People Inside Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture Vol. 1: Theatre Technology Professions at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre [Part 2/2]

News & Reports

2024.12.04

This article series focuses on people working in the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture to introduce their jobs and personalities. The second part of the article on stage technology works at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre features a roundtable discussion with Koichi Ishimaru, Keisuke Niijima, and Chihiro Matsushima. The three work in the same department and specialize in sound, lighting, and stage management, respectively. Their conversation covered topics such as how they coordinate with each other and how related technologies will develop in the future.

(Back to Part 1/2)

people12__Q5A6402 — From left to right: Chihiro Matsushima, Keisuke Niijima, and Koichi Ishimaru.

Communication is all about “face-to-face conversations”

── I’d like to ask how you cooperate with each other in your daily operations. Could you tell us about your recent project as an example?

Matsushima: I wasn’t directly involved, but our most recent project would be an opera performance.

Ishimaru: Usually, we have a project plan ready one to two years in advance, and technical teams get involved, but for this project, we only had a few months to prepare. We had many things we wanted to do, but the schedule allowed almost no flexibility.

Niijima: The script was only finalized on the day we set the stage before the performance. Using a hall incurs the theatre’s rental fees, so it always becomes a race against time. The production side wants to minimize the time they spend in the theatre, which limits the time we have for on-site work.

── How did you overcome such a challenge?

Ishimaru: We respect each other’s expertise in stage management, lighting, and sound, and always share information as a team, which I believe is crucial. For example, if the director has an idea about lighting, they talk to the lighting team. If the conductor has an idea about sound, they talk to the sound team. However, these decisions often affect lighting, sound, and stage sets simultaneously. So, the team who gets this kind of information needs to share it among all sections.

Matsushima: Having different sections in the same office is quite significant. We can share information without needing to have formal meetings.

Niijima: Our communication is analog, not digital. I make sure I talk to the team a lot. We sit close to each other in the office, so we can easily ask each other, “Did you hear about such and such?”

From left to right: Chihiro Matsushima, Keisuke Niijima, and Koichi Ishimaru.

Future of stage technology

── In stage technology work, you need to pull together a project within a short period. Do you often work overtime?

Ishimaru: Our profession might be associated with long working hours, but we now adhere to regular hours and calculate the necessary preparation days and budget accordingly. This is the direction we are moving toward.

Niijima: I have decided not to take work home, so I complete everything during work hours. There are many things that need to be done on-site anyway.

── I’m relieved to hear that (laughs). Technical professions like yours must evolve with technology. What do you think your work will be like in the future?

Ishimaru: In sound engineering, we convert sound, which is an air vibration, into an electrical signal and then back into an air vibration through speakers. It is not an efficient process. Over the past few decades, equipment for the conversion, like speakers and mixers, has become increasingly compact and easier to move. But we still need to determine ourselves whether the air vibrations we hear are optimized for the audience. So, I believe there will always be some analog work involved.

Niijima: I can’t imagine what lighting will be like in the future. It may become possible to control all the lights mechanically, but we will still need to hang them ourselves and fix them manually when they malfunction. Simulators and similar devices will continue to improve, but I think human engagement will always be needed.

Matsushima: In stage machinery work, we operate large machines to raise and lower panels, curtains, and speakers. We may have requirements programmed by computers or safer systems developed, but we will always need to visually inspect and make safety judgments ourselves. Operating large machinery carries the risk of accidents, so I hope that support systems will be developed to help alleviate the pressure.

── In the future, if someone wants to learn about your profession, they could participate in the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Backstage Tour.

Niijima: The tour introduces what each department does and offers hands-on experiences, like operating equipment in areas normally off-limits to visitors. It’s very popular, and you sometimes need to win a lottery to participate, but I highly recommend it.

── The Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre will temporarily close from September 30, 2024, for about ten months. What transformation will the theatre undergo?

Ishimaru: The primary purpose is to improve the air conditioning system. However, we also plan to use this opportunity to update our equipment and systems according to the medium- to long-term plan we develop every year in the stage technology section. We will also improve our skills in using them during this period.

── We look forward to the new opening of the gradually-evolving Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.

Interview and text: Emi Sato, photography: Aya Hatakenaka

Translation: Erika Ikeda

(Back to Part 1/2)

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