Amon Miyamoto (, born January 4, 1958, in Tokyo) has directed numerous productions in Japan and worldwide, from musicals, straight plays, opera, and kabuki as well as other art genres. In 2004, he became the first Japanese director to direct a musical on Broadway for the revival of ''

Pacific Overtures ''Pacific Overtures'' is a Musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by John Weidman, with "additional material by" Hugh Wheeler. Set in 19th-century Japan, it tells the story of the country's westernization ...

'' which received four

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nominations. He will direct
THE KARATE KID The Musical
' Pre-Broadway World Premiere Beginning May 25, 2022, at STAGES St. Louis, He made his North American opera-directing debut in 2007 with

Tan Dun Tan Dun (, ; born 18 August 1957) is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. A leading figure of contemporary classical music, he draws from a variety of Western and Chinese influences, a dichotomy which has shaped much of his life and ...

's '' TEA: A Mirror of Soul'' (U.S. premiere) at the

Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby (conductor), John Crosby, oversaw the building of the fir ...

. His recent works in New York include ''

THE TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN PAVILION is a novel by the Japanese author Yukio Mishima. It was published in 1956 and translated into English by Ivan Morris in 1959. The novel is loosely based on the burning of the Reliquary (or Golden Pavilion) of Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto by a young Bud ...

'' at Lincoln Center Festival. His European opera credits include: ''

THE MAGIC FLUTE ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inclu ...

'' (

Landestheater Linz The Linz State Theatre (german: Landestheater Linz) is a theatre in Linz, Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a ...

in Austria), ''LE PAVILLON D’OR'' (

Opéra national du Rhin The Opéra national du Rhin is an opera company which performs in Alsace, eastern France. It includes the Opéras in Strasbourg, in Mulhouse, where the Ballet de l'Opéra national du Rhin, also known as the Ballet Du Rhin, is based, and in Colmar, ...

in France), ''

PARSIFAL ''Parsifal'' ( WWV 111) is an opera or a music drama in three acts by the German composer Richard Wagner and his last composition. Wagner's own libretto for the work is loosely based on the 13th-century Middle High German epic poem ''Parzival'' ...

'', and ''

MADAME BUTTERFLY ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'' ( Semperoper Opera House in Germany) which is also planned for

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when he ...

in 2023, and the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first ser ...

in Copenhagen in 2024. Miyamoto made his directing debut with his original musical ''I Got Merman'', winning the National Performing Arts Festival Award. He is a recipient of the Matsuyo Akimoto Award of the Asahi Performing Arts Awards. He served as the inaugural Artistic Director o
Kanagawa Arts Theater
(KAAT) from 2010 to 2014.

Biography

Career highlights

* 1987: Made a debut as a director with the original musical ''I GOT MERMAN'', and received the Agency for Cultural Affairs' National Arts Festival Award the next year * 1998: Made a film directing debut with ''BEAT'' which was officially invited to the

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

* 2001: Directed ''I GOT MERMAN'' at The Rich Forum Theatre, Stamford, CT, USA * 2004: Directed and choreographed a revival production of ''

'' on Broadway, and became the first Asian director on Broadway * 2004: Directed ''

Into The Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...

'' in Tokyo, Japan, for which he received the Matsuyo Akimoto Award of the Asahi Performing Arts Awards * 2005: ''

'' was nominated under four categories for the

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

* 2007: Directed the U.S. premiere of ''TEA: A Mirror of Soul'' at

The Santa Fe Opera Santa Fe Opera (SFO) is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After creating the ''Opera Association of New Mexico'' in 1956, its founding director, John Crosby, oversaw the building of the first opera house on a new ...

, NM, USA * 2008: Directed the world premiere of the original musical ''Up In The Air'' at

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, WA, USA * 2010: Inaugurated as the first Artistic Director of the Kanagawa Arts Theatre (KAAT) * 2010: Directed the West End production of ''

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neigh ...

'', London, UK * 2011: Directed ''The Temple of The Golden Pavilion'', a play based on a novel of the same title by

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Nationalism, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was ...

, adapted by Serge Lamothe, as the inaugural production of the Kanagawa Arts Theatre * 2011: ''The Temple of The Golden Pavilion'' was invited to

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

Festival in NY, USA * 2013: Directed the Canadian premiere of ''TEA: A Mirror of Soul'' at the

Vancouver Opera Vancouver Opera is the second largest performing arts organization in British Columbia and the largest opera company in western Canada. Its mainstage performances occur in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, other venues in Vancouver and occasionally els ...

, Canada * 2013: Directed Mozart's opera “ DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE” (The Magic Flute) at The Landestheater Linz, Austria * 2016: Directed the off-Broadway production of DRUM TAO's ''DRUM HEART'' in New York, NY, USA * 2016: Directed the special cultural program ''The Land of the Rising Sun'' at th
World Form on Sport and Culture
an official kickoff event toward Tokyo 2020 Olympics & Paralympics games and more. * 2016: Directed ''YUGEN: The Hidden Beauty of Japan'', the world's first 3D live theater featuring the Japanese Noh theater in Singapore. * 2017: Directed a reading performance of ''Fanatic Artist Hokusai'', an original play about the later life of

Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock print series ''Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the ...

, at the British Museum's Great Court. * 2018: Directed the opera “The Temple of The Golden Pavilion“, based on the novel by

, at

in Strasbourg and Mulhouse, France. * 2018: Directed ''YUGEN: The Hidden Beauty of Japan'' at the Royal Opera of Versailles. The special one night performance was attended by President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

of France and

Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan is the current Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession. ...

Early life and education

Miyamoto was born to parents who ran a café named “Sugawa” (now “Sabou Erika”) across from the

Shinbashi Enbujō The is a theatre in the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major kabuki venue, though other types of performances take place there as well. History The theatre was originally built in 1925 to provide a venue for the ''Azuma Odori'' ge ...

, one of the most prominent kabuki theaters in Tokyo. As a child, he paid frequent visits to the Shimbashi Enbujō as well as movie theaters,

Kabuki-za in Ginza is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional ''kabuki'' drama form. History The Kabuki-za was originally opened by a Meiji era journalist, Fukuchi Gen'ichirō. Fukuchi wrote kabuki dramas in which Ichikawa Danjūrō IX and ot ...

, and other theaters under the influence of his mother who was a former dancer of the Shochiku Revue Company. In kindergarten, he began to study ( Nihon Buyō) at Fujima School of Japanese Dance where

Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII , was a Japanese actor active in kabuki, other forms of live theatre, television and commercials. Kanzaburō was a versatile actor whose credits include farce, period pieces and Shin Kabuki. Lineage Kanzaburō was the eighteenth in the line ...

was one of his peers. Around that time, he became absorbed in Hollywood films and began to learn about musicals. When he was in elementary school, he began practicing

Tea ceremony An East Asian tea ceremony, or ''Chádào'' (), or ''Dado'' ( ko, 다도 (茶道)), is a ceremonially ritualized form of making tea (茶 ''cha'') practiced in East Asia by the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. The tea ceremony (), literally transla ...

. He was brought up right in the middle of

Hanamachi A is a district where geisha live and work in Japan. Each typically has its own name, crest, and distinct geisha population, with geisha not typically working outside of their own district. usually contain (geisha houses) and (teahouses whe ...

, a Japanese courtesan and geisha district. While in high school, he was cast as the leading role in the school's theater club production of ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical composed by Stephen Schwartz with book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set to lyrics from traditional hymn ...

'' in which he made his acting debut. This musical received positive reviews and was featured in the Kinema Shunpo magazine. He proceeded to attend

Tamagawa University is a Japanese university in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. The university consists of 16 departments in seven faculties (undergraduate), as well as seven programs leading to a master's degree and four programs leading to a doctorate degree. Part of th ...

, where he majored in Theater in the College of Arts. In the middle of his senior year, he was cast as a dancer in the musical ''Pippin''.

Early career

He debuted as a dancer in 1980. He performed in musicals such as ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

'', '' Annie Get Your Gun'', and ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'', and devoted his time to dance and choreography. He visited New York repeatedly, and studied in London for two years beginning in 1985. He made his directing debut with his original musical ''I Got Merman'' in 1987. The following year, he received the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Performing Arts Festival Award.

International career highlights

; Film “BEAT” : In 1998, Miyamoto made his film-directing debut with ''BEAT'' which was officially invited to the 55th Venice International Film Festival's International Film Critics' Week. ; Musical “

” : In 2000, Miyamoto directed the musical ''

'' at The New National Theater, Tokyo. During the run of the production,

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

, the composer of the musical, was in Tokyo participating in an award ceremony of the

Praemium Imperiale Prince Takamatsu The Praemium Imperiale ( ja, 高松宮殿下記念世界文化賞, Takamatsu-no-miya Denka Kinen Sekai Bunka-shō, World Culture Prize in Memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu) is an international art prize inaugura ...

("World Culture Prize in Memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu"), and

John Weidman John Weidman (born September 25, 1946) is an American librettist and television writer for ''Sesame Street''. He has worked on stage musicals with Stephen Sondheim and Susan Stroman. Career Weidman was born in New York City and grew up in Westpor ...

, the lyricist of the musical, was also in Tokyo for a musical produced by Shiki Company. Both of them came to see Miyamoto's production of ''

''. Sondheim, whom Miyamoto worships, spoke very highly of the production and Miyamoto’s direction during his speech at the ceremony of the Praemium Imperiale, instead of taking about his own achievements. In 2002, Miyamoto’s ''

'' was presented at the Lincoln Center Festival, and then at

in Washington D.C. In 2004, Miyamoto made his Broadway debut with ''

'' as the first Asian director on Broadway. In 2005, the production was nominated for

under four categories. ; Musical “I Got Merman” : In 2001, Amon was in New York City to direct ''I Got Merman'' at the Rich Forum Theater, Stamford Center in Connecticut. The production opened only a few days after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

. On the morning of the terrorist attacks, Miyamoto was at the Grand Central Terminal, heading to the rehearsal. Even though the show did open, Miyamoto felt extreme stressed and left for Bangkok, Thailand two weeks later to escape from the chaos. On his first day in Bangkok, he was severely injured in a car accident but miraculously escaped death. ; Contemporary Opera “ TEA: A Mirror of Soul” : In 2007, upon composer

’s recommendation, Miyamoto directed the first opera style production of ''TEA: A Mirror of Soul'', premiered at the

in the U.S. The revival production was presented at

Opera Company of Philadelphia Opera Philadelphia (prior to 2013 Opera Company of Philadelphia (OCP)) is an American opera company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the city's only company producing grand opera. The organization produces one festival in September (Festival O ...

(conducted by

himself) in the U.S. in 2010 and at the

in Canada in 2013. ; Musical “Up in the Air” : ''Up in the Air'' is a musical based on “Boonah, the Tree-Climbing Frog,” a book by Tsutomu Minakami.

Henry Krieger Henry Krieger (born February 9, 1945 in New York City) is an American musical theatre composer. He most notably wrote the music for the Broadway shows ''Dreamgirls'' (1981, with lyrics and book by Tom Eyen), ''The Tap Dance Kid'' (1983), and ''Si ...

, the composer of

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others,Gro ...

wrote the music, and the production had its world premiere at

in Washington D.C. in 2008. ; Musical “

” : He made his West End debut with ''

'' in June 2010. ; Play “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” : Inaugurated as the Artistic Director of Kanagawa Arts Theatre in April 2010, he directed ''The Temple of the Golden Pavilion'', a play based on the novel by

, as the venue's inaugural production in January 2011. In July, it was presented at the Lincoln Center Festival as Miyamoto's second production at the festival (following ''

''). Following the successful run in the U.S., the production was revived in Japan (Tokyo and Osaka) in January 2012. ; Opera “ DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE” (The Magic Flute) : In 2013, he directed Mozart's opera ''DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE'' (The Magic Flute) at the Landestheater Linz in Austria. ; Japanese Noh Theatre x 3D Live Theatre “YUGEN The Hidden Beauty of Japan” : In 2016, he created and directed ''YUGEN: The Hidden Beauty of Japan'', the world's first 3D live theater featuring Japanese Noh theater at the Singapore River Nights Festival. ; Opera “The Temple of The Golden Pavilion” : In 2018, he directed the opera ''The Temple of The Golden Pavilion'', based on the novel by

, at

in Strasbourg and Mulhouse, France. ; Japanese Noh Theatre x 3D Live Theatre “YUGEN The Hidden Beauty of Japan” : In 2018, he directed ''YUGEN: The Hidden Beauty of Japan'' at the

Royal Opera of Versailles The Royal Opera of Versailles () is the main theatre and opera house of the Palace of Versailles. Designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, it is also known as the Théâtre Gabriel. The interior decoration by Augustin Pajou is constructed almost entirely ...

. The special one night performance was attended by President Emmanuel Macron of France and

Selected works

Opera / Operetta

Straight Play

Musical

Kabuki

Noh

Non Verbal Performance

Special Event

Reading

Revue

Dance

Film

Straight Play (as a performer)

References

* DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
Mozarts Zauberflöte als Computerspiel
ORF.at
1192912 Mozarts „Die Zauberflöte“ ins Heute weitergedacht
nachrichten.at * Tea: A Mirror of Soul
Savouring Tea, the opera, is easy
The Globe and Mail
REVIEWED: VANCOUVER OPERA’S ‘TEA: A MIRROR OF SOUL’
Vancouver Vantage
Opera Enthusiasts Have a New Favourite Instrument: Water
Vancouver Weekly * Up in the Air
‘Up in the Air’ a lesson in wit, song
The Washington Times
A Soaring Musical Fable for The Kids
The Washington Post

External links

* Amon Miyamto Official Website https://web.archive.org/web/20100529084406/http://www.amon-miyamoto.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Miyamoto, Amon Living people Japanese theatre directors 1958 births People from Tokyo