For many, a hobby is what makes life worth living. It’s that moment of Zen at the end of your day or the relief you get after dealing with work drama, bad bosses or any of the myriad of challenges that life throws your way.

One of those challenges? Living in Japan. Well, living anywhere outside your native country, really. When you live abroad, you leave behind friends and family and pretty much start from scratch. Cultivating a hobby, whether old or new, can make that move easier: something I realized when I came here in 2017. In my case, the hobby — the passion — was theater.

I’ve been an actor since I was 5 years old. Granted, I’m an amateur actor but a performer, nonetheless. Growing up, evenings and weekends were dedicated to drama, singing and dance lessons, and I took part in countless local productions. At university, I immediately joined the drama club, acted as its president during my second year and performed at the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I cannot be kept away from the stage; if I go without it for too long, I feel restless, itchy almost.

When I moved to Japan in July 2017, it took some time for me to find my way back to acting, especially living over an hour south of Tokyo in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. Six months into my new life here, I began searching online for English-speaking theater. I eventually found a class I could take on weekends with the Yokohama Theatre Group, which offered classes in Kawasaki taught by Paula Berwanger, a former William Esper Studio student. The classes were informative, interesting and, most importantly, introduced me to like-minded individuals.

In Japan, I’ve found that networking is everything. Having worked with Berwanger, she asked if I would like to style a feature film she was acting in, giving me the opportunity to utilize my degree in fashion photography and meet other actors and filmmakers. Working on that project led to another and another — but mostly as a stylist, with acting work eluding me. The networking still proved to be invaluable and also led me to develop an interest in film production design.

After two years working as an assistant language teacher in Japan, I returned back to the United Kingdom to pursue my long-term goal: to study drama further by auditioning for the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. I was accepted in 2020 and in 2021 (2020 was, of course, canceled). I spent 10 weeks in an intensive summer program with some of the best teachers I could hope for and finished the course with a much more thorough understanding of the craft and my own abilities.

English-language theater, such as Sheepdog Theatre, is a great way to make connections in a new city and find your tribe.
English-language theater, such as Sheepdog Theatre, is a great way to make connections in a new city and find your tribe. | Olga Sotnyk

Throughout that time, though, I truly missed Japan and so returned in 2022, this time with a strict promise to myself: I was not going to waste the training I had received. Like any actor who loves the stage — or anyone who just needs to get the most out of life — I knew I wouldn’t be truly fulfilled until I found a way to incorporate my passion into my life here. While my time in Kanagawa had provided a starting point, my return to Japan showed me that Tokyo’s arts scene is both strong and accessible for those who are new here — much like any major metropolis that sports a diverse foreign community, you gotta go where your people are.

Japan’s longest-standing English-language theater company is the Tokyo International Players (TIP), which was founded in 1896. Since then, the company has dedicated itself to putting on quality English-language theater, all the while surviving fires and earthquakes; World War II, when the government thought they were spies and the members had to lay low; and most recently, a pandemic. While members initially included foreign dignitaries, ambassadors and other notable figures, today’s TIP members include teachers, lawyers, journalists (like myself), software engineers and voice actors.

TIP was one of the few theater groups I had heard about back when I was an ALT, so I set my sights on acting in one of their productions. Luckily, through that networking I came to learn was so important, I got the chance to perform in October 2022. Berwanger, knowing I was back in Japan and looking for acting opportunities, reached out to ask if I wanted to audition for an original musical production, “John Hemstock Black.” I auditioned successfully, decided to shorten my working holiday travels by a few weeks and made my way to Tokyo to take part in my first production in Japan.

From there, I got to know long-standing TIP members, joined the mailing list and followed the group’s socials, which notified me when auditions for their next play, Kate Hamill’s “Pride and Prejudice,” came around. It was a dream come true when I was offered the role of one of my all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet. I, along with the phenomenal cast and crew, worked tirelessly to put the play together, sometimes rehearsing up to five times a week. It was well worth it as audiences loved the performance (or so they told me) and, most importantly, I enjoyed myself enormously. By the final curtain, I felt I had found my community.

TIP isn’t the only theater company in Tokyo. There are a number of groups that put on productions and run classes and workshops. Following my performance in “Pride and Prejudice,” another director, Michael Walker of Sheepdog Theatre, reached out asking me to jump last minute into the ongoing rehearsals for his production of “The Whale.” Once again, I got to work with an entirely new group of people, which allowed my newfound community to continue to expand.

As with most hobbies, the cast and crew volunteer our time and skills to put on these productions. Volunteering, if you can afford to do so, is a great way to make connections in a new city. However, this does mean juggling your work with your hobby. Most hobbies require a certain level of commitment, and anyone who has lived in Japan for a considerable amount of time will know that the Japanese take their hobbies very seriously — whether it’s board games, fitness or even Quidditch. But, in my opinion, theater is something else entirely.

When taking part in a production, you are often giving up roughly six to 10 hours a week and double that closer to opening week to put on a show. Evening and weekend rehearsals can take over all your free time, and it can be exhausting. I’ve seen my friends take part in conference calls in the corner of the stage before rehearsal starts, open up laptops to finish work between scenes and even run straight from teaching to a dance rehearsal still wearing a suit and tie.

Despite all the extra labor, we do this because theater is something we feel compelled to do. Once you find your tribe, you’ll happily spend your free time schlepping across the city to attend a nine-hour rehearsal on your day off or get into bed close to midnight after an evening rehearsal straight after work. It’s a group effort that requires everyone to pull their weight in order to reach a time-sensitive goal: putting on a production to be proud of.

In the past few years, I have gone from wondering whether I would ever have an acting life in Tokyo to starring in four productions, the last three back to back. I’m currently in rehearsals for my fifth show, Laurence Boswell’s retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” put on by TIP. One of the best things has been the strong community of people I have found through theater; passionate, talented people, some of whom I have worked with numerous times. Once you find your way in, you discover it’s not that overwhelming (as I had felt before joining) and, most importantly, it’s friendly, open and inclusive.

Moving to a new country can be daunting, but if you have the opportunity to do something you love and meet like minded people, grab it and don’t let go, it will be an exhilarating ride.


Catch a show

If you’re interested in seeing a show and supporting English-language theater, here are some upcoming performances to mark in your diaries.

May 23-26: The Tokyo International Players present “Beauty and the Beast” at Theatre Sun Mall in Shinjuku, Tokyo. For more information, visit tokyoplayers.org.

May 24-30 and June 3-4: StagePlay Japan presents “Romeo and Juliet.” For venue details and more information, visit stageplay.jp.

July 3-7: Sheepdog Theatre presents “The Little Fellow” at Studio Actre in Nakano, Tokyo. For more information, visit sheepdogtheatre.com.