Microgrant Update: Tokushima AJET Musical
Parker Douglas Fairchild (Tokushima, 2022-2024)
Interview by Hayley Wallace (Gifu, 2021-2024)
2011 Tokushima Musical “Treasure Island”
JET Program participants are known both for their efforts in the classroom and local government offices throughout Japan, as well as promoting internationalization within their communities both in Japan and back home. USJETAA offers current US JETs microgrants, through funding provided by the U.S. Embassy Tokyo, to help expand their reach and support their creative initiatives which foster the US-Japan relationship. US JET Program participants enhance both English language learning and international relations through these unique and innovative projects they implement across Japan.
Parker Douglas Fairchild is one such ALT, from Tokushima City in Tokushima Prefecture, who utilized the USJETAA Microgrant Initiative in a creative endeavor. A senior high school JET originally from Pennsylvania, Parker was awarded the microgrant along with a team of co-recipients for their project, the Tokushima AJET Musical.
I had the great pleasure of sitting down to talk with Parker about the project, discussing everything from his background with community theater, using SpongeBob SquarePants as a vehicle for cultural exchange, and the serendipity of his placement in Tokushima.
How and why did you get involved with the project?
When I arrived in Tokushima, it was one of the first things to come up. I had heard vaguely about the musical—it has a thirty year history in Tokushima, with the first musical being produced in 1995. As soon as I got the full breakdown on the project, I volunteered myself.
I think there was a mixture of two things that really inspired me to go for it. First, my background with community theater; my close friend’s family ran a local community theater growing up and I felt sad to part with it leaving for Japan. Secondly, I’d been a part of the Japan Club at my University, where I served as treasurer then president. I was used to those project manager-esque roles and have an extraverted personality.
I saw the project as a great way to give back to the community. Honestly, the way everything came together, there was this great sense of serendipity.
2013 Tokushima Musical “The Little Mermaid”
What was it like getting it off the ground?
I produced both the 27th and 28th musicals for Tokushima (The Little Mermaid and Spongebob the Musical respectively); when I assumed the role, the effects of the COVID pandemic had eaten up all the resources from US JET and community donations, etc.
We were resourceful. For example, re-using a Tin Man costume from the canceled 2020 Wizard of Oz production to make Karen (Mr. Krab’s computer spouse). Mr. Krabs himself was made reusing Sebastian from The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid had a lot going against it with budget constraints and timing (the normal production calendar had to be rushed), but we still managed to get everything off the ground while learning the process.
For this calendar year, we successfully implemented SpongeBob on the developed schedule, knowing how to match people to roles, paint backgrounds, and more.
2024 Tokushima Musical: “Spongebob the Musical”
Who was your target audience?
Our target was younger children. The musical has always been open to the public and in the past, a lot of adult eikaiwa students came. Over time, the demographic has gotten younger and younger. Some of my high school students also attended. It’s been a really good mix of community members.
Why SpongeBob?
I chose and pushed for SpongeBob specifically because I wanted to continue the tradition of adapting a series, but making it our own. SpongeBob is distinguishable from older plays which were usually Disney.
I think that SpongeBob is an ideal vehicle for American cultural exchange. It’s an American show that Japanese people know of, but aren’t familiar with when compared to something like Disney. That made it feel more like we were sharing our culture. I’ve even used it in my classes, like using the scene where SpongeBob teaches Patrick to open a jar to prompt the kids to make dialogue.
Oh yes, I know that episode. It’s hilarious. Who did you play?
I played Patrick. We had a really great cast. I should let it be known we had a fair audition for Sandy, but the role still ended up going to a Texan. Also, the actor for Squidward is, coincidentally, an amazing clarinet player, so she had to teach herself to play it badly for the part.
Were there any trials and tribulations with SpongeBob the Musical?
Thankfully we had learned so much from our first production that things ran pretty smoothly, but I can still think of a few. For example, at one venue instead of pin mics, we had hand mics–we had to retool choreography for that one. Mr. Krabs has this bit where he’s catching bags of money thrown to him, but for that showing, he had to hold a mic and catch money bags in his crab claws.
How did you change SpongeBob for a Japanese audience?
We did simplify the language, since we didn’t want to overcomplicate the story. There are also Japanese summaries that happen throughout the show. Before, a lot of the musicals had characters switching between Japanese and English, but we wanted to keep this one more natural-sounding, so it was mostly English.
There are a few Japanese gags though. For example, there’s a scene where Sandy is searching for her scientific calculations and says, “Let me show you…”, then pulls out a big bottle of shoyuu (soy sauce). That got a lot of laughs.
We did our best to involve the audience and also incorporated a lot of hand-clapping and movements that I’ve observed at Japanese concerts.
“SpongeBob the Musical” cast
What made the experience fulfilling?
I felt fulfilled during every single performance. Also from comparing the two shows and seeing just how much our handling of things improved.
On a personal level, for the second musical I felt I had built something special with my community. I had my co-worker bring his family to one of the productions and there was a moment where I looked down at them and was so moved that someone had to bump my line for me.
My students were also interested in the play. They asked me if Patrick was a sausage.
A sausage?! (laughs)
Yeah. I explained he was a starfish and not a sausage. (laughs)
Is there anything else you’d like to say about the production?
It was an incredible experience on all fronts. We could share our love for theater with the community and the ALTs involved all made strong bonds. The JET Alumni still in the area are really grateful for the continuation of the musicals, people from decades ago are happy to see it still.
This sort of project reaches so much further than you think it will. It grows and changes with the people who work on it and adapts to the community.
I’m headed back home to the States this year. I know it’s early, but I’m already thinking of when I can come back to Japan to visit, and how to make it in March so that I can see the next show.
I'd like to thank all of the cast and crew that helped make such a fun and memorable show. Tina Bresolin, my co-director and co-producer, especially deserves a very big thanks.
I'd also like to thank all of the people who came to see the show and have continued to support the Tokushima AJET Musical over the years.
Lastly, I'd like to thank a few members of the Tokushima JET Alumni community who encouraged us to revive this tradition, namely Jen Bollom, Chris Riedl, and Danielle Gally. All of these people had a huge impact on the musical which was instrumental to shaping my JET experience as a whole.
About the Authors
Parker Fairchild is currently finishing his JET Program contract after more than 2 years as an ALT in Tokushima. Originally from Pennsylvania, Parker loves to cross cultural barriers to connect with people and collaborate on fun and creative projects. Parker aspires to transition his skills into game development. He is always happy to talk about games, movies, music, and manga. Feel free to connect with Parker on LinkedIn, and check out the Tokushima AJET website and YouTube channel to view the musical!
Hayley Wallace is a freelance writer and published author. Her fiction has been featured in Deep Magic, Liquid Imagination, and many other anthologies, including the No Sleep Podcast. In 2024, her piece, “map”, won the Yamabuki Prize in the 9th Annual Writers in Kyoto Competition.
About the Microgrant Initiative for US JETs
The Microgrant Initiative for US JETs provides small grants (typically $200-$1,000) to current US JETs to fund projects that introduce American culture and/or the English language to students or to their local communities.
Microgrants are administered via USJETAA and funding is generously provided by the US Embassy-Tokyo.
To learn more about past Microgrant recipients, or how you can submit a proposal please visit our Microgrant Program page.
