Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

Compares rehearsal approaches of Miyuki Ikuta and Yuri Yamada, showing how they navigate gendered expectations and reshape production frameworks within Japanese theatre companies. Their practices signify a pivotal shift in rehearsal dynamics and gender relations within Japanese theatre.

Paper long abstract

The foundation of Japanese theatre production lies primarily in gekidan (theatre companies) rather than in gekijō (theatre institutions). These companies can be broadly categorized into two organizational types: multi-director companies rooted in the tradition of shingeki (new theatre), and single playwright-director companies associated with shōgekijō engeki (small-scale theatre). Historically, both types have been dominated by male directors.

This paper examines the historical presence of female directors in contemporary Japanese theatre and analyzes their production and rehearsal processes within these two organizational models. Through two case studies, it first examines Miyuki Ikuta, who balances her role in Bungakuza’s directing department with her independent unit, Risei-teki na Henjin-tachi (Rational Eccentrics). Trained as a director within the shingeki tradition, Ikuta is known for her meticulous approach to character development. While operating inside an established institutional framework, her independent unit allows her to experiment with aesthetic and rehearsal practices that are difficult to pursue within the conventional production system.

It then examines Yuri Yamada, the playwright-director of Zeitaku Binbō, a small-scale theatre company. Yamada’s works foreground social issues that have been largely underrepresented in Japanese theatre, particularly from a female perspective. Seeking to create a creative environment unbound by conventional hierarchies, she opens her rehearsal process to the public through an “open studio”—a practice that remains relatively rare within Japanese theatre production.

By comparing their distinct approaches, this study offers structural insights into rehearsal dynamics and the shifting gender landscape in contemporary Japanese theatre, highlighting how these women navigate and redefine traditional production frameworks.