Tokyo Weekender July 2016
Breaking the rules of kimono – a new book shatters antiquated views of this traditional garment. Plus: The boys for sale in Shinjuku Ni-chome, best sake of 2017, Japan's new emperor, and what really goes on inside "Terrace House."
Breaking the rules of kimono – a new book shatters antiquated views of this traditional garment. Plus: The boys for sale in Shinjuku Ni-chome, best sake of 2017, Japan's new emperor, and what really goes on inside "Terrace House."
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[ PROMOTION ]<br />
A Dramatic<br />
Alternative<br />
A new performance theater in Yurakucho gives fresh life to a vintage cinema,<br />
and celebrates its launch this month with a captivating multimedia show<br />
Movie theaters are often where we go to see<br />
the extraordinary take place: dazzling special<br />
effects, actors transforming themselves<br />
before our eyes, and directors inspiring<br />
their cast and crew to bring their visions<br />
to life. Simply put, we often go to these spaces to escape,<br />
and to feel a true sense of freedom from the everyday.<br />
It’s fitting, then, that Yurakucho’s new Alternative<br />
Theatre was a movie theater in its previous incarnation,<br />
because this theatrical venue is looking to bring that<br />
same sense of the extraordinary to its audiences.<br />
Over the last nine months, what used to be a Toei<br />
Cinema has been remodeled into a 410-seat theater<br />
that will play home to a variety of shows. The space is<br />
equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, a series of<br />
catwalks and wire stations that will allow performers to<br />
soar above the audiences, and 2,700 LEDs that will serve<br />
as a dramatic accompaniment to the action on stage.<br />
There are also certain touches that harken back to<br />
the space’s Showa origins and to Yurakucho’s historical<br />
roots as <strong>Tokyo</strong>’s Broadway. As the elevator doors open<br />
onto the lobby, the first thing you see is the vintage,<br />
crystal-bedecked pillar. This is only one of the many<br />
vintage details that can be found around the theater,<br />
and they add to a feeling of comfort that is part of the<br />
Japanese tradition of omotenashi (making guests feel as<br />
comfortable as possible), which is one of the pillars of<br />
the Alternative Theatre experience.<br />
Embracing the past while looking forward to the<br />
future is at the heart of Alternative Theatre’s mission,<br />
as Studio Alta president Kazutoshi Tanuma explains.<br />
The company has its roots in television production, but<br />
in developing the theater, they’ve had assistance from<br />
experienced hands at companies like the Theater Workshop<br />
and Mitsukoshi Party Management Company.<br />
Studio Alta’s first show is the captivating multimedia<br />
production Alata, which brings together a variety of art<br />
forms – dance, swordplay, and pantomime – to create an<br />
unforgettable theatrical experience. With international<br />
audiences in mind, the entire show will be non-verbal,<br />
and rely on the skill and artistry of cast and crew to create<br />
performances that audiences from around the world<br />
will be able to appreciate and enjoy.<br />
For the more distant future, Tanuma hopes to create<br />
more collaborative shows harnessing the skills and<br />
talents of performers from a wide variety of disciplines,<br />
but always with a focus on the non-verbal. Given their<br />
international focus, they also have a long-term goal of<br />
partnering with foreign promoters and bringing international<br />
talent to the Alternative Theatre.<br />
But Tanuma isn’t satisfied with multidisciplinary<br />
theater that breaks boundaries while reaching audiences<br />
from around the world. He’s set an even higher bar<br />
for the fledgling theater: “Ultimately,” Tanuma says,<br />
“We want to bring about an entirely new kind of<br />
entertainment.”<br />
12 | JULY 2017 | TOKYO WEEKENDER