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College of Art
Nihon University
a self-driven creative person.
About College of Art
and our history
Nihon University is the biggest universities in Japan, with 86 departments in 16 colleges, 3 junior colleges, 4 schools of distance learning, 19 graduate schools, and 2 independent graduate schools.
College of Art was founded in 1921. The Department of Theatre was founded in 1950 (although it stems from a theatre major founded in 1929). We provide theoretical study and practical study in parallel and boast many notable graduates in the professional theatre field of Japan.
Our Courses
The Department of Theatre offers classes in a variety of 10 majors in 4 courses, including “Stage Producing” (to the five majors of Playwriting, Directing, Sound Design, Stage Management, and Planning and Producing in the second year), “Acting” (Acting), “Theatre Visuals” (Set Design, Lighting Design), and “Dance” (Japanese Dance, Western dance), with consideration for the balance of learning "theories" and "actual practices."
In practical classes such as “Sogo Jisshu (General public performance)” and “Joh-en Jisshu (Performance of playwriting and directing),” students of all majors commit themselves under the guidance of teachers who are active at the forefront of the Japanese performing arts world. Our curriculum, along with liberal arts curriculum and those from other 7 departments of College of Art, such as Photography, Cinema, Fine Arts, Music, Literary Arts, Broadcasting, Design, is composed so that students can cultivate the ability to think creatively and to acquire practical skills to shape careers in performing arts world.
Curriculum※As of September 2024
Required courses
Theatre History I (Japanese Theatre History), Theatre History II (Western Theatre History), Introduction to Theatre I, II
Electives courses include
Stage Planning: Playwriting Introductory + I-II, Directing Introductory + I-II, Sound Design Introductory + I-II, Stage Management Introductory + I-II, Performing Art Management Introductory + I-II, Play Analysis, Theory of Directing
Acting: Acting I-II, Physical work for actors, Voice work, Theory of Acting
Theatre Visuals: Set Design I-III, Lighting Design I-III
Dance: Japanese Dance I-II, Western dance I-II, Oriental Dance
Sogo Jisshu (General public performance) I-III, Joh-en Jisshu (Performance of playwriting and directing) I, Japanese contemporary theatre analysis, Costume practices, Projection design, Theatre Theory I&II, Introduction to accounting, Marketing basics, Noh study, 2.5 musicals analysis, Theatre Seminars I-V, Education and Theatre, Applied Theatre, etc.
Faculty
Midori Okuyama (Head Of Department)
Theatre producing
Performing arts management
Fan Lyu
Modern dance, Oriental dance
Masahiko Matsunaga
Western dance
Naoya Kobayashi
Japanese Dance, Theatre history,
Folkloric performing art research
Sigeki Nakano
Directing
Ryu Matsuyama
Acting
Eiho Yamaguchi
Stage and Production management
Takuya Aoki
Set design
Kaori Minami
Lighting Design
Haruhi Imai
Sound Design
Yoko Ōike
Playwrighting