Hideki Noda
Hideki Noda
Noda launched his first theater company, Yume no Yuminsha, in 1976 while a student at Tokyo University. He wrote several notable works that propelled him to the fore of the 1980s Shogekijo, winning particular acclaim for his dramatic structures that move between real and mythical worlds with leaps in time and space, as well as his loquacious wordplay and energetic performance style. He disbanded the company in 1992 and went to London to study. On his return in 1993 he established NODA MAP, a production company that creates plays through workshops, and has come up with a succession of major hits. Noda has also taken his theater abroad, performing Akaoni (Red Demon) in Thailand and the U.K. He has continued to experiment enthusiastically with different genres, including adaptations of the well-known Kabuki plays Togitatsu no utare (Revenge on Togitatsu) and Nezumi Kozo (Rat Bandit Kozo), and international collaborations, such as his 2006 play THE BEE , with British actors and international production team. Akaoni won the Grand Prix of the 2004 Asahi Performing Arts Award, and the British coproduction THE BEE, won the Grand Prix of the 2007 Asahi Performing Arts Awards as well as the Yomiuri Theater Awards.
