HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a Japanese playwright, stage director, and the co-founder and leader of the theater company Nitosha. She is known for adopting realism as her primary writing style. Two of her major works, and , both exemplify her utilization of realism. According to The
Japan Foundation The is a Japanese foundation that spreads Japanese culture around the world. Based in Tokyo, it was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture. I ...
's Performing Arts Network,Pulvers 2006 Nagai is currently regarded as one of the most sought-after playwrights in
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
because of her "well-made plays," in which social issues are treated from a critical perspective.


Life and work


Early life

Ai Nagai was born on October 16, 1951, in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, as the daughter of a painter and a member of the Communist Party, Kiyoshi Nagai.Boyd 1999, 175-176 Since her parents divorced when she was still young, she was raised by her father and her paternal grandmother, Shizu Nagai. Her father's connections with the theater world when she was young influenced her to take on a path to a theatrical career. In , the character Grandmother Nobu is modeled on Nagai's own grandmother. Also, in , Nagai writes about her grandmother's experiences at a teachers college. After graduating high school, she became a member of the Friends of the Haiyu-za theater company, which enabled her to watch all the company's productions. In 1970, Nagai studied at the theater department of Tōhō Gakuen College for four years, including two years in the
postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
program. The theater department used to be an acting school that was affiliated with the Haiyu-za, where many professional actors had been trained. She chose this college because she became a fan of the actress Etsuko Ichihara and aspired to become a member of the Haiyu-za company. As the popularity of the "Angura" (underground) theater movement grew, she attended performances at small underground theaters. Examples include
Jūrō Kara was a Japanese avant-garde playwright, theatre director, author, actor, and songwriter. He was at the forefront of the ''Angura'' ("underground") theatre movement in Japan. Career Graduating from Meiji University, Kara formed his own theatre t ...
's Jōkyō Gekijo, Kuro Tento and Ren Saitō's Jiyū Gekijō. Seeing these types of performances made her lose her aspirations of joining a theater company of the
Shingeki was a leading form of theatre in Japan that was based on modern realism. Born in the early years of the 20th century, it sought to be similar to modern Western theatre, putting on the works of the ancient Greek classics, William Shakespeare, Moli ...
genre. After graduating in 1974, Nagai was invited to join the theater company, Spring and Autumn Group (''Shunjūdan''), where she met Shizuka Ōishi. Since the company disbanded after two years, Nagai and Ōishi decided to write and produce their own plays.


Nitosha Theatre Company

In 1981, Nitosha (The Two Rabbits) Company was established as a theater company. Nagai and Ōishi named their theater company "Nitosha" because they were both born in the Year of the Rabbit. They also acted in original Nitosha productions as they alternate as playwrights. Their quick-changing two women shows such as helped them gain popularity. In 1991, Ōishi left the company to have a career in TV scenario writing. This left Nagai to direct her own plays herself for Nitosha's productions.Clayton 2013, 264 This company is still active and it is located in
Nerima is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Nerima City. , the ward has an estimated population of 721,858, with 323,296 households and a population density of 15,013 persons ...
,
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. Nitosha has consistently provided plays that do not only entertain the audience but also make them feel actually involved and committed to the issues presented on stage.


Theatrical career

Nitosha continues to put works on stage as Nagai writes and directs them. Other organizations like the New National Theatre, Tokyo benefits from her works because she writes for them too. Nagai also used to be the president of the Japan Playwrights Association. Nagai is active in other countries such as the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
.Japanese Artist Database: Nagai Ai
''Performing Arts Network Japan''
Her plays are also presented as staged readings. For example, on February 22, 2010, Japan Society in New York read the English translation of in an English translation developed in late 2007.

Nagai's portrayed tough times faced by ordinary Japanese people as they evolve as a response to the turning points of
Japanese history The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to the Paleolithic, around 38–39,000 years ago. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when ...
. Examples include the immediate aftermath of Japan's defeat in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the high-growth period of
Japanese economy The economy of Japan is a highly developed mixed economy, often referred to as an East Asian model. According to the IMF forecast for 2025, it will be the fifth-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP as well as by purchasing power par ...
, and the final period of campus riots in 1970 against the renewal of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty The trilogy consists of these three plays: , in which she depicts the first half of the 1960s; , in which she depicts the period immediately after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
; and , in which she depicts life in the early 1970s. The characters in these works are not interrelated, but Nagai's approach is consistent because the postwar social issues and the plays' significance are portrayed by a particular family or by the events in an apartment building, their living conditions, and what they lost as Japan prioritizes the economic growth in the postwar period. Nagai also connects to another social change, the abolition of legal prostitution in 1958. The play illustrates ordinary people at the verge of the changes in life style and people's consciousness because of the rapid economic growth. She also illustrates the anti-
Ampo The more commonly known as the U.S.–Japan Security Treaty in English and as the ''Anpo jōyaku'' or just ''Anpo'' in Japanese, is a treaty that permits the presence of U.S. military bases on Japanese soil, and commits the two nations to defen ...
movement that emerged among students at the 1970 renewal of the treaty ten years later.


''The Three Hagi Sisters''

Adapted from
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...
's '' Three Sisters'', Nagai wrote in 2000. The three main characters in Chekhov's play are reflected in Nagai's adaptation. Nagai transforms Chekhov's drama into a comedy. This adaptation confronts current feminist issues and brings to light the disparity between traditional expectations of men and of women. She also depicts the liberation from the socially constructed gender roles in a society that is deeply influenced by a division of labor, attitudes, and behavior by gender.Edelson 2004, 2 Nagai's adaptation does not commend the old androcentric idea and the
patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...
perspective of families. Instead, it regards
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
with humor. While Japanese modern family dramas around the 1970s portray family breakdowns, Nagai's adaptation comically depicts the breakdown of the internal world of the sisters. The play has 14 scenes and is first staged in 1994 by the Nitosha Theatre Company. This play is also available in the English, Chinese, and Russian languages.


''Men Who Try to Make Them Sing''

One of Nagai's most popular plays, is a one-act play written in 2005. It is a social comedy depicting the Tokyo Board of Education's decision in 2003, in which teachers are punished if they fail to abide by the ruling to raise the flag and sing the national anthem at graduation ceremonies. This play is first staged in 2005 by the Nitosha Theatre Company. The casts included
Keiko Toda is a Japanese actress, singer and narrator. Her most famous role is the voice of the children's hero Anpanman on the long running anime ''Soreike! Anpanman''. She was also the voice of Thomas the Tank Engine in the Japanese dub of ''Thomas & F ...
, Ryosuke Otani, Moeko Koyama, Masami Nakagami, and Yoshimasa Kondo. This play is available in the English language from the Nitosha Theatre Company.


''Women in a Holy Mess''

Nagai's play is "a hilarious portrayal of post-menopausal life" that portrays three women's lives and friendship. The play's English translation was developed by Kyoko Yoshida and Andy Bragen in late 2007 at
The Playwrights' Center Playwrights' Center is a non-profit theatre organization focused on both supporting playwrights and promoting new plays to production at theaters. It is located in the Seward, Minneapolis, Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minneso ...
in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. This is one of her plays that was read in front of an audience and featured American actors led by Cynthia Croot, a
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
theater director.


Style

Nagai's works focus on using realism. She depicts familiar places, subconscious problems, and issues about language, gender, family, and community. She presents ordinary Japanese people who have experienced some social changes in a comical way in contemporary Japan. Three of her highly evaluated works, , , and , portray contemporary Japanese lives satirically. She also incorporates some
word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, ph ...
into her plays like in , although not as much as
Noda Hideki is a Japanese professional racing driver. He participated in three Formula One Grands Prix, debuting in the 1994 European Grand Prix, but did not score any championship points. He replaced Yannick Dalmas in the Larrousse car for the last three ...
, another contemporary playwright. Nagai and another playwright, Hisashi Inoue, have similarities in their approaches because they both aim to write about ordinary people going through extraordinary situations. Both playwrights also write differently compared to other playwrights in their own generation — such as
Toshiki Okada is a Japanese playwright, theater director, novelist, and founder of the theatrical company chelfitsch. He is known for "his use of hyper-colloquial Japanese and his unique choreography."Program for ''Five Days in March'', On the Boards (Seattle ...
and Oriza Hirata. The clear and logical structure of Nagai's plays makes it naturalistic The characters are caught in some predicament and the motor for the play's theatricality is how the characters are liberated from the predicament. Nagai's plays are easily accessible to Western audiences because her works are both traditionally Japanese while also being very universal at the same time. Another playwright, Yōji Sakate, also resembles Nagai because the motivation behind his dramas is his social conscience. Sakate and Nagai both combine elements of
Shingeki was a leading form of theatre in Japan that was based on modern realism. Born in the early years of the 20th century, it sought to be similar to modern Western theatre, putting on the works of the ancient Greek classics, William Shakespeare, Moli ...
and ''Angura''.


Awards


Awards and nominations

*1997: 1st Tsuruya Nanboku Drama Award for *1999: 44th Kishida Drama Award for *2000: 52nd Yomiuri Literature Prize for Scenario and Drama for *2001: Akimoto Matsuyo Award of the 1st Asahi Performing Arts Award for and *2003: Nagai was nominated for the 8th Yomiuri Theatre Award for Best Direction of *2005: Nagai was nominated for the 13th Yomiuri Theatre Prize for Best Direction of *2015: Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts for


Awards and nominations for Nitosha Productions

*2001: **Nitosha won the 1st Backer's Prize *2003: **Nitosha won the 27th Kinokuniya Theatre Prize for Group Achievement **Nitosha was nominated for Best Production of the 8th Yomiuri Theatre Award *2005: **
Keiko Toda is a Japanese actress, singer and narrator. Her most famous role is the voice of the children's hero Anpanman on the long running anime ''Soreike! Anpanman''. She was also the voice of Thomas the Tank Engine in the Japanese dub of ''Thomas & F ...
starred and won both the Akimoto Matsuyo Award of the 5th Asahi Performing Arts Award and the 13th Yomiuri Theatre Prize for Best Actress **Nitosha won both the Grand Prix of the 5th Asahi Performing Arts Award and the 13th Yomiuri Theatre Prize for Best Production *2006: ** Shinobu Terajima starred and won both the 6th Asahi Performing Arts Award and the 14th Yomiuri Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance *2015: **Nitosha won the Hayakawa "Higeki Kigeki" ("Comedy and Tragedy") Award


Major works


Plays and adaptations

*1983: *1984: *1984: A collaboration between Nagai and Ōishi * **1994: **1995: **1996: *1997: *1999: *2000: *2001: *2001: *2002: *2004: *2005: *2006: *2010: *2010: *2011: *2014:


Notes


References

*Boyd, Mari (trans). 1999. Introduction of Nagai Ai's ''Time's Storeroom''. In ''Half a Century of Japanese Theater I: The 1990s Part 1'', ed. Japan Playwrights Association. Tokyo: Kinokuniya shoten. . *Clayton, J. Douglas, and Yana Meerzon. 2013. ''Adapting Chekhov: The Text and its Mutations''. New York: Routledge. . *Edelson, Loren. 2004. “‘The Three Hagi Sisters’: A Modern Japanese Play by Nagai Ai.” ''Asian Theatre Journal'' 21, no. 1 (Spring): 1-98. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4145479. *Japan Society. Play Reading Series features Prominent Japanese Playwright Ai Nagai’s Hilarious Portrayal of Post-Menopausal Life. ''Women in a Holy Mess''. https://web.archive.org/web/20150501114550/http://www.japansociety.org/about/press/ai_nagais_hilarious_portrayal_of_post-menopausal_life. *Pulvers, Roger. 2006. “Artist Interview: A look into the theater craft of Ai Nagai.” ''Performing Arts Network Japan''. http://www.performingarts.jp/E/art_interview/0601/1.html. *Rimer, J. Thomas, Mitsuya Mori, and M. Cody Poulton. 2014. ''The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Drama''. New York: Columbia University Press. . *Sorgenfrei, Carol Fisher. 2000. Book Review of ''Half a Century of Japanese Theater I: 1990s Part 1''. ''Asian Theatre Journal'' 17, no. 2 (Autumn): 303–305. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1124500.


External links

* {{Authority control Nagai Nagai Nagai Japanese women theatre directors Nagai Nagai Japanese women dramatists and playwrights Nagai Nagai 21st-century Japanese women writers Yomiuri Prize winners