The Theatre Times: As the curtain falls on 2019’s theater scene in Japan, a continuing rise in the popularity of musicals now sees them clearly positioned at the center of the country’s entertainment mainstream.
With theater long having been more of a personal pursuit here than the public forum for ideas it is in many Western cultures, since producers realized there was an appetite for musicals, and shows with music, they have steadily been responding to that demand.
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Musical theatre is often regarded as American art shared with England, but this is far from true. This article reveals the truth that other cultures are rich with this art form, specifically Japan. It shows that there is an appreciation for classic works, such as "West Side Story" and "The Three Sisters", while also emphasizing new, Japanese works. This fact surprised me because I thought the productions would center around their own work, but I appreciate their mission of including a worldly perspective. One quote that resonated with me was when creator Okada said that they want "to make theater about localized things that are actually happening now, but which we hardly realize or just pass on by in our busy lives.” I often think about this when I go to the movies and see the previews for superhero or apocalyptic films. Sometimes, the simple everyday stories are what resonate the most--and what have the most universal reach. The production of "Egao no Toride" described is intriguing to me because it is about what we can learn from seemingly mundane aspects of daily life. The fact that it can be "translated to any language" and hold the same importance speaks highly on the strength of the story.
This article is for me! Well, actually not. It is for everyone else, so that they can learn how rich the theatre industry in Japan is. Many of my friends went to see Kirei last December and I am really disappointed that I missed it being here in Pittsburgh. That aside, the very last paragraph caught my eyes. I believe one of the reasons why Japan is not well-known for its theatre industry is because of the lack of systems, unions, associations and productions to support such amazing creators and risk-taking artists. Only few can survive since the safety net is much smaller than how it is in Western entertainment industry. In addition, as known from the fact that there are no school or faculty of Drama in universities in Japan, people who produce shows either jump into the industry and learn as they work, or come from a business management background. I am still on the way, figuring out what works the best for the Japanese theatre industry, but I am ready to dedicate my career in this industry as a bridge between producers and artists, business and drama, and Japan and abroad. So, please, hire, me!
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