by Sam Royer ‘15
“It’s time.” This is how Mr. Fujimoto ’66 explains his end to a twenty-four year run as director of twenty-eight plays and musicals here at Saint Ignatius. “Even though I have received so much learning and I have loved it so much, there’s a time when you realize it’s time to move on,” Mr. Fujimoto says. In recent years, Fujimoto has asked veteran teachers when they knew it was time to stop doing something and they all have told him that he would just know. “Now I know.”
When Fujimoto first started working with the Harlequins, he had just ended his stint as Assistant Director of Entertainment at King’s Island Amusement Park. Mr. Thomas, a fan of one of Fujimoto’s plays at the park, immediately asked Fuj to assist him in directing a production. Fujimoto now admits that in retrospect, he had no idea helping with one play would turn into an entire career.
This spring, Fujimoto directed his final production, “The Wizard of Oz,” which he says felt like a tribute to his parents. “For me personally, ‘Wizard of Oz’ was a family experience. That was one day that was sacrosanct. Everybody had to be there watching it,” he says. “I was inspired in a sense to do this by going to the Christmas concerts at Severance Hall. I would look at kids who were six years old and grandparents who were in their eighties and everyone knew ‘Silent Night.’” He soon realized that “The Wizard of Oz” was similar to that. “No matter what age you are, you know the songs and you know the story.” Fujimoto feels this is a story of every good thing we should aspire to be in our society.
His final production also gave Mr. Fujimoto the opportunity to introduce theater to children, whether it was kids in the audience who hadn’t seen a live show before or the faculty children who played the munchkins. It gave them the opportunity to get on stage in a real show, and perhaps stimulated them for later years to get into theater.
Mr. Fujimoto has many fond memories of his time as a director, ranging from his first production “Jesus Christ Superstar” (featuring Mr. Jarc), to the controversial performance of “The Laramie Project,” which included well attended discussion groups following each performance. Of that particular play, Fujimoto feels he made the most of a difference at Ignatius. “When I approached Father Kesicki, he said ‘well we just can’t make this into a play, we need to make this a centerpiece of education.’ I’ve been very proud of every performance, but this was just a little bit special.”
Overall, his favorite memory is of the people. Whether they were successful in entertainment or in their own work, Fujimoto looks at each of his students in the same way. “One of the great things about theater is it really doesn’t matter who you are. Theater accepts you. And you’re all part of the show, it doesn’t matter if you’re the star, it doesn’t matter if you’re the third tree on the left. You’re all part of the show, and you’re all accepted the same,” he says.
Since the time he first began directing, Fujimoto has noticed the kids have become a lot busier. With smart phones going off with texts and tweets every minute of the day, he doesn’t see a lot of kids knowing how to relax. He says, “There’s this obsession like ‘if I don’t check my phone every two minutes, I’m going to miss something or somebody’s going to be mad at me for not responding immediately!’” He remembers a time in class when he asked his students if any of them had ever just taken a book and sat under a tree in a park. Ultimately, no one raised their hand.
At the end of the day, Fujimoto doesn’t think it’s the kids that have changed as much as he thinks he has. “I have more experience and I don’t get as frustrated,” he admits. When he first started out, Fuj recalls hearing a song and closing his eyes and seeing the song staged as a musical number. For the last couple of years, he’s closed his eyes and not seen musical numbers. “In Wizard of Oz, there was so much to worry about, but I didn’t. You trust that it’ll be fine. I hate to say this but I think I matured. I think I grew up. It’s the difference between the rookie and the veteran. The veteran might not have the same energy skills as the rookie, but the veteran knows what to worry about and what not to worry about.”
Next year, Father Ross and Mrs. Stires will take over the Harlequins, and Mr. Fujimoto knows he’s leaving the theater in good hands. He doesn’t have one note of regret, he and wishes the very best to everyone else. “This is it, I’ve done the very best I can do.” And that, he certainly has.
