Forest spirits have been spotted in the studio! A famous Japanese character pops up in this recent return to the Gillian Lynne and some new cut paper artwork. I was invited to create a painting that would celebrating the play ‘My Neighbour Totoro’; which launches at the theatre this week. The show artwork cleverly features the two young characters under their red umbrella… with the looming lush green presence of the Forest Spirit in the background. Its eyes light up the billboard and it was my challenge to try and bring that to life on the side of the theatre building. Below are some photos of the piece. You may spot one of my studio mascots, who has been living on my desk for many years now, getting his time to shine 🙂
The Show
This stage play is based on Studio Ghibli’s 1988 animated film of the same name by Hayao Miyazaki. It is adapted by Tom Morton-Smith with music by Joe Hisaishi. The play premiered at London’s Barbican Centre in 2022 and this Spring has transferred to the West End.
The story is set in 1950s Japan, where two girls Satsuki and Mei, relocate to a village in the countryside. The family hopes the fresh air with aid the recovery of their mother, who is suffering with tuberculosis. Their new house is haunted with soot spirits (susuwatari) and they encounter Totoro, a forest spirit. Totoro appears to be a mixture of tanukis (the Japanese version of raccoons), cats and owls. The presence of these spirits encapsulate the awe and mystery of the situation they find themselves in… but ultimately provide comfort for the girls.
The character of Totoro has been an enduring one and it became the mascot for Studio Ghibli; the animation studio. Its popularity around the globe rivals that of Mickey Mouse.
Paper Cut Theatres
As with my previous projects with LW Theatres, the illustration was completed with acrylic and ink on thick specialist paper. The artwork was scanned and reproduced in print… with both the original painting and the reproductions cut into layers. Those layers were raised from the backdrop, creating a 3D piece of art. The whole construction then slotted neatly into deep black box frames. A very theatrical presentation that I hope is effective. Below you can see a little video of the piece.
All of the frames we built were given as gifts on the opening press night. We created a little label for the back commemorating the date and I wrapped them ready for opening with my own bespoke wrapping paper. I’m very grateful to Sian at LW Theatres for helping me pull everything together. I hope they go down well and the launch is a tremendous success! Our family loves theatre too, so no doubt we’ll be getting along to the show soon.
What do you think of my Oh-Totoro Cut-out? You can get in touch here on the blog (leave me a comment or use the contact form) or follow me on one of my socials: https://linktr.ee/illustrationbyjonathan.
