Tokyo Weekender July 2016

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