Set in the 1930s, the Wingfield family lives in a slum in St. Louis, America. Amanda, the mother, clings to memories of her once glamorous past. Laura, the shy older sister, finds solace in her collection of glass animal figurines. Tom, the younger brother, toils each day to support the family in place of their absent father, all while dreaming of escape to the outside world.

One day, at Amanda’s urging – concerned for Laura’s future – Tom invites his colleague Jim over for dinner.

Narrated by Tom, the play explores fragile family memories that can never be recaptured.

I’d like to try bringing the story of the Wingfield family in America to the stage with actors from Japan, China, and South Korea. The actors will each speak their own language. Some may wonder, 'How can they be a family?' But even if we fully understood each other’s words, would we truly understand one another as a 'family'? Perhaps being close and speaking the same language sometimes makes it even harder to understand each other.

Even when we’re close, we each see completely different worlds and end up missing one another. It’s just like not understanding the language the other person speaks – we fail to truly understand. Yet still, we try to make ourselves understood, weaving words together, sometimes unintentionally hurting each other in the process.

Through this multinational ensemble, I hope to portray such a family’s struggle – people yearning to understand and be understood.

SHIGA Akifumi