into running video of the plane flying. The soldier holds his hand up and the plane stops suddenly – the film freezes in one frame. The soldier ‘paints’ the plane some more; the film starts running again, and the plane flies off, nearly hitting him.

The soldier picks up a bucket and gestures at the plane, tossing paint at the screen, which turns chartreuse again. He paints again, revealing images of scantily clad women painted on the sides of planes. He throws more paint at the screen, then paints an airplane taxiing down a runway. He runs after it but can’t catch up, and disappears stage right as the plane takes off. Blackout.

4: Hibakusha 2

When the lights come up, the three center doors are opened to reveal the inside of the house. Nozomi is sitting with her back to the audience in front of the kimono, which we can now see is white with cranes stitched in gold thread.

Luke enters with his camera over his shoulder. The same eerie sound accompanies his entrance; again, gongs and chimes punctuate the action.

Luke Good evening!

Nozomi Oh! You came . . . How nice to have a visitor . . . You arrive too late for sunset.

Luke Yes . . . I’m afraid so . . . May I come in?

Nozomi Yes.

He puts his bags down and climbs the stairs to the porch.

Nozomi Your shoes!

Luke Oh! I’m sorry.

He sits on the step and takes off his shoes.

Nozomi The night Is beautiful.

Luke Sure is! I’m usually off duty in the evening, but tonight’s an exception.

Nozomi Do you want cigarette?

Luke Sure.

She holds out a cigarette which he takes. He is still behind her. As he flicks his lighter open, she holds out her own cigarette. He then walks in front of her to light i...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Production History
• 1: Moving Pictures
• 2: Two Jeffreys
• 3: A Wedding
• 4: The Mirror
• 5: Words
• 6: An Interview
• 7: Thunder
• Footnote
• Imprint