Masao Noso: A Theater Sparkling in the Region

2018/07/20

This story dates back about a quarter of a century, but do you know what percentage of theatrical performances held daily across Japan took place within Tokyo's 23 wards? According to the "White Paper on Leisure '96," it was a staggering 70%. What is this if not a cultural disparity caused by the over-concentration of resources in Tokyo? Why was this the case? It was because everyone who wanted to perform and everyone who wanted to watch gathered in Tokyo; jobs and markets existed only in Tokyo.

Recognizing that this situation was problematic, the "Basic Act on the Promotion of Culture and the Arts" enacted in 2001 (amended last year to the "Basic Act on Culture and the Arts") and the 2012 "Act on the Vitalization of Theaters and Concert Halls" proclaimed the right of people to access culture and the arts regardless of where they live in Japan. Amidst this trend, the Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center opened in 2003 as a public hall established by Kitakyushu City. By a stroke of fate, I have had the privilege of serving as a producer at this theater.

My primary focus has been on "regionally-based production," creating plays featuring local actors and citizen-participation creative projects. By "local," I don't mean just the narrow confines of Kitakyushu City, but Fukuoka Prefecture or the entire Kyushu area. There are many people in the region who aspire to or wish to continue in theater. While many move to Tokyo for university, a certain number discover theater after entering local universities. Even after graduation, they continue their theatrical activities while working jobs with flexible hours, such as part-time work—a situation likely similar to Tokyo. The difference lies in the lack of competition (struggle) due to the difference in absolute numbers. Some say this is a bad thing, but I think it might actually be good. Some people simply don't enjoy competing with others, and those who stay in the region might have a stronger tendency toward that. Of course, their "love for the region" is also strong, sometimes including a sense of rebellion against Tokyo.

What I have recently realized anew is that among those who once went to Tokyo but returned (U-turn), many were exhausted by life in Tokyo or hurt by the competition. If such people can restart their stage activities in the region while utilizing their theatrical experience from Tokyo, it would be a wonderful thing, and I want the theater to be a place for that.

Tokyo is excessively glaring, but Kitakyushu is sparkling and shimmering. It is the shimmer of people who love the region and stand within it, and the theater is a treasure box of warmth where such people gather.