Ryuzanji Company has its origins in Japan’s Angura (underground) theatre movement of the 1960s, a time when Japan’s contemporary theatre culture underwent a revolution. Show Ryuzanji founded the company in 1984 after participating in two of the major Shogekijo movement theatre companies, Jokyo Gekijo (led by Kara Juro) and Wazeda Shogekijo (led by Tadashi Suzuki).

While the "underground" image is foremost in many people's minds, the company is in fact a theatre planning office established with the goal of creating a network within the small theatre community in order to provide a place for networking and collaboration between directors, writers, and actors beyond the boundaries of their respective theatre companies.

As a leading Japanese performing arts company, Ryuzanji accepts international students and actively promotes performing arts exchange programs overseas. Performance activities are wide-ranging, from works of Kabuki and Shakespeare to up-and-coming young playwrights and Broadway musicals, the company pursues "freedom of expression", and "limitless possibility" of the performing arts.

Ryuzanji has also established "Rakujuku" (1998~) a troupe of local adults open to people aged 45 and older, and the senior theatre company "Paradise Ichiza" (2006~) members of which have an average age of 82. In 2012, Rakujuku performed in its first overseas festival at the Fringe Festival in Victoria, Canada, and won the prize for Best Ensemble. These groups are creating an unprecedented theatrical revolution with their motto of "Watching something fun makes you feel good!" The groups are at the forefront of Japan's emerging senior theatre movement.

　　Show Ryuzanji  (流山児祥)

Artistic Director of Ryuzanji Company.

Stage Director. Actor-Producer. Vice-Chair of the Japan Stage Directors Association and Director of the Japan Theater Companies Association.

Born in November, 1947 in Arao, Kumamoto. Dropped out of the Economics Department at Aoyama Gakuin University to join Jokyo Gekijo, and then the Waseda Shogekijo, before forming his own theatre group, “Shogekidan” in 1970. He has been on the rampage as leader of the second generation of Japan’s small theatre movement for over thirty years. His stage productions number over 250, a feat unmatched in the Japanese theatre world. “Bluebeard’s Castle”, “Educating Mad Persons”, “The Love Crazed Samurai”, “High Life”, and “Urinetown” are just some examples of the works he has produced in Japan and overseas, to high praise. He travels the world in search of the “Freedom of the Theatre”.

In recent years, his “Senior Theatre Workshops” have been gaining attention nationwide. As an actor, he has appeared in television and film (“Minbo” and more). His voice acting work in “Ruroni Kenshin” as Usui the Blind Sword, and as Tadashi Hoshika in “Uchuu Kyodai”.
　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

     Awards & Overseas Performances

“Urinetown”＠Za Koenj, Tokyo

Awards

1986 Independent Film Award of the Yokohama film festival for "Keppu Rock"
1990 "Bluebeard's Castle" Award for best play, direction and supporting actress at the Shonichi Tsushin
1994 The 38th Kishida Kunio Drama Award for "The Terayama"
1998 Best Actor Prize of the 5th Yomiuri Theatrical Grand Awards for "Ai no Kojiki"
2000 Best of Fringe at the Victoria's Fringe International Theatre Festival for "Educating Mad Persons"
2003 "Bluebeard's Castle" Tokyo arts theatre Award for Best Play,Best Actoress Prize of the 10th Yomiuri Theatrical Grand Awards and Odajima Yushi Award
2005 The Grand Prize of the 6th Aichi arts theatre festival for "High Life"
2006 Best Avant-Garde Play Prize of the11th Tobita Theatre Awards
2007 The 7th Kurabayashi Seiishirou Award
2009 The 44th Kinokuniya Theatrical Grand Awards for “Urine Town”, “High Life” and “Death in the Country”
2010 The 37th Kisaku Ito Award for “Urine Town”
2012 NY Overall Excellence Award at the FringeNYC, pick of the Fringe award at the Victoria's Fringe for “Hanafuda Denki”　

Overseas Performances

1991 “Ryuzanji Macbeth” in Seoul, Korea
1999 “Educating Mad Persons” Kwacheon International Theatre Festival in Korea
2000 “Educating Mad Persons” in Canada-Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver
2001 “Doll’s House” at Cairo International Festival For Experimental Theatre
2002 “Doll’s House” in Beijing, Hong Kong, Macau and Moscow
2003 ”Doll’s house” in Toronto, Salt Spring Island and Vancouver
2003 “Doll’s house” at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Theatre Festival in Korea
2005 “Kamikakete Sangotaisetsu” at Fadjr International Theatre Festival in Iran, Belarus, Moscow and China
2006 “Doll’s House”,”Shizukana Uta” and “High Life” in Beijing
2008 “Educating Mad Persons” in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Hangzhou
2009 “High Life” in Macau, Taiwan, Victoria and Sail Spring Island
2011 “Hanafuda Denki”, “Soroba Komachi” in Indonesia
2012 “Hanafuda Denki”in Edinburgh, NY , Victoria and Vancouver


HANAFUDA DENKI　2014WEB
REVIEW
 PHOTO
This production is a part of SubletSeries@HERE, HERE’s curated rental program, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical support.