Just as shinpa had developed as a reaction to the refined stylisation of kabuki, and shingeki in its turn as a reaction to both kabuki and shinpa, so shogekijo (‘small theatre’) came into being during the 1960s as a response to the Realism which dominated the Japanese stage during the shingeki era.

Initially launched in the playhouses of Tokyo, the shogekijo-engeki ('small theatre-based drama movement') has since become popular throughout the country, its contemporary and innovative approach providing an important complement to Japan’s thriving traditional and commercial theatre scene.

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