kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is though ...
theatre in
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
,
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...
Nakasu-Kawabata Station
is a subway station on the Hakozaki Line and Kūkō Line (Fukuoka City Subway), Kūkō Line located in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Fukuoka in Japan. The station's symbole mark is Chinese characters "" and "" look like Happi ...
The Hakata-za is a multipurpose theater that can be used in all theater genres, such as kabuki, musicals, and mainstream . The maximum number of seats is 1,500, which is one of the largest in Kyushu, and many groups come from all over Kyushu,
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 km2 (2,359 sq mi). Yamaguchi Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture t ...
, and elsewhere in western Japan. The theater is operated by Hakata-za Theater Co., Ltd., a public-private partnership funded by the city of Fukuoka, theater companies, and local companies.
The Hakata-za stage design concept is "", a term coined by in 1986. Stage features such as rotating stages, ''
hanamichi
The is an extra stage section used in Japanese kabuki theater. It is a long, raised platform, running left of centre to the stage through the audience, connecting to the main stage.
The is typically used for character entrances and exits, ...
'', and
orchestra pit
An orchestra pit is the area in a theater (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music (such as opera and ballet) or in cases when incide ...
can be set up depending on the performance's needs. With the intention of performing ''
Miss Saigon
''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed roma ...
'' in the original production version, the stage area can accommodate a full-scale
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
, which is the centerpiece of that production (stage sleeves and depth are about 1.5 times the audience seat area). Wire-flying equipment are also installed in the ceiling.
During the Kabuki performance in June every year, the kabuki actors go on a ceremonial boat ride on the Hakata River, which runs next to the Hakata-za. The theater is open to the public every December. The Hakata Odori, a dance performance by
geisha
{{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha
{{nihongo, Geisha, 芸者 ({{IPAc-en, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ʃ, ə; {{IPA-ja, ɡeːɕa, lang), also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi, are a class of female J ...
s from the Hakata Kenban traditional arts association, is also performed here every year.
The Hakata-za is the first multi-day kabuki performance venue in Hakata since the closed Daihaku Theater. It is actually the second venue to use the name Hakata-za, as the first Hakata-za was opened by Otojirō Kawakami and his troupe in Chiyo, Hakata Ward in 1910.
Curtain seats are available depending on the performance.