Top 15 Theatres in Japan - Tokyu Theatre Orb, New National Theatre and More!

We go around our Broadway World to feature Japan as our newest International spotlight. With the World Premiere of Hal Prince's PRINCE OF BROADWAY currently playing at the Tokyu Theatre Orb, among others, below is a list of our Top 15 Theatres in Japan:

1. Tokyu Theatre Orb, Tokyo - Dubbed "a musical theatre floating on air," Tokyu Theatre Orb is nestled inside a stunning glass atrium that sits wedged between the 11th and 16th floors of a new multi-use tower in Tokyo. It is the largest venue of its type in Japan, with a maximum seating capacity of 1,972. As the theatre has been used primarily for musicals, productions include Top Hat, Chicago, Burn the Floor and more. Currently playing the world premiere of the Hal Prince revue Prince of Broadway.

2. New National Theatre, Tokyo - Located in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, NNTT is Japan's first and foremost national centre for the performing arts, including opera, ballet, contemporary dance and drama. The NNTT building contains three main theaters - the Opera House, the Playhouse and the Pit - in which the various performances take place. Current and upcoming productions include Passion (drama), Tales of Hoffman (ballet), The Cherry Orchard (drama), Tosca (opera), and The Nutcracker (ballet).

3. Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Tokyo - With a whopping 1,632 seats, the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall hosts a variety of classical music concerts throughout the year. The hall officially opened on September 10, 1997 with Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra performing J. S. Bach's Saint Mathew's PASSION. The hall is dedicated to the memory of Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996), a former artistic director of the Tokyo Opera City Cultural Foundation, in honor of his untimely death.

4. Sodai Omnibus, Tokyo - Known primarily to house musicals. Past productions include The Music Man, Thoroughly Modern Millie, How to Succeed..., High School Musical and Legally Blonde.

5. National Noh Theatre, Tokyo - Located in Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, the National Noh Theatre opened in September 1983. Main public performances primarily fall under Noh and Kyogen. Space also includes a rehearsal stage, exhibition room, lecture rooms and reference library. The theatre seats 591.

6. Bunkamura, Tokyo - Located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Bunkamura is one of Japan's premier locations for concerts, theatre, and museum events. Houses four main venues, including Orchard Hall (music hall), Theatre Cocoon (theatre), The Museum (changing art exhibits) and Le Cinéma (movie theater). Past events held at the venue include a concert by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tokyo International Film Festival.

7. Owlspot Theatre, Tokyo - As a place to create, transmit and develop performing arts, the Owlspot Theatre - the only ward-run theatre in Ikebukuro - offers performances mainly comprised of self-produced stage shows. Training programs such as workshops and lectures are also available. The Owl Spot, Toshima Performing Arts Center, is a black box theatre with 301 seats that allows the audience to be a part of the performance. The company aims to be a theatre where "people meet the arts," and strongly believes their luxurious performance space keeps both the audience and the performers happy.

8. Shiki Theatres, HARU, AKI and JIYU, Tokyo - Located in Hamamatsucho, Tokyo, the HARU, AKI and JIYU theatre complex is the biggest base for Japanese Theatre. HARU (1,255 seats) mainly houses musicals (particularly open-ended, long-running Broadway and West End favorites), AKI (907 seats) houses mainly plays, original Japanese musicals, and revivals. JIYU, with 500 seats, opened in commemoration of Shiki Theatre Company's 50th anniversary.

9. Setagaya Public Theatre, Tokyo - Located in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, Setagaya Public Theatre is a non-profit theatre funded by the city of Setagaya council. The space is used for stage/drama, dance, and music/concert performances. Theatre also offers creative workshops. Past stage performances include WOYZECK, OTHELLO, and SADO KOSHAKU FUJIN.

10. Tokyo International Players, Tokyo - Founded in 1896, and billed as the oldest running English language theatre company in Japan, TIP prides itself on "innovative theatre," producing between three to five MainStage productions per year. These shows range from comedies and one-acts to classic dramas, and a wide variety of musicals. TIP launched a black-box Second Stage program in 2009, to offer "new and innovative shows in [more] intimate, creative settings." Also offers youth theatre programs and workshops.

11. Yokohama Theatre Group, Yokohama - Operating out of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, the Yokohama Theatre Group is an English-language theatre group dedicated to light, comedic, "crowd-pleasing" entertainment. Past productions have included farces, comic operas and the like, including BLITHE SPIRIT, THE SCHOOLMISTRESS, LYSISTRATA, and AFTER THE FALL. Additionally, YTG may host the occasional music revue, play reading, recital, or other non-theatrical event. Since 2011, the group has been run in an ensemble-based production style, and today, offers regular classes.

12. The Takarazuka Revue, Takarazuka - The Tararazuka Revue, based aptly in Takarazuka, is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe. Productions include Broadway-style performances of Western-style musicals, and stories adapted from shojo manga and Japanese folktales. The company is a division of the Hankyu Railway company; all members of the troupe are employed by that company. Past work includes The Apple Tree, Grand Hotel; Kiss Me, Kate; West Side Story, Twelfth Night, and Romeo and Juliet.

13. National Bunraku Theatre, Osaka - Situated in "the capital for bunraku," Osaka, the National Bunraku Theatre is the premier location to see bunraku theatre in Japan. The theater is operated by the Japan Arts Council. Performances are usually held in three week runs in January, April, June, July, August, and November. English programs and earphones are available for every performance.

14. Nagoya Noh Theatre, Nagoya - Located in Nagoya, Japan, the 630-seat Nagoya Noh Theatre specializes in Noh drama. Kyogen (comic theatre) performances are held monthly. Additionally, the theatre building houses a small museum with artifacts of Noh Theatre. A prominent feature in the cultural life of the town, the theatre official opened in April 1997.

15. Akasaka ACT Theatre, Tokyo - Located in Akasaka, Tokyo, the Akasaka ACT Theater offers a variety of classic plays, musicals, and Japanese theatre, as well as dance productions. Past productions include The Phantom of the Opera; upcoming include A Christmas Carol, The Love Bug, and Romeo and Juliet. Also well-known for performances of Kabuki theatre. The 1,324 seat-space was completed and officially opened in 2008.

16. Seinendan Theatre Company, Tokyo - Located in Tokyo, Japan, Seinendan Theatre Company was founded by Oriza Hirata in 1983. Since its inception, Seinendan has been devoted to "establishing a new form of expression that can even alter the framework of theater itself." Known for their unique theatrical style, based of the principles of Hirata's "contemporary colloquial theatre theory" - which stresses performing the "quiet moments in life" onstage, and has been greatly influential throughout all of Japanese theatre - Seinendan has performed a myriad of Hirata's short plays, including TOKYO NOTES, A LONG NIGHT IN THE TROPICS, and CHRISTMAS IN TEHRAN. They perform in the Komaba Agora Theater, where Hirata works as artistic director.

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