The is a Japanese theatre company that stages

Shingeki was a leading form of theatre in Japan that was based on modern realism. Born in the early years of the 20th century, it sought to be similar to modern Western theatre, putting on the works of the ancient Greek classics, William Shakespeare, Moli� ...

plays. Along with the

Haiyuza Theatre Company The is a Japanese theatre company based in Tokyo, Japan. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and Bungakuza it is considered one of the "Big Three" among Shingeki theatre troupes. Former Members *Eijirō Tōno *Koreya Senda *Eitaro Ozawa * ...

and

Bungakuza is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and the Haiyuza Theatre Company it is considered one of the "Big Three" among Shingeki theatre troupes. History The company was founded by Kunio Kishida, Mantarō Kubota and ...

it is considered one of the "Big Three" among Shingeki theatre troupes.

History

Gekidan Mingei, meaning "The People's Art Theatre Company," was founded in 1950 by

Jūkichi Uno (real name ; 27 September 1914 – 9 January 1988) was a Japanese actor. In 1950, he formed the with Osamu Takizawa and others. Personal life He is the father of musician Akira Terao. Filmography Honours *Medals of Honor (Japan), Medal wi ...

Osamu Takizawa was a Japanese actor. He was born in Ushigome, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Starting at the Tsukiji Little Theater, Takizawa participated in a number of theatrical troupes before forming Gekidan Mingei with Jūkichi Uno. His was praised for his performance ...

Tanie Kitabayashi was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Born Reiko Ando in Tokyo, she began as a stage actress. Kitabayashi was a founding member of the famed Mingei Theatre Company, founded in 1950. Early in her career, she became well known for portraying o ...

Hideji Ōtaki was a Japanese actor. He has served as President of the Mingei Theatre Company. Career After serving in World War II, he became interested in the theater and helped found the Gekidan Mingei troupe in 1950. He gained fame for his television work ...

, and others. As befitted its name, one of the company's early slogans was "theatre for everyone." At the time of its formation, Gekidan Mingei had only 12 members: 11 actors and 1 director. However, it met with success, and by 1960, it had grown to comprise 119 members, including 52 actors, 13 directors, 16 administrative staff, and 39 apprentices. In the 1950s, Gekidan Mingei was viewed as strongly left-wing, with many of its members boasting affiliations with the

Japan Communist Party The is a left-wing to far-left political party in Japan. With approximately 270,000 members belonging to 18,000 branches, it is one of the largest non-governing communist parties in the world. The party advocates the establishment of a democra ...

(JCP). In 1960, the members of Gekidan Mingei participated in the Anpo protests against revision of the

U.S.-Japan Security Treaty The , more commonly known as the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty in English and as the or just in Japanese, is a treaty that permits the presence of U.S. military bases on Japanese soil, and commits the two nations to defend each other if one or th ...

. However, many younger members of the troupe wanted to protest more vigorously, like the radical student activists in the

Zengakuren Zengakuren is a league of university student associations founded in 1948 in Japan. The word is an abridgement of which literally means "All-Japan Federation of Student Self-Government Associations." Notable for organizing protests and marches, ...

student federation, and resented that the senior members of the troupe forced them to adhere to the JCP's policy of "passive dispersal." At this time, many younger members of the troupe broke away to found the "Youth Art Theatre" (''Seinen Geijutsu Gekijō''), which helped pioneer the

Angura , also known as the "Little Theater" (小劇場, ''shōgekijō'') movement, was a Japanese avant-garde theater movement in the 1960s and 1970s that reacted against the Bertolt Brecht, Brechtian modernism and formalist realism of postwar ''Shingeki ...

movement of small, avant-garde theatre. Gekidan Mingei survived and continued to thrive however, and continues to stage plays today, although it has long since dropped the "Shingeki" moniker.

History

Notable members

References

External links