Yukio Ninagawa (蜷川 幸雄|Ninagawa Yukio, October 15, 1935 – May 12, 2016) was a Japanese theatre director, particularly known for his Japanese language productions of Shakespeare plays and Greek tragedies. He directed Hamlet differently eight times.
Although most famous abroad for his touring productions of European classics, Ninagawa also directed works based on contemporary writing from Japan, including the Modern Noh plays of Yukio Mishima (which toured to New York's Lincoln Center in early summer 2005) and several other plays by Japanese dramatists, including Shūji Terayama and Kunio Shimizu. His production of Titus Andronicus was performed in England in June 2006, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford and the Theatre Royal in Plymouth. In 2007 his company participated in the Barbican International Theatre Event (BITE) series at the Barbican Arts Centre in London, with their production of Coriolanus.
NINAGAWA Macbeth
Biography
In 1955 Ninagawa first joined theatre company "Seihai" (‘young actors’). In 1967 he left the group and set up his own theatre company, "Gendaijin-Gekijo" (‘modern people's theatre’). He made his debut as a director in 1969 with Shinjo afururu keihakusa (‘genuine frivolity’?). After the disbandment of “Gendaijin-Gekijo” in 1971, in the following year he established a new theatre company called "Sakura-sha" ('cherry blossom company'), which once again resulted in disbandment three years later, 1974.
At the same time, the year 1974 has become the turning point for Ninagawa, when the then Toho theatre producer Tadao Nakane invited him to direct big theatres, and as a result he came to work on a Shakespeare play for the very first time - Romeo and Juliet. Since then, he has become one of the most feted directors in the theatre world. He also often provides interesting topics such as launching the project in 1998 to direct all of Shakespeare's works, or in the year 2000 directing Greeks in which its performance lasted for a total of ten and a half hours.
Beginning in 1983 when he directed Medea, Ninagawa continues to do overseas tours every year, which adds to his high reputation in Europe, United States and Canada. In recent years he has been invited to present a play each year in London, three years in a row – Midsummer Night's Dream in 1996, Shintokumaru (name of the male protagonist) in 1997, and Hamlet in 1998. In addition he has collaborated with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1999 to 2000 and presented King Lear at London and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Ninagawa has won many awards in Japan, and also he has been awarded honorary doctorates in the UK by the University of Edinburgh (1992) and Plymouth University (2009). He is the father of the acclaimed photographer and film director Mika Ninagawa.
In his theatrical company "Ninagawa Studio (Ninagawa Company)", he continues to produce experimental productions with young group members. In 2006, he founded a new theatrical group for people over 55 years old called "Saitama Gold Theatre" which is based at Saitama Arts Theatre.
This section is a translation of Ninagawa's Japanese official website with additional notes.
Ninagawa died of pneumonia at a hospital in Tokyo on May 12, 2016, aged 80.
Stage direction history
(Premier dates only)
1969 Nayameru kamigami wa, saredo shuppatsu shi tamawazu(悩める神々は、されど出発し給わず) - by Toshiro Ishido
1969 Shinjo afururu keihakusa(真情あふるる軽薄さ) - by Kunio Shimizu
1970 Ashita sokoni hana o sasouyo(明日そこに花を挿そうよ) - by Kunio Shimizu
1970 Omoide no Nihon ichiman-nen(想い出の日本一萬年) - by Kunio Shimizu
1971 Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan(東海道四谷怪談) - by Nanboku Tsuruya IV
1971 Karasu yo, oretachi wa dangan o komeru(鴉よ、おれたちは弾丸をこめる) - by Kunio Shimizu
1972 Bokura ga hijo no taiga o kudaru toki(ぼくらが非情の大河をくだる時) - by Kunio Shimizu
1973 Moudouken(盲導犬) - by Juro Kara
1973 Nakanai noka? Nakanai noka 1973-nen no tameni?(泣かないのか?泣かないのか1973年のために?) - by Kunio Shimizu
1990 PLAYZONE'90 MASK(PLAYZONE'90 MASK ) - by Johnny Kitagawa
1990 Sotoba Komachi(卒塔婆小町) - by Yukio Mishima
1991 Tango at the end of winter (Tango, fuyu no owari ni)(タンゴ・冬の終わりに) - by Kunio Shimizu, in an English adaptation by Peter Barnes which starred Alan Rickman and played at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival before transferring to the Piccadilly Theatre in London
1991 1991, matsu(1991・待つ)
1991 King Lear (Lia-ou)(リア王)[2nd Ver.]
1991 Shichinin misaki(七人みさき) - by Matsuyo Akimoto
1991 1992, matsu(1992・待つ)
1992 The Flying Dutchman (Samayoeru Oranda-jin)(さまよえるオランダ人)[Opera] - by Richard Wagner
1992 SHOW-geki MASK(SHOW劇 MASK) - by Johnny Kitagawa
1992 Three Sisters (Sannnin shimai)(三人姉妹)[2nd Ver.]