Chuo University: Ichigaya-Tamachi Campus

Red Bull Theater’s Sardanapalus & Global Watch Party Review

By Takehiro Hashimoto

On the evening of 30 October 2024, we held a Sardanapalus watch party at the Ichigaya-Tamachi campus of Chuo University in Tokyo. About fifteen English literature scholars, including members of the Japan Association of English Romanticism and the Japanese Byron Society, and students gathered to watch the reading drama. The watch party began with a talk on the play’s background by the commentator, Professor Isamu Takahashi of Keio University, and ended with a discussion after the play. We set up an intelligent audio translation into Japanese to help the audience understand and also provided donuts and cookies to help them relax.

One of the topics of discussion was why Sardanapalus was chosen for today’s play. One answer is that it reflects social circumstances. The current social situation in the world influences the meaning of the play and raises essential questions in people’s minds. Other issues were gender, the role of the characters, and the difference between the stage transcription and the original text. For many audiences, this is the first time they have seen the Romantic stage. We were delighted to have such a memorable experience and are grateful to those who gave us this opportunity.