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symposiums
“On the history and future of performing arts in Kansai as seen from Kyoto”

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dates‍

2024/1/9 (Tue) 18:30 to 21:30

venues　THEATER E9 KYOTO
‍9-1 Higashikujo Minamigawaramachi, Minami-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto 601-8013

speakers

■Part 1 “About the THEATRE E9 KYOTO Archive Project”
・Tomohisa Sato (Research Fellow and Professor, Art Resources Research Center, Kyoto City University of Art)
・Naoyuki Niisato (Research Staff, Performing Arts Research Center, Kyoto University of the Arts)
・Fukui Hirotaka (Director, THEATRE E9 KYOTO Associate Artist)
・Yurika Koma (screenwriter/director/representative of World Peace Bookstore)
・Satoshi Ago (THEATRE E9 KYOTO Artistic Director)

■Part 2 “History of Theatre in Kyoto and Kansai”
・Yoko Kuki (theater critic, professor at Osaka University of the Arts Junior College)
・Ritsue Hata (Mainichi Newspapers Guest Editorial Committee Member)
・Satoshi Ago (THEATRE E9 KYOTO Artistic Director)
・Kageyama Yota (THEATER E9 KYOTO manager)‍

‍What is the summaryHere

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THEATER E9 KYOTO is a theater that can be reached on foot from Kyoto Station. Although it is in a quiet location on the banks of the Kamogawa River, it is a wonderful venue with a modern exterior design and a cozy entrance with high ceilings, and the scent of art wafts through the surroundings.

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At the symposium, which was divided into 2 parts and the theme and speakers changed, I was able to obtain so much information about Artseed Kyoto's efforts so far and the history of small theater plays specialized in Kansai and Kyoto. The age group of participants is wide, and most of them are probably people who are involved in or love theater in Kyoto/Osaka.

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The theme for Part 1 is “Archive Project,” which Arts Seed Kyoto has been working on for the past 3 years. They explained in detail what results and issues were achieved from the first year until last year, which is the third year. What was particularly interesting was the explanation of the background of the “archive” itself. Currently, “archiving” is being worked on in any genre, not limited to theater, and digitalization and networking have made it possible to “archive” various things. On the other hand, it is said that since anything can be “archived,” it does not mean that everything should be left behind, and questions about “archiving” have also arisen. I had the impression that after properly thinking about how to use an “archive,” an advanced discussion was taking place that said that “archives” should be left in accordance with that usage.

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There was talk that in the future, they would like to see “archives” not only as “past data,” but also as “resources for future creation,” and develop it into an initiative that can be viewed using university research facilities, etc. However, there are many things that have not been solved in terms of cost and labor, and it seems that there are still more issues left.

In Part 2, the speakers, who have been exposed to many theatrical productions as writers since that time, talked about the history of small theaters in Kansai from the 1980s to around the 2000s. It was reported that there were different movements in Kyoto, Osaka, and Hyogo, and that as a common major trend, there was a period when small theaters reached a rush to close, and there was a crisis where opportunities to set up a stage and opportunities to appreciate it were lost. It seems that in the Kansai region, the momentum of “let's liven up the performing arts once again,” mainly from the private sector, such as those involved in theater, has increased, taking the fact that excellent theater people have flowed out to the Kanto region during such a period.

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Finally, I talked about the history of theater in Kansai with various fun episodes, and there is content that Kuki-san would like to share with today's young theater people. Even if there are major issues such as the subsidy system and cultural administration in the first place, each theater company must work hard to attract customers. To that end, they shared a passionate message, hoping that knowing what theater companies that were once popular in the 80s were doing would be a hint for future theater company management. According to Kuki, at that time, press releases and invitation tickets were always sent to writers, and after going to see them, they received lots of mail every day, as well as thank-you notes. On the other hand, it is said that there are almost no such contacts now. By continuing such efforts, experts will always remember the names and performances of the troupe, go out to places they are concerned about, and advertise to people around them. It was summarized that this might have led to attracting customers as a result.

What small troupes can do now and in the past is limited, but carefully continuing one by one will probably lead to future theater company management. It was a group meeting called “Kansai Drama,” but I feel that the final message was to reach every region. I was able to recognize once again that it is very important for today's young troupes to learn how to attract customers from theater companies that were once popular.

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Report: Fukunaga Mitsuhiro