[Japanese Side] A 96-Year-Old Caregiver Who Became a Stage Actor and the 40s Care Worker Who Discovered Him

A Director in His 40s Creates a Stage for the Elderly
A 96-Year-Old Actor Performs Life Without a Script

The foremost social issues in Japan are low birth rates and aging population. Although there are talks that Korea will soon catch up, Japan’s situation is considered more serious because its population decline started earlier than ours.

In Japan, a super-aged society, articles about "how to age well" are frequently reported. Recently, a story about a grandfather who takes the stage as a theater actor at the age of 96 became a hot topic. He actually debuted in his 80s. A former actor turned 40-year-old caregiver recognized his talent with a keen eye. Today, we introduce the story of a senior actor and a young director creating theater together.

The two first met as a caregiver and a care worker. Mr. Okada Tadao, now a 96-year-old leading actor, was then a caregiver looking after his wife who had dementia. Director Sugawara Naoki, a former actor, became deeply interested in elderly care while working as a care worker. This was especially important in rural Japan, where there are so few people that often elderly care is provided by other elderly people.

Director Sugawara Naoki (left) and actor Okada Tadao. (Photo by Oibokeshi Facebook)

Sugawara, who had given up his dream and was working as a care worker, said he often had to act on the job. Even after introducing himself several times, dementia patients would always say, "You’re the watch shop man, right?" When he firmly said, "No, I’m someone else," he noticed the patients’ confusion and felt something. After that, he started to say, "Yes, I am the watch shop man," and acted accordingly, matching the memories wandering somewhere in the elderly patients’ minds.

Inspired by this experience, Sugawara developed theater performances created together with elderly people and caregivers under the philosophy of "bringing the wisdom of theater to elderly care sites, and the depth of the elderly to theater stages," as well as workshops introducing theatrical concepts into dementia care.

Mr. Okada, then 88 and nursing his wife with dementia, saw the announcement for this workshop and went to apply. At first, he seemed like a stubborn old man who barely understood words, but once the theater-based workshop started, he showed a completely different, lively side. Though he was thought to be a tired and sensitive old man worn out by dementia care, it turned out he had dreamed of becoming an actor as a child and loved acting so much that he had even appeared as an extra.

In response, Sugawara immediately recruited Okada and founded the theater troupe "Oibokeshi." The name Oibokeshi combines the Japanese words for aging (oi, 老い), cognitive decline (boke, 惚け), and death (shi, 死).

Actor Okada Tadao (left) is performing on stage. (Photo by Oibokeshi Facebook)

The ideas for plays come from conversations with Mr. Okada. The troupe’s first play was based on Okada’s story: "My wife strangely keeps going out alone at dawn and walking around. It’s troubling." The play depicts a young man who accepts an elderly man’s request to help find his wife with dementia, and together they search the shopping district.

Since Okada’s eyesight has deteriorated and he can no longer read scripts, Sugawara includes stories Okada often tells in the scripts. During rehearsals, no scripts are handed out; lines are matched on site. Still, Okada manages everything with improvisation. He says, "I don’t know if I’ll be alive tomorrow or when I might collapse, but I think I’m naturally suited for the stage," adding, "The stage is life and soul."

Although Okada is the leading actor, the troupe’s performances include a variety of people on stage, such as actual dementia patients, caregivers, and people with disabilities. Dementia patients sometimes come out holding hands with their caregiver husbands to act and dance. Director Sugawara said in a media interview, "What I realized as important while caregiving was about roles. We need to find roles suitable for the elderly. We listen to their life stories and assess their condition to find the right roles."

He continued, "When they find a role that fits them, even elderly people suddenly start to shine. Even dementia patients sometimes demonstrate physical abilities or cognitive functions that surprise caregivers. For example, a bedridden dementia grandfather started moving when radio calisthenics music played. It turned out he had worked as a physical education teacher before developing dementia." After raising their children and retiring, elderly people who had lost their roles began to regain vitality by taking on new roles.

Poster of the play starring actor Okada Tadao, opening on the 27th. (Photo by Oibokeshi website)

These two people, who opened each other’s second act in life, are preparing for another performance at the end of this month. They are also taking on new challenges. Recently, Mr. Okada suggested to Director Sugawara, "I want to hold a funeral while I’m still alive," and proposed creating a play related to this. Sugawara responded, "Until now, I have created works obsessed with life, but facing death is also important. I will create a new play."

The story of the 96-year-old actor and the 40-year-old director, who together contemplate how to live well and die well, has resonated deeply in Japan. In these times of deepening generational divides and conflicts, their story encourages us to think about "how to live well together."