OSHIMA AND THE BIG SEA
"MR OSHIMA IS STILL PART OF OUR FAMILY FOLKLORE!"
-Sophie, Will, Sacha, Bobbo & Zoisa, from Welcombe, N. Devon-





Every day Oshima goes off fishing in his little tub boat. He hopes he will catch a really, big fish…

But he never does.

Maybe it is because Oshima’s pet frog, Ito, is always playing tricks!

Or maybe Oshima is just too busy day-dreaming about what it must be like under the Big Sea…

One day Oshima has a big adventure and gets the chance to find out!


A simple story of kindness, trust in the unknown and dancing with turtles!



Oshima and the Big Sea has been created by James Richardson of Angel Heart Theatre in memory of his dad, who loved all things Japanese and inspired too by his young son, who loves all things fishy!

With lovingly made puppets and engaging performances we offer this simple, uplifting tale for all hearts, young and old.

Full of amazing sea creatures, imaginative visual design and live sound-songs of the ocean, this is a show where warm-hearted humour swims with big-eyed wonder…Dive in!


Photo: Chris Smith ©

ABOUT THE MAKING OF OSHIMA AND THE BIG SEA:

Angel Heart Theatre have created all the puppets for the show. Oshima himself is another rod-puppet like those we used in our other show, The Nightingale. This type of puppet has a long history in Japan, where our story is set.

I chose the name Oshima, from a book of Japanese poetry (haiku) that belonged to my dad. It was only afterwards that I discovered that 'Oshima' means 'Big (or Great) Island'; which, given his stout physique and that he spends most of his time out at sea seems very apt!

We have created fantastic sea creatures for the show, including a seahorse, flying fish, a turtle, a giant octopus, the Queen of the Sea and a colourful coral sea bed.

And then...of course, there's Ito, Oshima's huge, mischevious pet frog!

All these have being created from a whole range of materials: foam, polysterene, shoe trees, bath sponges, shower mats, old gloves and all manner of found objects (some of which have been 'beach-combed' both here and in Sweden).

We are using shadow puppets again to create a truly 'weird and wonderful' sequence when Oshima journeys to the bottom of the Big Sea! Here, of course, is where all the strange fish live! Jo White, who helped design and create the beautiful shadow scenes in The Nightingale has worked with us on this.

THE TARAIBUNE:

When I was searching for a suitable design for Oshima's boat I came upon the Taraibune or tub boat. These boats have a long history along the Echigo coast of the Sea of Japan and on the island of Sado. In 'Oshima and the Big Sea' Oshima takes the Taraibune into 'new waters' in his search to catch a 'really big fish', as these boats were traditionally only used by women for gathering shellfish and seaweed! Sculled with a forward-facing paddle, in a standing position they were seldom taken into the open sea.

Today, they are still used in this way, though by the men too. And in one fishing village on Sado island they have even taken to using them with outboard motors!

It is in large part thanks to the dedication of Douglas Brooks, a boatbuilder from Vermont, U.S.A that this 'lost' tradition has been revived in recent years. When Douglas visited Japan in the early 90's he discovered there was only one elderly man who still had the knowledge to make Taraibune. Such craft was, and is, essentially oral, being passed down directly from master to apprentice. So, in 1996 Douglas embarked on a traditional apprenticeship with Mr Koichi Fuji and learnt the art of building Taraibune.

After this he made two of his own, in collaboration with the Kodo Cultural Foundation and since then there has been a renewed interest in the Taraibune, which has ensured its survival.

I am indebted to Douglas for his fascinating website and his support for Oshima and the Big Sea. Anyone interested in traditional boat-building should visit: www.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com

The photo below of Douglas Brooks and 'Weaver' on Lake Champlain, Vermont is by kind permission.

BIG THANKS...

Angel Heart Theatre would like to extend a very Big thanks to the following people who gave their time, skills and enthusiasm to help make the 'magic' happen:

Ella Turk-Richards for taking on the role of fellow performer with all that she had to learn in the little time we had to learn it (and with such dedication! ) And for her musical joy in creating our 'Carnival Song'.

Sophie Greatorex for a skillfull 'outside eye' as co-director. And the beautiful composition for 'Oshima's Song', and her collaboration with Ella on the 'Carnival Song'.

Carole Richardson for making the puppet costumes and all the sparkly-shimmery set decoration, with such attention to detail.

Jo White for designing and patiently cutting out all the weird and wonderful shadow puppets.

Colin for set welding and ideas.

Chris Smith for our main publicity photo of Oshima in his tub boat.

Toby Richardson for the design and layout on the back of our colourful flyers.

Tom Richardson for looping and mixing the sounds of the sea!

Kaylie Joy Black who came for 3 days to do some work experience and painted a lot of octopus legs!

And my dad, Clive Richardson, to whose memory this whole show is dedicated and who was very much 'at my side' during it's creation.