午夜剧场

This story dates back about a quarter of a century, but do you know what percentage of theatrical performances held daily across Japan took place within Tokyo's 23 wards? According to the "White Paper on Leisure '96," it was a staggering 70%. What else could this be but a cultural disparity caused by the extreme concentration of resources in Tokyo? Why was this the case? It was because everyone who wanted to perform and everyone who wanted to watch gathered in Tokyo; jobs and markets existed only in Tokyo.

Recognizing that this situation was problematic, the "Basic Act on the Promotion of Culture and the Arts" enacted in 2001 (revised last year as the "Basic Act on Culture and the Arts") and the 2012 "Act on the Vitalization of Theaters and Concert Halls" proclaimed the right of citizens to access culture and the arts regardless of where they live in Japan. Amidst this trend, the Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center opened in 2003 as a public hall established by Kitakyushu City, as its name suggests. By a stroke of fate, I have had the privilege of serving as a producer at this theater.

My primary focus has been on "regionally-rooted production," creating plays featuring local actors and citizen-participation projects. By "local," I do not mean just the narrow confines of Kitakyushu City, but Fukuoka Prefecture or the entire Kyushu area. There are many people in the region who aspire to do theater or wish to continue it. While many move to Tokyo for university, a certain number encounter theater after entering local universities. Even after graduation, they continue their theatrical activities, often choosing jobs with flexible hours like part-time work—a situation likely the same in Tokyo. The difference lies in the lack of competition due to the difference in absolute numbers. Some say this is a bad thing, but I actually think it might be a good thing. Some people simply do not enjoy competing with others, and those who stay in the region might have a stronger tendency toward that. Of course, they also possess a strong "love for the region," which sometimes includes a sense of rebellion against Tokyo.

What I have recently realized anew is that among those who moved to Tokyo but later returned (U-turn), many were exhausted by life in Tokyo or wounded by the competition. If such people can restart their stage activities in the region while utilizing their theatrical experience from Tokyo, it would be a wonderful thing, and I want the theater to be a place for that.

Tokyo is excessively glitzy and aggressive, but Kitakyushu sparkles with a gentle light. It is the sparkle of people who love their region and stand firmly within it, and the theater is a treasure box of warmth where such people gather.