The play “My Hole, His Hole. W”, based on a French picture book about war, will be performed in Tokyo and Osaka in September and October. The only characters are two young soldiers left behind on the battlefield. The two enemies hide in a hole and aim their guns at each other, but in the extreme situation of loneliness and hunger, they gradually begin to think about each other.

The play will be directed by Seiji Nozoe, and will be performed alternately by two groups: Kai Inowaki and Shusaku Kamikawa’s “Boku Team,” and Airu Kubozuka and Yushin Shinohara’s “Kare Team.” We asked the two groups about their enthusiasm for this dense two-person play, which will tackle a heavy theme.

Reporter: What was it about this work that appealed to you?

Inowaki: First of all, I was attracted to the fact that it was a two-person play. I’ve always wanted to try it. The story is about war, but it’s not a story that is unrelated to us in modern times. It makes you think about things like knowing people, believing in them, and whether you are easily assuming that someone is evil.

Kamikawa: The process of thinking about each other and letting your imagination run wild while you can’t see each other feels real. I decided to take on this book because I felt that I needed to use my imagination in my everyday life, to replace the war with my own experience.

Kubozuka: This was my first time doing a stage play, so I was a bit nervous, but after hearing from director Nozoe about his passion for this piece, I thought I’d like to work with him on the play. What’s interesting about the script is that even though it’s about war, it has a lot of elements that people in the modern world can relate to.

Shinohara: It’s not too dark. The balance between humor and messages is just right, so it’s really interesting. I wanted to work with Nozoe-san, so I thought, “Yes, please!” and decided to appear in the film.

Reporter: What kind of things do you talk about with Nozoe during rehearsals?

Inowaki: Because it’s a special space like a battlefield, we talk about how long we’ve been here, when our comrades died, and the time they’ve walked up to that point, not just in the script. I’m often told to never forget that we’re “in a hole” on stage. Because the stage is an open space, it’s easy to forget the feeling of claustrophobia. Also, I work on my stamina with Shu-chan.

Kamikawa: Yes. We both crawl forward (laughs). However, since I’ve never actually experienced a battlefield, I wonder how realistically I can stand in the hole. What I want to emphasize in Nozoe’s words is to “consider the distance between you and the other person.” Not just the physical distance between the holes, but also the psychological distance between “him.” I think that distance is connected to the fear felt in the hole.

Kubozuka: The way I create a character is completely different from dramas and movies, so it’s fresh and fun, but I’m always keenly aware that I still have a lot to learn. I think the catchphrase for the work, “Getting to know him. That’s the beginning of the future,” is perfect. The most important thing in creating my own character is Yushin’s character, so I get hints from watching his acting. On top of that, I do everything I can and then Nozoe chips away at it. I’m still struggling.

Shinohara: Listening to everyone’s stories, I felt I had to do better. There are so many lines to memorize, so I have to memorize them all. Now I just read the script and say exactly what I feel. Like an animal released on the savanna. But for me, practicing alone at home is completely different from having Airu next to me, so I feel like I’m changing every day as I feel Airu.

Reporter: The script depicts the two soldiers symbolically, and it’s hard to tell the difference between them, especially in the first half. How do you differentiate your roles?

Shinohara: When I read the script, I thought there were two similar characters, and then towards the end, I would discover that they were different, but when I played the role, I thought, “They’re completely different from the beginning!” They share the same important traits as people, but they’re different people who live in different times and will continue to live in different times.

Kubozuka: On the contrary, I don’t feel there is a decisive difference between the two of us. We are both soldiers and in the same situation, so I didn’t try to make a difference in my performance. I just focus on my role, and as a result, I think the difference may come out between what I have and what Yushin has.

Inowaki: For example, I think that the current compulsory education in Japan is a kind of system that mass-produces people who can pass the test. Everyone does things like stopping at red lights, but when you look closely at each person, you can see that they have their own individuality. I guess you could say that we are reaffirming that.

Kamikawa: The meaning of “difference” is different at the beginning and end of the script. At first, we see the other person as a “cruel enemy soldier, different from me.” But as we get to know the other person, we realize that “he is a human being with the same likes and personalities as me.” That’s when I was shocked, but when you categorize people by nationality or gender and lump them all together, you can’t see each person as an individual. It’s easy to reduce the amount of information like that, but on the other hand, it’s also very scary, and I think we should always make an effort to see the person as they are.

Reporter: The performance was split into two teams. What are the strengths of your team?

Shinohara: I don’t know much about myself, but Airu’s purity is amazing. There’s no lie in her lines, so it’s funny and you feel sorry for her. I want you to see that.

Ever since I first met Kubozuka Yushin-kun, I’ve felt like we’re on the same wavelength. Not just as characters, but as people too. It’s so much fun acting together. I think that’s something that will be conveyed to the audience, so I want to get to know each other better and deepen our friendship as we get closer to the show.

Inowaki: I’m going to do it with a sense of fun. We’re in different holes, but if the other person does this, we’ll try this, and we’ll feel each other. I think the playful points will be different depending on the day, so I’ll make a team that will do every performance fresh.

Kamikawa: It’s Inowaki-kun’s “warmth.” They are opponents trying to take each other’s lives, but you can feel their body heat there. They happen to be on the battlefield, but if they had met somewhere else, they might have become friends. Because I sense this two-sidedness in Inowaki-kun, I think that when you finish watching the film, you won’t get the impression that it’s a “cruel war story,” but rather a feeling of love that envelops you.

☆”My Hole, His Hole. W” will be performed at Spiral Hall in Tokyo from September 17th to 29th, and at Kintetsu Art Hall in Osaka from October 4th to 6th. Check the official website for the performance schedules of each team.

[My team]

Kai Inowaki Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1995. His main appearances include the TV drama “Stepmother and Daughter Blues.”

Kamikawa Shusaku Born in Oita Prefecture in 1993. Appeared in the NHK serial drama “Tiger and Wings”.

[His team]

Airu Kubozuka was born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2003. Her first starring role was in the movie “Happiness” in May of this year.

Shinohara Yuushin Born in Tokyo in 1992. Appeared in the NHK Taiga drama “Seigo Don” and other dramas.

(Interview and text by Kyodo News’ Asami Takada, photo by Yuta Ito) (Kyodo News)