Stories from Scratch: Scriptwriting with a Clear Message at Heart

- What first sparked your interest in the Takarazuka Revue?

My first experience with the Takarazuka Revue was watching a video of the original production of Elisabeth, which my mother had rented when I was in the third grade of elementary school. I found it so fascinating that she later took me to see Arch of Triumph and Department Store in the theater. I had only really been exposed to manga and anime until then, so it was the first time for me that I saw a story performed by live actors, and I was hooked from that moment on. From there, my interests expanded to include TV series, films, and other forms of theater, but looking back, I still feel that the Takarazuka Revue was where it all began for me.

- Elisabeth was directed by Shuichiro Koike, a Keio alumnus and senior from the Faculty of Letters, wasn't it?

Yes. I first met Prof. Koike during my interview to join the Takarazuka Revue. He is extremely busy, so the next time I saw him was about a year and a half later. The moment he saw me, he said, "Oh—you cut your hair, didn't you?" (laughs) I was amazed at how well he remembered my hairstyle, even though we had only met once before, during my interview. It made me realize just how extraordinary the powers of observation and memory are among truly accomplished directors and theater professionals.

- At that time, did you imagine that you would work in stage direction or playwriting one day?

Not at all. However, I did enjoy reading scripts for plays and films. When I was in high school, I dreamt of doing something completely different. I wanted to become a pastry chef. I was obsessed with baking cakes at the time and hoped to attend culinary school after graduating from high school. However, my parents encouraged me to attend university, and with the idea that I might one day train in France as a pastry chef, I applied to several universities with French literature programs so that I could study the language. Among those options, Keio University's Faculty of Letters was the only one that allowed students to postpone choosing a major until their second year. As I was already beginning to feel uncertain about my dream of becoming a pastry chef, that flexibility led me to choose Keio.

- After starting at Keio, you joined the student theater group "Sozo Kobo in front of."

It was a large student group with around 150 members and roughly ten productions a year. Rather than a single theater troupe, it functioned as a loose network of several theater units. Each summer, first-year students took part in a workshop production where they got hands-on experience learning things like sound, lighting, and stage design from senior members. While everyone else was deciding on their roles, I hesitated, and before I knew it, the only remaining option was a scriptwriting competition slot. Looking back, I think that although I wanted to try writing a script, my lack of confidence and embarrassment made me hesitate and avoid making a decision—only to find that, in the end, that very hesitation pushed me into writing. It was the very first script I had ever written, and perhaps thanks to beginner's luck, it ended up being selected and performed.

- So, it was the first script you wrote for the stage?

Yes. I was even praised on the blog of a Keio University staff member who was a fan of the theater. That recognition helped lift my sense of insecurity and embarrassment, drawing me deeper into theater. After that, I became involved with theater groups outside Keio, such as productions at Waseda and with Seinendan, and began making films, too. Even then, I was not yet thinking concretely about a career in entertainment. I was simply absorbed in making each performance the best it could be at that moment. Ultimately, I chose not to major in French literature, instead enrolling in the Major in Aesthetics and Science of Arts, where I studied Japanese art under Prof. Masato Naito.

- How did you approach your job search?

When I began job hunting in my third year at Keio, I felt lost and unsure about what I wanted to do with my future. Even so, I applied to around 50 companies across a wide range of industries. As I began writing my applications, I came to the realization that I could only truly commit myself to the creative worlds of theater, television, or film. Given that mindset, I went through a long stretch without receiving a single job offer. When I received a rejection notice from a television network—and the only place where I had made it to the final round of interviews—I found myself doubting whether I was really needed by society. I was utterly crushed and spent the entire night in tears. The next morning, I forced myself to move forward and began browsing job listings online, only to discover that the Takarazuka Revue, where it all began for me, was recruiting assistant directors. What made it even more dramatic was that the application deadline was the very next day. I had no time to hesitate. I wrote my application and submitted it all in one sitting. After passing the initial screening, I was given an assignment to write an original musical script envisioned for performance at the Takarazuka Grand Theater. Having passed that, I advanced to the interview stage and was ultimately offered a position. Looking back, I feel the selection process assessed not only my passion for theater and writing ability, but also my character and communication skills.

- So, that's how you joined the Takarazuka Revue as an assistant director?

Yes. As an assistant director, my role was to ensure rehearsals ran smoothly by accurately interpreting the director's intentions, while also learning the craft through close observation as a form of professional apprenticeship. Around three years into the job, assistant directors are typically entrusted with directing a newcomer performance, staged for a single day each in Takarazuka and Tokyo. Then, around their eighth year, directors typically make their debut as playwright and director with a Takarazuka Bow Hall　production starring a rising performer. After a few more years, the general career path of the company's directing department is to be entrusted with a full production at a major theater starring top actors.

- Will it be an original work of your own?

Yes. Since writing and directing Yume Chidori for the Cosmos Troupe at the Bow Hall in 2021, followed by Cult Wine in Osaka and Tokyo in 2022, I have felt that the company now looks to me to create original works. While that is gratifying in and of itself, creating something entirely new from scratch demands a tremendous amount of energy. At the moment, I’m in the middle of writing an original script set in ancient China. I believe the most important challenge in writing for the Takarazuka Revue is crafting a script that brings out the strengths of as many performers as possible, while also fulfilling the distinctive elements audiences have come to expect from Takarazuka. That said, unless a clear theme emerges from within and runs all the way through the work, it’s difficult to sustain a story for more than ninety minutes.

Each time I work on an original script, I’m reminded of the deep respect I hold for creators—whether in theater, novels, or manga—all of whom bring original stories into being from scratch. I am a huge fan of Osamu Tezuka, who had close ties to Takarazuka City, and I continue to admire how his works combine broad popular appeal with quiet but powerful messaging and the creator’s convictions.

- Looking ahead, are there any goals you hope to achieve as a director at the Takarazuka Revue?

These days, it’s easy to enjoy great entertainment at home, thanks to so many streaming services. We have to constantly ask ourselves what kind of work will truly resonate with our audiences, and it’s something I’m still figuring out for myself.

For about a year now, I’ve been running theater workshops several times a month for members of the Takarazuka Revue. In these small-group sessions, members from different troupes and seniority levels work together on improvisation and script reading, exploring ways to engage more freely with theater while remaining fully immersed in the work. Something else I hope to explore in the future is developing a collaborative approach to scriptwriting as a team. I believe that by valuing tradition while embracing gradual, thoughtful change, we can continue to share the appeal of Takarazuka with an even wider audience.

- Could you say a few final words to current students?

While I was a student, I devoted myself almost entirely to the theater, and now I often find myself thinking that perhaps I should have explored a wider range of interests and engaged more actively in my classes. As I mentioned earlier, my debut work as a playwright and director was Yume Chidori which is based on the life of poet and painter Takehisa Yumeji. The starting point for that work was research for my undergraduate thesis on Koji Fukiya, an illustrator who lived during the same era. I have no regrets about fully immersing myself in theater during my student days at Keio, but I believe that university is also a time when seeds for the future are quietly planted in places we might never expect. Make it a time to broaden your interests and expand your potential.

And, of course, I would be delighted if even more Keio students would come and experience the Takarazuka Revue. With its lavish sets, dazzling costumes, and Takarazuka’s unique tradition of otokoyaku male and musumeyaku female roles, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the experience. Tickets to the Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre are also quite accessible, with the most affordable seats priced at just ¥3,500, so take the opportunity to visit the theater and see a performance for yourself.

- Thank you for your time.

Yuka Kurita

Director/Playwright

Yuka Kurita graduated from the Department of Aesthetics and Art History at Keio University’s Faculty of Letters in 2014. While at Keio, she worked on directing and playwriting as a member of a student theater group before joining the Takarazuka Revue as an assistant director in April 2014. At the same time, she relocated from Tokyo, where she was born and raised, to the Kansai region. Kurita made her debut as a playwright and director in 2021 with the original work Yume Chidori at the Cosmos Troupe’s Bow Hall production. In 2023, she made her Grand Theater debut as a director with the original revue A Kaleidoscope of Life. After a year and a half of maternity leave, she returned to work in 2025 and is widely seen as one of the company’s most promising younger directors.

*This article originally appeared in the 2025 Autumn edition (No. 328) of Juku.