Shingeki
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The shingeki theatrical movement originated late in the 19th century with Japanese literati such as Tsubouchi Shoyo (1859-1935), the first translator of the complete works of Shakespeare into the Japanese language. As the name shingeki (new theatre) implies, it was an attempt to establish a new approach to theatrical performance in Japan with a liberal repertoire drawn from both Japanese and Western sources. Supported by a group of kabuki actors, shingeki performances were given from about 1910 onwards. The first Western play (performed in translation) was Ibsen's "John Gabriel Borkman." A theatre devoted to shingeki was opened in Tokyo in 1924. Since that time, and particularly since the 1950's, shingeki has become firmly established and a number of theatrical troupes have been formed, devoting themselves to a broad spectrum of foreign drama as well as to original works by Japanese dramatists. The only permanent shingeki theatre, however, is the Haiyuza (The Actors' Theatre) in Roppongi, Tokyo.
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