Urgent Theme Research
Fiscal 2021
- Survey Study on the Impact of the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic on Japanese Theater（Ryuki Goto）
- Performing Arts in the Age of COVID-19 ―― in Europe and the US（Masaru Ito）
Urgent Theme Research 1
Survey Study on the Impact of the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic on Japanese Theater
Principal Researcher
Ryuki Goto (Assistant Professor, Theatre Museum, Waseda University)
Collaborative Researchers
Natsume Date (Journalist)
Shoji Yoshida (Chief Marketing Officer, Longrun Planning Corporation）
Summary of Research
In the present research, we continued to work on the theme from the previous year by conducting a fact-finding survey and collecting information and materials on the performances that were canceled or postponed due to the pandemic, the possibility of new forms of expression, and the relationship between society and the performing arts. Our intention was to record the “here and now” of life during the coronavirus pandemic from the perspective of theatrical performance, and convey this to future generations.
As the outcome of this research, the Spring exhibition entitled “Lost in Pandemic: Theater Adrift, Expression’s New Horizons” was held from June 3 to August 6, 2021 at the Theatre Museum. It was originally scheduled to open on May 17 but was postponed at the request of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government due to the declaration of the third state of emergency. The exhibition featured a period of more than a year, post February 2020, when the first pandemic restrictions were implemented. Accordingly, its main purpose was to emphasize cancellations and postponement of performances and the period of transition from the closure to reopening of theaters during the early stages of the battle against coronavirus, as well as to pass on these narratives to the next generation before individual memories and emotions are lost. The exhibit “Chronology of the Coronavirus and Theater” displayed around the exhibition hall also served to awaken the memories of individual visitors.
According to a survey carried out by the research team, more than 2000 performances were canceled or postponed due to COVID-19 by June 2021. At this time, terms such as “online,” “social distancing,” “masking,” and “new normal” had come to symbolize the society during the pandemic. These terms indicate how our everyday lives, the society as a whole, and the theater and its space fared during such upheaval. We took up many new forms of expression to overcome such restrictions, with efforts to control infection during production. Similarly, we exhibited some materials in the museum collection that are related to epidemics and the theater since the early modern period. Trying to learn from the past is directly related to the question of what we can leave for the future. Additionally, we published a pictorial record as a part of the exhibition. It includes the testimonies and discussions of more than a 100 people, a chronological table that links social conditions and trends in the theater, and a list of canceled and postponed performances. It would also be a collection that people in the future would be able to refer if similar circumstances arise, making the summarized research significant and important. The future challenges of the project include the development of a more vertical/ horizontal and internal/external collaboration in the field of theater arts.
Main exhibition room of the Spring Exhibition
Urgent Theme Research 2
Performing Arts in the Age of COVID-19: in Europe and the US
Principal Researcher
Masaru Ito（Senior Assistant Professor, School of Arts and Letters, Meiji University）
Collaborative Researchers
Ken Hagiwara (Professor, School of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University)
Shintaro Fujii (Professor, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University)
Yoichi Tajiri (Professor Emeritus, Kansai Gaidai University)
Yoko Totani (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University)
Sayano Osaki (Italian Theatre Researcher)
Sahoko Tsuji (Assistant Professor (without tenure), Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University)
Rina Tanaka (Assistant Professor, School of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University)
Summary of Research
In this research project, we investigated the situation of the performing arts during the coronavirus pandemic in Western countries (France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, and Russia) as well as the cultural policies that were adopted. Since the cultural policies and situations surrounding the theater vary for each country, we conducted a survey targeting the major metropolitan areas where the language each researcher specializes in is spoken. The main goal this year is to disseminate the results for the spring exhibition at the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, while continuing the research from last year to examine the situation of each country’s performing arts from a medium- to long-term perspective, as well as focusing on cultural policies to broadly explore relationships with the society. This year, we will add newer information to the results summarized last year and publish it, making it widely available in the exhibition rooms of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum and the website of the Collaborative Research Center for Theatre and Film Arts.