New National Theatre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The New National Theatre, Tokyo (NNTT) is a centre for the performing arts, including opera, ballet, contemporary dance and drama. It is located in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo.

Construction of the New National Theatre, Tokyo (conceived as the second national theatre of Japan), was completed in February 1997, with its first public performances taking place in October 1997. The centre has been praised for its architecture and state-of the-art modern theatre facilities, among the best in the world, but criticized for its bureaucratic arts administration. While generously financed by the Japanese government, major conductors, directors and singers have complained that their creativity has been restricted by the style of the theatre management.

[edit] Theatres and performance facilities

The building contains three theatres:

The Opera House, with 1814 seats
The Play House
The Pit

[edit] Administration

In 2005, conductor Hiroshi Wakasugi was named artistic consultant to the opera division of the New National Theatre. This post precedes his appointment as the next artistic director (i.e. Music Director of the New National Theatre), scheduled for September 2007.