Student Blog: Balancing Law and Theater

Currently, I am a law student, and my involvement in theater has always been an extracurricular passion rather than an academic focus.

So, this article is for those of you who may not be theater majors but still deeply love the world of theater, just like me.

Ever since I was a child, I have adored theater. However, I never aspired to become a performer. Instead, I chose to pursue a future in law, which led me to enroll in a law program.

As a result, most of my studies revolve around understanding legal systems and theories—subjects far removed from the world of theater. The journey hasn’t been easy.

Law demands the memorization of vast amounts of information and the ability to grasp complex concepts. On top of that, I entered university just as the COVID-19 pandemic began, which disrupted my ability to establish a steady routine. Those early days were quite challenging.

Amid those difficulties, theater became a significant source of motivation for me. It helped me stay inspired, even during the most stressful periods of exams and coursework. Looking back, there’s an interesting overlap between my passion for theater and my legal studies: mock trials.

During my time in middle and high school, I attended an all-girls school where we held mock trials as part of our school festival. Using Japan’s citizen judge system—a trial process somewhat similar to the American jury system—we reimagined famous fairy tales as criminal trials.

My peers and I took on roles such as the defendant, plaintiff, prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge. Meanwhile, school festival guests acted as the citizen judges, determining whether the defendant was guilty or innocent.

For example, if the chosen story was Beauty and the Beast, we might focus on the scene where Gaston falls from the castle tower during his confrontation with the Beast.

In our trial, the Beast would be accused of pushing Gaston to his death.

Was it murder, driven by malice?

Or was it an act of self-defense, with Gaston’s fall being an unintended consequence?

These were the kinds of questions we explored.

Having worked on these mock trials every year since middle school, I developed a habit of creating similar narratives in my mind whenever legal cases or problems were presented in my law classes. It was almost like staging mini courtroom dramas in my imagination.

Interestingly, I saw a parallel to this in this year’s NHK morning drama "Tora ni Tsubasa"(虎に翼）, which portrays Japan’s first female lawyer. The protagonist, Torako, often visualizes courtroom dramas in her mind. Watching her do this felt oddly familiar, as though I was seeing a piece of myself on screen.

Outside of theater, one universal truth I’ve found is the importance of supportive friends. On weekends, I often connect with friends who are also aspiring lawyers. We leave a Zoom or Google Meet call open all day, studying together. We exchange questions, discuss, share our worries, and, sometimes, simply chat.

This mutual support has been invaluable, not only academically but also emotionally.

Ultimately, my life is a balancing act between my love for theater, my dedication to law, and the strength I draw from the people around me. It’s far from easy, but with these elements working together, I’ve found my way forward.

To post a comment, you must register and login.