How Anne went to Japan: P.E.I.'s Confederation Centre looks to create new work

Charlottetown's Confederation Centre of the Arts is hoping to create a new piece of theatre involving the character of Anne Shirley.

It won't be an adaptation of one of L.M. Montgomery's novels, though. It will be based on a biography of the woman who translated Anne of Green Gablesinto Japanese about eight decades ago.

"In the discovery of reading this book, Anne's Cradle, we found the source for what we believe would be an amazing piece of collaborative theatre between two countries," said the centre's artistic director, Adam Brazier.

Anne's Cradle is the story of Hanako Muraoka. It was written by her granddaughter Eri Muraoka and published in English in 2021 with a translation by Cathy Hirano.

When Brazier read the work, he was taken with Muraoka's story.

"With Anne's Cradle, I get this amazing appreciation of how a shared culture can lift each other, that the rising tide can float both boats, and that we find an amazing connection with people on the other side of the world through one story," said Brazier.

The story of how this book was translated and the story of Hanako's life is absolutely, infinitely captivating. Adam Brazier, Confederation Centre of the Arts

Now, the centre is looking for a bilingual playwright who can adapt the work for the stage. The call for submissions went out earlier this month and closes Dec. 31.

The workwill be presented in both Japanese and English, using subtitles, said Brazier, so the centre hopes to find a Japanese-Canadian dramatist who is fluent in both languages "someone who has the influence of both countries and an understanding and a lived experience of both nationalities."

'What a wonderful idea'

Hanako Muraoka's granddaughter Eri wassurprised to receive an email from Brazier one year ago.

"I was happy that he found my little book and read it. And when I heard about his idea of adapting this story for the stage through a collaboration between Canadians and Japanese, I thought, 'What a wonderful idea,'" Muraoka wrote in an email to CBC News.

"I have a strong desire for Canadians to know not only my grandmother's achievements, but also the efforts of the many Canadian women missionaries who worked for the education of girls in Japan."

HanakoMuraoka attended a Christian boarding school where those missionaries taught, and it was there that she fell in love with English literature.

Later, a Canadian friend gave her a copy of Anne of Green Gables as a gift. She began translating the novel during the Second World War, working insecretbecause English was considered the language of one of Japan's enemies.

"The story of how this book was translated and the story of Hanako's life is absolutely, infinitely captivating," said Brazier."With that translation began a cultural shift for the entire country of Japan. It offered young Japanese girls access and affirmation to their imaginations, to their voices, to their independence."

The love affair continues to this day. Anne of Green Gableshas inspired legions of Japanese tourists to come visit P.E.I. and Green Gables over the decades.

Finalists will be asked for scenes

The Confederation Centre plans to select a group of finalists from the playwright submissions it receives and commission those people to translate a few scenes from the book before deciding on the final candidate, said Brazier.

The centre isn't ruling out a musical treatment for this new work, but Brazier knows a play will likely take less time to develop.

"We're not ignorant to the fact that, you know, it took Tell Tale [Harbour] five years. Maggie, [the musical]we're doing next year, took eight years to get to the stage," said Brazier.

"So we're aware that this process is long, that to develop a show well, and to develop a show that will have an interest outside of a single production, takes time."

Sharing culture, learning from each other

Anne of Green Gables has become a classic in Japan, which means it can be easy to "forget its true value and appreciation," said Muraoka.

"Perhaps Anne's Cradle reminded us why Anne of Green Gables is so special to us Japanese and to Canadians as well."

The centre's goal is to have a publicreading of the new piece of theatre in 2025 in Osaka, where Anne of Green Gables: The Musical had its Japanese premiere 27 years ago.

"The Japanese people have such a bond with the character of Anne Shirley," said Brazier."This is a way for us to partner, to learn from each other, to grow as artists and as an organization, and to share culture."