FROM TOKYO NOTES TO BANGKOK NOTES: THE TRANSCULTURAL ADAPTATION OF ORIZA HIRATA’S PLAY IN THAI CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT

Abstract

Tokyo Notes is a play by Oriza Hirata, the founder of Seinendan Theatre Company. He is one of the most influential playwrights and directors in Japan. This play was written in 1994 and achieved Kishida Kunio Award which is regarded as Japan's most prestigious award for playwriting. Tokyo Notes has been translated into 15 languages and has been performed in 23 cities in 16 countries. In 2017, Tokyo Notes was translated and performed in Thailand using the title of Bangkok Notes. This research aims to study the process of adaptation of this well-known play into Thai context in order to keep the theme and the identity of the original play. This process includes the analysis of the structure of the play, adapting the play into Thai context and working with the Japanese director and Thai actors. The study emphasizes on 3 main areas: the study of the identity of the original play, the process of translation and adaptation and the Thainess in the adaptation version of Bangkok Notes

This research found that to adapt the play that has the unique and specific structure, the adaptation should emphasize on the identity of play. In the process of adaptation, working with the director and actors has a significant influence on the adaptation. Also, different methods may be chosen to adapt each part of the play in order to efficiently deliver the message that appears in the original play to audiences in the different culture.