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@Hiroshi Jin, a dancer and stage actor, originally established
gHiroshi Jin's Musical Companyh in February 1982.
@He has done several screen adaptations to musical, including
the English novel "Maurice" written by E. M. Forster.
He also adapted to musical the Japanese comic hDororoh written
by manga artist Osamu Tezuka, best known as the creator of Astro
Boy and Kimba the White Lion. The
musical "Dororo" was performed through May 6, 1996.
Hiroshi Jin wrote the script, directed and choreographed the
musical, as well as performing the starring role. His musical
adaptations of "Maurice"
and "Dororo" were world firsts, and have received wide
attention in Japan.
@In 1990, Mr. Jin joined with dance director Mr. Kenji Kawarasaki
and production manager Mr. Yoshifumi Seo to form Company East.
Company East's goal is to foster international artistic and cultural
exchange.
@Company East first produced and staged the Dance Opera Series
including "Nijinsky"
and other works that joined drama with visual dance. From August
to September 1996, Company East staged the Greek tragedy gMedea"
written by Euripides. The play was presented in a traditional
Japanese "Takigi -no" drama style. The venue was the
ruins of an ancient Greek stage considered to be the birthplace
of theater. This was the company's first overseas production.
"Medea" by Company East received standing ovations
and highly favorable reviews.
The second overseas staging of "Medea" by Company
East was in the summer of 1997 in Athens and other Greek cities.
The production received the highest award for popularity at the
Larnaca Festival. The company then moved the production to "Kourion ",
an ancient circular theater in Cyprus. "Kourion is a world
cultural heritage site and a theater that European actors dream
of playing. This was the first artistic and cultural interchange
done by an Asian group at the famous theater and it was very
well received.
In the summer of 1999, Company East returned to Greece with
the support of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to take part
in the Japan-Greece Friendship Centenary Festival. The group
performed "Medea" for one month on a Greek ancient
ruins theater tour.
On February 9, 2000, Mr. Matsumoto, the former ambassador
to Greece and the chairman of the commemorative enterprise committee
of the Japan-Greece Friendship Centenary awarded Company East
with a testimonial. The award cited
the Company's gMedeah for its remarkable contribution to the
mutual understanding and friendly goodwill between Japan and
foreign countries. Mr. Yoshifumi Seo, production manager, accepted
the award on the Company's behalf.
In 2001, Company East performed "Medea" at the
Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. The Scotsman, the largest newspaper
in Scotland, awarded Company East's play "Medea"
five stars.
In 2002, Company East performed at several international festivals.
They brought "Medea" to the Adelaide Festival in Australia.
At the Avignon Festival in France they performed "Medea"
and gKinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion" based on Yukio Mishima'
s novel. They also returned to the Edinburgh Festival with "Kinkakuji,
the Golden Pavilion". In 2003, Company East performed "Medea"
in Montreal, Canada. They also performed Shakespeare's "Macbeth"
in the original English in Edinburgh. Hiroshi Jin played Lady
Macbeth and Sho Tohno played Macbeth.
In 2004, Company East performed "Salome" in Edinburgh.
News coverage of the play appeared on the front page of the Edinburgh
Scotsman. At the same time, Company East joined with Mugenkyo
Taiko Dojo, a Japanese drum group in England, to perform "Rin
Ne Ten Sho/Reincarnation". This collaboration of dance by
Company East and drums by Mugenkyo was well received by the English
audience.
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