Yukio Ninagawa - Biography

Biography

In 1955 Ninagawa first joined theatre company "Seihai" (‘green 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.