Theatre 2

2012, Kazuhiro Soda, 170 minutes

Oriza Hirata, a leading playwright and director in Japan, runs the theatrical company Seinendan. How does Hirata support his art and his not-so-commercial company in today’s highly capitalistic society? With 60 actors and 20 staff members, Seinendan is a large company based at the Komaba Agora Theater in Tokyo. However, to optimize audience experience, they do not perform in theaters with more than 200 seats. Nor do they work with celebrity performers for easy marketing.

It is virtually impossible for Seinendan to survive on box office income alone; the group relies upon grants from the government and cultural foundations. However, because of the long economic depression and the government’s financial difficulties, arts-related grants are shrinking year by year. To compensate, Hirata runs drama education programs that cater to children of different ages. Hirata also meets with lawmakers and government officials who are involved in cultural policy. He uses every opportunity to champion the case for theater arts as a means to revitalize local communities, promote international exchange, and build the foundation of a nation.

Can the Seinendan survive in the 21st century? Can the theater arts, as a time-consuming, expensive, unabashedly analog art form? Theatre 2 reexamines the relationship between theater and society and, through this, society and the arts in general. The film was awarded the Young Jury's Prize at the Festival des 3 Continents, 2012.