A Chronology of

A Midsummer Night's Dream

on the Japanese Stage

Ryuta Minami

 

 

DATE

TITLE

TRANSLATOR/DIRECTOR

[THEATRE COMPANY]

(tr.: translator, adpt.: adapter, dir.: director)

1866

February

Mr Seare's Lectural Entertainment:

'Hamlet's Instructions to the Players' and Selection from A Midsummer Night's Dream

(Mr Seare was one of the foreign residents in Yokohama. This entertainment was performed at the Silk Salon exclusively for foreign residents in Yokohama. This was the very first Shakespearean performance in Japan.)

1885

May

Sakura-doki Zenino Yononaka

Katsu Genzou (adpt.)

June

('It's a World Where Money Counts for Everything': a kabuki adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, based on Udagawa Bunkai's fictional adaptation of the story taken from Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. This is the first Shakespearean production mounted by Japanese theatre professionals. The production, performed from May 16 to June, was a sell-out.)

[Nakamura Soujuurou Ichiza]

(at Ebisu-za in Osaka)

('Ichiza' means 'theatre company')

1912

May

A Midsummer Night's Dream

(an amateur production in English by foreign residents in Japan)

1923

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Tsubouchi Shikou (dir.)

[Geijutsu Kyoukai]

1928

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Osanai Kaoru, Hijikata Yoshi

and Aoyama Sugisaku (dirs.)

[Tsukiji Shougekijou]

1933

May

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Aoyama Sugisaku (adpt. and dir.)

June

(a revue adaptation)

[Shouchiku Shoujo Kagekibu

(Shouchiku Girls' Revue Company)]

1934

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Katou Nagaharu (dir.)

[Nihon Haiyuu Gakkou Gekidan]

September

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

(a production with actors different

Katou Nagaharu (dir.)

from those in the previous production

[Nihon Haiyu Gakkou Gekidan]

in August)

1940

May

A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Revue

KatÙ Tadamatsu (adpt. and dir.)

June

(This is the last Shakespeare production

[Takarazuka Kageki-dan

before World War II.)

(Takarazuka Revue Company)]

[The Second World War]

1946

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

July

(This is the first Shakespeare production

Hijikata Yoshi (dir.)

after World War II.)

[Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijou]

1949

March

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Miyagawa Masao and

Hijikata Yoshi (dirs.)

[Zenshin-za]

1951

November

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Katou Nagaharu (dir.)

[Kindai Gekijou]

1954

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Katou Nagaharu (dir.)

[Kindai Gekijou]

1961

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Kinotouru (tr. and adpt.)

(a musical adaptation)

Tobe Shin'ichi (dir.)

[Theatre Echo]

October

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Katou Nagaharu (dir.)

[Kindai Gekijou]

1962

March

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fukuda Tsuneari (tr. and dir.)

April

[Gekidan Kumo]

1965

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fukuda Tsuneari (tr. and dir.)

[Gekidan Kumo]

1968

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Nemoto Yoshinari (dir.)

[Kindai-za]

1972

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Mikami Isao (tr.)

Hirowatari Tsunetoshi (dir.)

[Tokyo Engeki Ensemble]

1973

March

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fukuda Tsuneari (tr.)

Kitamura Eizou and

Kamisawa Kazuo (dirs.)

[Mouri Kikue Engeki Kenkyuujo]

(in Kyoto)

May

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Peter Brook (dir.)

[Royal Shakespeare Company]

1975

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

John David (dir.)

[Touhou Production]

Botomu no Yume ('Bottom's

Tsubouchi Shouyou (tr.)

Dream': an adaptation of A Midsummer

Hayashi Kyouhei (dir.)

Night's Dream)

[Gekidan Tochinomi]

September

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Hirowatari Tsunetoshi (dir.)

[Tokyo Engeki Ensemble]

1976

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

August

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

1977

April

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Takeuchi Issei (dir.)

[Group Zatto]

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Hidaka Hitoshi (dir.)

[Gekidan Fuji]

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream:

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Ningyou niyoru Mugen-geki

Shimizu Kouji (dir.)

('A Dream Play Performed by

[Ningyou no Ie and Seibu

Puppets')

Gekijou]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

1978

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Uriu Masami (adpt.)

(an adaptation as a musical)

Yamakawa Keisuke (lyricist)

Horiuchi Kan (dir. and

choreographer)

[Izumi Taku Follies]

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

November

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Seki Kiyoshi (dir.)

[Ikebukuro Shougekijou]

1979

April

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Moriizumi Hiroyuki (dir.)

[Engeki Shuudan En]

Ayashii Kazeyo Rarabai ('Lullaby of a

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Mysterious Breeze': an adaptation of

Kushida Kazuyoshi (dir.)

A Midsummer Night's Dream)

[On-Theatre Jiyuu Gekijou]

September

Youseitachi no Mori ('A Forest of Fairies' Hirata Minoru (adpt. and dir.)

: an adaptation of A Midsummer

[Gekidan Touhai]

Night's Dream)

1980

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Natsume Shunji (tr. and dir.)

[Gekidan Kobe]

(in Kobe)

October

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

1981

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Masumi Toshikiyo and

Watanabe Kyouko (adpts.)

Masumi Toshikiyo (dir.)

[Haiyuu-za and Shouchiku Joint

Production]

1982

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

1983

April

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fujita Asaya (adpt. and dir.)

[Gogatsu-sha]

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Takarada Akira (dir.)

[TAC]

1984

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shibata Toshiyuki (dir.)

Yamaguchi Keiko (producer)

1985

February

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Haichi Jun (dir.)

[Tokyo Actors in Tanaka

Production]

May

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Endou Eizou (dir.)

[Itabashi Engeki Centre]

November

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fukuda Tsuneari (tr. and dir.)

Higuchi Masahiro (dir.)

[Gendai Engeki Kyoukai Subaru]

1986

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Lindsay Kemp (dir.)

[Lindsay Kemp Company]

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

November

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Yoshizawa Takao (dir.)

[Yoshizawa Engeki-juku]

1987

March

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Chinen Masafumi (adpt. and dir.)

[Gekidan Choujuugiga]

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Lindsay Kemp (dir.)

[Lindsay Kemp Company]

Koino Mayoibitotachi ('People Lost

Rick Besoyan (adpt.)

in Love': an adaptation of A Midsummer

Okumura Tatsuo (dir.)

Night's Dream)

[Gekidan Souen]

1988

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fukuda Tsuneari (tr.)

Terence Knapp (dir.)

[PARCO Production]

1989

April

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Uriu Masami (adpt.)

Nakano Chiharu and

Uriu Masami (dirs.)

[Seinen Gekijou]

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Kino Hana (dir.)

[Office the Third Stage

Production]

1990

March

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Kenneth Branagh (dir.)

April

[Renaissance Theatre Company]

April

Moonlight

Takaizumi Junko (adpt.)

(an adaptation of A Midsummer Night's

Yoshizawa Kouichi (dir.)

Dream)

[YuuKikai/Zenjidou Theatre]

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Bunkamura Production]

Moonlight

Takaizumi Junko (adpt.)

Yoshizawa Kouichi (dir.)

[YuuKikai/Zenjidou Theatre]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Endou Eizou (dir.)

[Itabashi Engeki Centre]

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fujibayashi Noriko and

Kosuga Nobuko (adpts.)

Fujibayashi Noriko (dir.)

[Shakespeare Society]

November

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Lindsay Kemp (dir.)

[Lindsay Kemp Company]

1991

February

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Chinen Masafumi (adpt. and dir.)

[Gekidan Choujuugiga]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Suzuki Tadashi (adpt. and dir.)

[ACM: Acting Company of Mito]

May

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Fukuda Tsuneari (tr.)

June

Kikuchi Jun (dir.)

[Gendai Engeki Kyoukai Subaru]

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Katou Tadashi (adpt. and dir.)

[Bunkamura Production]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Dan Kenny (adpt. and dir.)

(a kyougen adaptation in English)

[Kenny and Ogawa Kyougen

Players]

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Oohashi Hiroshi (adpt. and dir.)

[Proto Theatre]

July

A Musical: A Midsummer Night's Dream

Moriizumi Hiroyuki (adpt. and dir.)

August

[Kiyama Jimusho]

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Izumi Motohide (adpt., dir. and

(a kyougen adaptation)

supervisor)

[Izumi Souke]

September

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Takamori Hideyuki and

Harada Yoshinori (dirs.)

[Quixote]

October

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Lindsay Kemp (dir.)

[Lindsay Kemp Company]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Takemura Rui (dir.)

[Super Company]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Izumi Motohide (adpt. , dir. and

(a kyougen adaptation)

supervisor)

[Izumi Souke]

December

Puck

Misaki Tetsuya (adpt and dir.)

(an adaptation of A Midsummer

[Yokohama Piitoru Carnival]

Night's Dream)

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Chuujou Yasuomi (dir.)

[Ano]

1992

March

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Takagi Touru (dir.)

[Seinen-za]

May

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Iida Tetsuya (dir.)

[Shakespeare Drama Society]

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Takahashi Yasunari (tr.)

Ulla Aberg (adpt.)

Peter Stormare(dir.)

[Globe Theatre Company]

A Midsummer Night's Dream: A

Endou Tatsurou (adpt. and dir.)

Shakespeare Play Performed in the

[Bunkamura Production]

Manner of Balinese Mystery Play

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2:A

Oohashi Hiroshi (adpt. and dir.)

Dream of A Midsummer Night's Dream

[Proto Theatre]

August

Noda Hideki no A Midsummer Night's

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Dream ('Noda Hideki's Midsummer

Noda Hideki (adpt. and dir.)

Night's Dream')

[Nissei Gekijou Production]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Ootani Ryousuke (adpt. and dir.)

[Tokyo Ichigumi]

1993

March

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (dir.)

Itou Shirou (dir.)

[Hitomi-za]

Helena and Hermia

Ikuta Yorozu and

(an adaptation of A Midsummer Night's

Katagiri Hairi (adpts.)

Dream)

Ikuta Yorozu (dir.)

[Buriki no Jihatsu-dan]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Hirowatari Tsunetoshi (dir.)

[Tokyo Engeki Ensemble]

May

Buriki no Machi no Natsu no Yo no

Ikuta Yorozu (adpt. and dir.)

Yume ('A Midsummer Night Dream

[Buriki no Jihatsu-dan]

in a Tinny Town')

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

[Shakespeare Theatre]

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Hayashi Makiko (adpt. and dir.)

[Romantica]

July

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Gotou Shouin (adpt. and dir.)

[Mugen Houyou]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Yoneuchiyama Akihiro (adpt.)

Yoneuchiyama Akihiro and

Shouzaki Takashi (dirs.)

[Deaf Puppet Theatre and

Hitomo-za Joint Production]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Takahashi Yasunari (tr.)

Ulla Aberg(adpt.)

Peter Stormare (dir.)

[Globe Theatre Company]

A Midsummer Night's Dream, 3:

Oohashi Hiroshi (adpt. and dir.)

Hadakano Yume

[Proto Theatre]

('Naked Dream')

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Mito Yagaigeki Jouen Iinkai

('Mito Open-air Production

Committee': adpt. and dir.)

[Mito Geijutsu-kan]

August

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Fujimori Ichirou (dir.)

[Muraku-za]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Lindsay Kemp (adpt. and dir.)

[Lindsay Kemp Company]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Komura Tetsuo (adpt. and dir.)

[Yume-makura]

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Kojima Nobuko (adpt. and dir.)

[Shakespeare Society]

September

Koibitotachi

Abe Ryou (adpt. and dir.)

('Lovers': an adaptation of A Midsummer

[Abe Ryou and JeanJean Joint

Night's Dream)

Production]

December

A Midsummer Night's Dream at

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Christmas

Takamori Hideyuki (dir.)

[Quixote]

1994

May

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Matsuoka Kazuko (tr.)

Kushida Kazuyoshi (dir.)

[Theatre Cocoon Production]

June

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

Ninagawa Yukio (dir.)

[T.P.T.(Theatre Project Tokyo)]

September

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Odashima Yuushi (tr.)

(Deguchi's three different directorial

Deguchi Norio (dir.)

versions of A Midsummer Night's

[Shakespeare Theatre]

Dream were staged: 'School Version',

'Mask Version' and 'Bar Version'.)