[Refereed Article] Senda Koreya and Public Theaters

Focusing on the Establishment Process of the National Theatre, the New National Theatre, Tokyo, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre

Abstract

This paper clarifies how Senda Koreya contributed to the establishment of public theaters, with a particular focus on the National Theatre, the New National Theatre, Tokyo, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre. The primary emphasis is on the construction and opening of the New National Theatre, Tokyo, Japan’s first national theater dedicated to Shingeki. However, as efforts to establish a national theater for Shingeki predate the opening of the National Theatre in 1965, this discussion is structured around four stages: the period before the National Theatre’s opening, the National Theatre itself, the preparations for the New National Theatre, Tokyo, and the final steps leading up to its opening. Additionally, this paper provides a supplementary analysis of the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, which was developed concurrently with the New National Theatre, Tokyo. Through this examination, it explores Senda’s vision and values regarding theater-building.