Born in Nara Prefecture. After completing a Master's program in French Literature at the Faculty of Letters, Kyoto University, and working in a general company, joined the Takarazuka Revue's directing department. Gained support by balancing profound themes and entertainment in original plays but resigned in 2022. In the same year, nominated for the Kishida Kunio Drama Award with the spectacular reading "Biome," which depicted a dual structure of human drama and the plant world. In 2023, directed opera for the first time in the nationwide co-production opera series "Pagliacci" and "Cavalleria Rusticana." The direction, which included subtitles in Kansai dialect and reimagined the scenes of 19th-century Italian commoners in the context of modern Japanese poverty, became a topic of discussion. From March 2023 to March 2024, undertook training in France under the Agency for Cultural Affairs' overseas training program for emerging artists.
In March 2024, established her own company, projectumï . After returning to Japan, she will reside in Nara, with the company based in both Kansai and Tokyo. From 2024, she has been selected as a Saison Fellow II.
Kumiko Ueda
Last update : 25 Jun. 2024
Works
Cavalleria Rusticana / ©️2/FaithCompany
"Pagliacci" and "Cavalleria Rusticana"
Opera, 2023
For the 16th installment of the National Joint Production Opera Series, which invites artists from various genres every year to try new productions, Kumiko Ueda was invited to direct. She reimagined 19th-century Italian opera by setting it against the backdrop of modern-day Japan, where poverty is on the rise.
Two roles are performed by singers portraying impoverished Italians and dancers embodying contemporary Japanese individuals. This brings the world of Italian opera and the shadowy world of modern Japan to the stage simultaneously.
**Director’s Notes:**
These two operas were born in an Italy where capitalism was accelerating, and the gap between rich and poor was widening. At that time, naturalism was on the rise, and Verismo (naturalism) operas that presented the harsh realities of nameless poor farmers became popular, shocking audiences.
But how can we convey the shock of reality to contemporary Japanese audiences? The situation in modern Japan, with its widening gap between rich and poor, is remarkably similar to that of Italy back then.
My theme, which is common to these two Verismo works, is the reality of poverty and loneliness.
In "Cavalleria Rusticana," men and women living in rural Japan are involved in the sale of methamphetamine, fall into domestic violence, depend on romantic relationships, and ultimately commit murder due to strained human relationships in their small communities.
Dancers, representing modern Japanese people, express this story as counterparts to the singers. The style of having two performers, a singer and a dancer, play one role is inspired by Bunraku.
"Pagliacci" is the story of a traveling troupe. This story has a meta-opera concept. The singer commits murder in the final scene. As the story progresses, emotions are stirred, singers break the rules, disrupt harmony with the dancers, and commit murder in a world contiguous with the audience.
This opera is a continuation of reality.
On stage, homeless people wander, and as the audience leaves the theater, they encounter beggars.
Conductor: Asher Fisch
Director and Kansai Dialect Subtitles: Kumiko Ueda
Singers (Cavalleria Rusticana):Antonello Palombi, Teresa Romano, Yayoi Toriki, Daisuke Mito, Kyoko Moriyama
Singers (Pagliacci): Antonello Palombi, Sakiko Shibata, Yuma Shimizu, Ryoichi Nakai, Yosuke Takahashi
Choreography Supervision: Kiyomi Maeda (Cavalleria Rusticana), Masahiro Yanamoto (Cavalleria Rusticana), Rino Asaki (Pagliacci)
**Performance Dates and Venues:**
February 3 - February 5, 2023, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Concert Hall
March 3 - March 5, 2023, Aichi Prefectural Art Theater Large Hall