The is Japan's first and foremost national centre for the performing arts, including

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

and

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

. It is located in the

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

area of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Since 1997 more than 650 productions were staged. There are about 300 performances per season with approximately 200,000 theatergoers. The centre has been praised for its architecture and state-of-the-art modern theatre facilities, which are considered among the best in the world. In 2007, the NNTT was branded with the advertising slogan: ''Opera Palace, Tokyo''.

Background

The construction of the NNTT was completed in February 1997. Its first public performances took place in October of that year. The

Tokyo Opera City Tower is a skyscraper located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1996, it stands 234 metres (768 feet) high and has 54 floors. The tower is the third-tallest building in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and seventh-tallest in Tokyo. The closest train stati ...

is connected to the theatre. It has concert halls, an art gallery, a media-art museum, office space, many restaurants and shops. The combined complex of the skyscraper tower and the theatre is called the "Tokyo Opera City". Besides the public performances, various enterprises are undertaken, such as the young artist training programs (for ballet, opera, and theatre), theatre rental for other performing arts groups, performing arts-related exhibitions, public usage of its video library and book library, public performances for children and young students, backstage tours, and most importantly, international exchanges for performing arts events, etc. Moreover, The Stage Set & Design Centre (located in Choshi city,

Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

) stores and exhibits previously-used stage scenery and costumes. The arts management of NNTT, including the enterprises in above, is commissioned to New National Theatre Foundation (NNTF) from the independent administrative institution, known as The Japan Arts Council. NNTT is managed by several trust funds, government grants, admission revenues, and private donations from many supporting companies.

Criticism

The NNTT has been repeatedly criticized for its bureaucratic arts administration, which is very representative of usual Japanese politics. Although NNTT is financed by the Japanese government, major conductors, directors, and performing artists have all complained that their creative ideas are restricted by the bureaucratic style of the arts management.Tanaka, Nobuko,
Staffing decisions at the NNTT cause a stir in theater world
, ''

Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'', August 14, 2008.Tanaka, Nobuko,
Japanese bureaucracy can be incredibly frustrating, but it also makes great entertainment
, ''

'', March 19, 2010, p. 15. In 2010, the government decided to cut down the ¥4.8 billion grant NNTT received the previous year by half, and reduce the government grants to trainees who want to work and study abroad.Tanaka, Nobuko,
Cuts fear clouds a year of diversity and innovation in Japan theater
, ''

'', June 30, 2015.

Theatres and performance facilities

*Steel reinforced concrete construction 5 floors above ground, 4 floors below ground *Total floor area: *Design:

Takahiko Yanagisawa Takahiko (written: 崇彦, 孝彦, 貴彦, 隆彦 or 恭彦) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese film director *, Japanese figure skater *, Japanese psychologist *, Japanese baseball player *, Japa ...

+ TAK Architectural Institute *The NNTT contains three main theaters.

Opera House (Opera Palace)

*Number of seats: 1,814 *There are 4 seats on the 1st to 4th floors. *Mainly used for performances such as opera and ballet. There have been several concerts in the past. *An orchestra pit with a maximum of 120 players (4 pipes) is permanent, and the depth can be adjusted according to the performance. *A

proscenium A proscenium (, ) is the virtual vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor itself, which serves as the frame ...

format with

four stages Ye Tianshi (1667–1747) was a Chinese medical scholar who was the major proponent of the "school of warm diseases". His major work, ''Wen-re Lun'' (Discussion of Warm Diseases) published in 1746, divided the manifestations of diseases into four ...

. Using the upper and lower back stage mechanism, performances are often swapped. *Opera subtitle devices are installed on the left and right sides of the stage, and are displayed in vertical writing. *The theater solicited nicknames, and on March 29, 2007, the opera palace (OPERA PALACE Tokyo) was decided.新国立劇場オペラ劇場　愛称は「オペラパレス」に決定！｜ニュース｜新国立劇場
/ref>

Playhouse

*Proscenium format: 1,038 seats, open format: 1,010 seats *There are two seats on the first and second floors. *Mainly used for performances such as theater and contemporary dance. Opera and ballet performances are also possible. *There is also a four-stage stage and a temporary orchestra pit.

The Pit

*Number of seats: 340-468 seats *Located on B1F. *It has a movable stage and seat. *It is used for performances of contemporary stage performances with open stage performances.

Other

*Information center (5F), rehearsal room (B2F), training room,

roof garden A roof garden is a garden on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, recreational oppo ...

(5F), etc. New National Theatre 201904b.jpg, Approach (2019) New National Theatre 201904d.jpg, Promenade (2019) New National Theatre 201904e.jpg, Promenade (2019) New National Theatre 201904h.jpg, Main entrance (2019) New National Theatre 201904i.jpg, Foyer (2019) New National Theatre 201904k.jpg, Middle Theater Foyer (2019)

New National Theatre Opera (NNTO)

In 2005, conductor

Hiroshi Wakasugi was a Japanese orchestra conductor. He premiered many of the major Western operas in Japan, and was honoured with many awards for cultural achievement. He was best known for conducting works by German composers such as Richard Wagner, Anton B ...

was named artistic consultant to the opera division of the New National Theatre (also known as ''New National Theatre Opera'', or ''NNTO''). This post preceded his appointment as artistic director (i.e. Music Director of the New National Theatre) from September 2007. However, Wakasugi died in July 2009 and

Tadaaki Otaka is a Japanese conductor. Biography Otaka was born in Kamakura, Japan on November 8, 1947. He studied composition, theory, and French horn, at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Chōfu. He was subsequently a conducting student of Hideo Saito ...

was appointed as 'acting artistic director' for 2009/2010. The company's productions are usually

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, and the principal lead singers are frequently drawn from a circle of top foreign opera singers from Europe and elsewhere. World-class Japanese singers who are famous abroad are often invited to sing lead roles as well. To introduce Japanese-related works into the operatic world, the NNTO has embarked on producing works such as ''Shuzenji Monogatari'', composed by Osamu Shimizu (June 2009), and Ikebe Shinichiro's ''Rokumeikan'' (June 2010).

New National Theatre Ballet (NNTB)

The current Artistic Director of the New National Theatre Ballet (otherwise known as NNTB) is

Miyako Yoshida Miyako Yoshida (吉田都, born 28 October 1965) is a Japanese ballet dancer. She was a Principal Guest Artist of The Royal Ballet as well as a principal dancer with K-ballet, Japan. Life and career Born and trained in Tokyo, Yoshida won the ...

, who was the first Japanese principal dancer at the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...

. Frequent foreign guest artists include Svetlana Zakharova and Denis Matvienko. The company's balletic identity draws from Russian, British, and French classical ballet traditions. The NNBT has performed at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

in Washington, D.C. (Asami Maki's

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' () is a ballet, grand ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Alexander Glazunov (his Opus number, opus 57) and libretto by Lydia Pashkova. ''Raymonda'' was creat ...

in February 2008), and performed Asami Maki's version of ''La dame aux camellias'', as a guest company at the

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈat(ə)r, t=Grand Theater) is a historic opera house in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové. Before the October Revolutio ...

in September 2009.

Artistic director selection controversy

In the summer of 2008, the government-appointed theater board officials decided to replace artistic director

Hitoshi Uyama Hitoshi (written: , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese politician *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese baseba ...

with

Keiko Miyata Keiko may refer to: *Keiko (given name), a feminine Japanese given name *Emperor Keiko *Keiko (orca), a performing killer whale best known for the film ''Free Willy'' ** "Keiko" (song), a single by Lucerito dedicated to Keiko the orca *Keiko (music ...

. The decision was announced at a June 30 board meeting, taking many of the board members by surprise because no prior discussion of replacing the director had taken place. When one of the board members,

Ai Nagai is a Japanese playwright, stage director, and the co-founder and leader of the theater company Nitosha. She is known for adopting realism as her primary writing style. Two of her major works, and , both exemplify her utilization of realism. Ac ...

, tried to question the decision, her questions were ignored by the board presidency. Nagai later went public with her questions on the decision in a statement signed by other prominent theater dramatists, including

Hisashi Inoue was a Japanese playwright and writer of comic fiction. From 1961 to 1986, he used the pen name of Uchiyama Hisashi. Early life Inoue was born in what is now part of Kawanishi in Yamagata Prefecture, where his father was a pharmacist. His fa ...

Yukio Ninagawa was a Japanese theatre director, actor and film director, particularly known for his Japanese language productions of the Greek tragedies as well as Shakespeare—he directed eight distinct renditions of ''Hamlet.'' Ninagawa was also emeritus of ...

, and Yōji Sakate, but the board never responded to the questions.

References

External links

NNTT main page

{{Authority control Theatres in Tokyo Opera houses in Japan Arts centres in Japan Music venues in Tokyo Concert halls in Tokyo Music venues completed in 1997 1997 establishments in Japan Theatres completed in 1997 Buildings and structures in Shibuya