History
February 10, 1896 marked the first general meeting of the Tokyo Dramatic and Musical Association—known today as Tokyo International Players. The group was formed at the original Imperial Hotel, Tokyo. Prominent among the roughly hundred people in attendance were the Chief of Mission of Belgium, Baron Albert D'Anethan, and his wife, the Baroness, who was one of the committee of nine Japanese and European men and women voted into office. The first committee meeting was held the following week at the Belgian Legation.
A Lesson in Love by Charles Smith Cheltnam was TIP's first production, with support from the Imperial House of Japan. Opening night was November 6, 1896, the theater was a university hall, and audience members arrived by rickshaw.
The family of Academy-award winning actress sisters Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine, (both born in Tokyo), were active in TIP. Their mother, Lilian Augusta Ruse (Lillian Fontaine), appeared in several productions, including the Arabian-Nights-themed drama Kismet in 1917.
In the period leading up to the Pacific War, Japanese authorities insisted on inspecting detailed translations of every play. By 1940, TIP was declared an espionage center and forced to disband. War-time bombings destroyed TIP records.
TIP was reorganized after the war when the Occupation forces made theaters available. “Procurement demands” ensured facilities for set construction and professional painting. In April 1949, the curtain rose on two one-act plays, Miss Fingernail by Beryl Kent and Hecuba by Euripedes. Social traditions resumed, and opening nights, certain until the early 1960s, were black-tie occasions.
TIP generally presents four mainstage shows per season. In June 2009, TIP launched its "Second Stage" series with Honiefaith by Monty DiPietro. Second Stage features smaller-scale, black box-style productions.
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