The Wakaura Small Theater in Wakaura Minami, Wakayama City, which has been used as a stage and rehearsal space by the amateur theater group “Theatrical Group Wakayama,” will celebrate its 46-year history today with 10 performances from April 27th to May 5th. Lower the curtain. So far, 38 works have been performed, including contemporary plays, foreign works, and original plays set in Wakayama. Representative Yukio Kusumoto (pictured) said happily, “The title of the farewell performance is “It’s Just Time”. All tickets are sold out, so it looks like it will be a beautiful finale.”
With the small theater boom
The Wakayama Theater Group was formed in 1970 by members of the Wakayama University Drama Club and general theater research group with the idea of “creating a theater company that would represent the local area.” It was difficult to decide on a name for the troupe, and it is still under a pseudonym. At first they practiced in public facilities in the city, but in 1978 they were able to rent a building that had been a wooden box factory. The area is approximately 20 tsubo. We renovated the theater by installing a door ourselves and painting the floors and walls so that we could entertain the audience and perform. At the end of July, the opening performance “Tengu Jujutsu” was held.
Representative Yukio Kusumoto, a playwright who has been active with the theater company for 50 years, says, “In the 1980s, there was a boom in small theaters nationwide.In particular, the 1988 performance “The Parrot and the Canary” was initially held for only four days. “The theater world was so excited that we had to open additional performances at short notice.”
Hiroko Shiromukai, who joined the company at the age of 21 when it was founded, left after two years, but rejoined the company 20 years later. She is still in charge of the actors and wardrobe staff. She said, “This place is like a “club room” filled with memories from my youth.I looked forward to every practice, so I will be very sad to see it go.”
Representative Kusumoto also said, “In addition to the play, there was a wedding between members of the troupe, and Tetsuro Degawa, a TV personality who had come to Wakayama for a TV shoot, happened to pass by and visited the theater, causing an uproar in the area for a while.” He talked about his memories.
Members of the theater company shortly after its formation
A lively curtain-raiser
Practice scene.Shiromuka is on the left
The farewell performance is set in Wakaura in December 2015. This slapstick drama depicts the commotion that occurs at Wakamiya-za, which is based on the real-life playhouse Wakamatsu-za. Mr. Kusumoto said, “I wrote the scenario so that it would end in a fun, festival-like atmosphere.Also, as a play within a play, previous works appear, so you can feel the history of Wakaura Small Theater. “I’ll do it,” he said with confidence.
With the performance just around the corner, Keiko gets excited.
In the future, after the building is demolished, the owner will build a new photo studio. Meanwhile, the theater troupe will use the first floor of Gekinova Kitamachi, a theater in the city’s Kitamachi, as a performance hall. Director Kusumoto said with a twinkle in his eye, “The theater will be closed, but our theater work will not end.We will move our base to a more easily accessible downtown location, so we want to produce plays that the younger generation will be interested in.” .
(News Wakayama/Updated on April 27, 2024)
Tags: years history Wakaura Small Theater Golden Week farewell performance
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