Oriza Hirata, leader of Seinendan, is the artistic director of Komaba Agora Theater in Tokyo. This small theater opened in June 1984 and holds over 50 performances a year.
This privately-owned theater plays an important role in theater scene in Japan. It's been more active than a public theater in supporting the productions of companies from abroad, by hosting a Japan-Korea Dance Festival, for example, and introducing Japanese regional theaters to broader audiences.
It is also highly appreciated for its facilities capable of fully serving directors' needs, and for an excellent environment, including a spacious and clean dressing room and a rehearsal room that serves also as the lodging space.
Seinendan and Komaba Agora Theater cooperate in various activities, including hosting theater festivals, supporting the productions of companies from overseas and outside Tokyo, and collaborating with artists and local authorities domestically and internationally. The cooperative activities of Seinendan and Komaba Agora Theater have drawn much attention, as it is not very common in Japan that a theater group and a theater work together to this extent.
This theater serves also as a domestic and international meeting place for artists, and as a theatrical information clearing house maintaining a database of theaters, artists, and related organizations throughout Japan. It is capable of providing various theater-related information and services.
Komaba Agora Theater is no longer a hall for rent like many theaters in Japan. In April 2003 we started a new system in which the Agora Theater produces all its programs. This new system is for providing high quality, front-running productions constantly to the audiences. Also, the theater supports the new and young theater companies by offering resources such as quality audiences (theater supporters) and public and non-governmental subsidies. We do everything we can to achieve the goals. Our aim is to build a new theater system that makes the most of the present, lively situation of the Japanese theater world -- a number of the young and talented vying with each other. The annual lineup will be decided by artistic manager Oriza Hirata, Seinendan directors and several other young and aspiring directors. Also, we have several dramaturgs (curators) in Japan and overseas.
Oriza Hirata was festival director of End-of-Millennium Theater Festival(1988-2000) at the Komaba Agora Theater and continually introduced regional theaters to Tokyo audiences. Around 100b companies from 30cities in Japan and overseas participated in this annual festival. Hirata's prescient efforts helped regioal theaters get much attention in the 1990s. In 2001, the Agora Theater introduced a new annual festival called "summit" run by the younger directors. "Summit" aims to give opportunities for regional theaters to present their works and also to find and introduce new talented theater practitioners.