The was a Japanese theatre company that staged Western-style plays.
In 1963, its members split from the
Bungakuza company to form their own troupe in response to what they viewed as their former troupe's overly leftist politics.
In 1976, the Kumo Theatre Company merged with the
Keyaki Theatre Company to form the new
Subaru Theatre Company, which still exists.
History
Gekidan Kumo, meaning "The Cloud Theatre Company,"
was founded in 1963 by
Tsuneari Fukuda
was a Japanese dramatist, translator, and literary critic. From 1969 until 1983, he was a professor at Kyoto Sangyo University. He became a member of the Japan Art Academy in 1981.
His criticism of the pacifist Japanese establishment of the ...
, along with
Hiroshi Akutagawa,
Hiroyuki Nishimoto
was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He began acting in the theatre company Bungakuza and later co-founded Gekidan Kumo (劇団雲 "Cloud Theatre Company") in 1963. Nishimoto then joined Theatre Company Subaru in 1976. He provided the voice o ...
, and other members of the
Bungakuza company of
Shingeki theatre players.
In the 1950s, many Shingeki theatre troupes were viewed as left-wing or even communist. However, Bungakuza was considered one of the least ideological troupes.
Thus many people were surprised when Bungakuza's leaders agreed to stage a tour of
Communist China in 1961.
Even more controversial was the decision to modify the script of the company's flagship play, "The Life of a Woman" (''Onna no isshō''), to accommodate the ideological demands of their Chinese hosts, which was seen as an abridgment of artistic freedom.
This angered many of the younger members of the troupe, and in late 1962, right in the middle of the company's New Year's production, 29 members abruptly announced that they were leaving the company
In January 1963, they joined with
Tsuneari Fukuda
was a Japanese dramatist, translator, and literary critic. From 1969 until 1983, he was a professor at Kyoto Sangyo University. He became a member of the Japan Art Academy in 1981.
His criticism of the pacifist Japanese establishment of the ...
, a well known translator of
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
plays,
to found their own company, the Cloud Theatre Company (''Gekidan Kumo'').
Fukuda was more conservative, and thought that
Shingeki had become too ideological. Under his direction, Gekidan Kumo performed numerous Shakespeare plays in Japanese translation, plays by western playwrights such as
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...
and
Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
that Shingeki troupes had tended to ignore, and new plays written by Japanese playwrights.
In 1975, Gekidan Kumo disbanded due to creative disagreements among its members, and in 1976, Fukuda and the majority of the troupe merged with another troupe, Gekidan Keyaki, to form the
Subaru Theatre Company (''Gekidan Subaru''), which was also under Fukuda's direction. In honoring Fukuda's legacy, to this day Gekidan Subaru continues to prominently feature Shakespeare plays in Japanese translation.
Notable members
*
Hiroshi Arikawa
was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Kagoshima Prefecture affiliated with Engekishūdan En.
Formerly affiliated with Gekidan Haiyūza, Arikawa enrolled in Gekidan Kumo in 1965. It wasn't until 1975 that Arikawa would enroll in Engekish ...
*
Tsutomu Yamazaki
*
Asao Koike
was a Japanese actor. He is most famous for playing yakuza roles. He is also known as voice actor. In 1950, he joined the Bungakuza Theatre Company. In 1963, he left the Bungakuza Theatre Company and established the Kumo Theatre Company. He appe ...
*
Tsuneari Fukuda
was a Japanese dramatist, translator, and literary critic. From 1969 until 1983, he was a professor at Kyoto Sangyo University. He became a member of the Japan Art Academy in 1981.
His criticism of the pacifist Japanese establishment of the ...
*
Shigeru Kōyama
was a Japanese actor.
Career
Born in Kure, Hiroshima, Kōyama joined the Bungakuza theatre troupe in 1952, first as a directorial assistant and then as an actor. He made his film debut in 1953 in Tadashi Imai's ''An Inlet of Muddy Water''. He ...
*
Hiroyuki Nishimoto
was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He began acting in the theatre company Bungakuza and later co-founded Gekidan Kumo (劇団雲 "Cloud Theatre Company") in 1963. Nishimoto then joined Theatre Company Subaru in 1976. He provided the voice o ...
*
Masato Sako
was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Iwakuni, Yamaguchi. He stood at 168 centimeters (5 feet, 7 inches) tall and weighed in at 62 kilograms (136 pounds).
Sako dropped out of Chuo University. He then enrolled in the theater company Geki ...
References
{{Authority control
Theatre companies in Japan