Careers

渡辺 真由

照明でつくる、自分らしい演出でアピール

テクニカルプロデュース部門

渡辺 真由

I want to support the theater I love behind the scenes

- How did you join the company?

I studied stage lighting at a vocational school. There was a job site dedicated to that vocational school, and I found Theatre Workshop there and applied.

- Were you always interested in theater and drama?

I saw plays when I was in high school and fell in love with them. When it came time to decide on a career path, I decided to go to a vocational school because I wanted to make a career out of what I loved. As was the case with cultural festivals, my personality suited me better to work behind the scenes rather than in the public eye. As I continued to interview for career paths and did my own research, I learned how interesting stage direction was, and my desire to try it became more and more solidified.

However, it was unfortunate that the graduation project of the vocational school I entered was cancelled due to the coronavirus infection in the society.

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The work of staging light at will.
I devise ways to liven up events with light.

- What are you in charge of now?

I belong to the Technical Production Department and work in lighting. I use spotlights, backlights, and other lighting equipment to create light effects in theaters and halls. In Yokohama, there is the Yokohama City Hall Atrium, which we are entrusted with managing, and a multi-purpose hall called Viera Studio Makita, and I am basically in charge of these two facilities. My main job is to be involved in the events held there. In addition, I occasionally go to other facilities to help with stage technology.

- What kinds of events are held in the Yokohama City Hall Atrium?

Events are organized, co-sponsored, or supported by the City of Yokohama. Specifically, there are many lectures, talk events, award ceremonies, etc. In addition, Yokohama has many sports teams, so there are events related to them. There is an elevated stage, which is used for classical concerts and other events. For independent events such as Christmas and Halloween, I sometimes work with the city hall staff to think of ways to make the events fun for both parents and children. They think and devise their own ideas and make the events more exciting with lighting, such as hollowing out aluminum plates in the shape of New Year's motifs or Halloween ghosts and putting them in special lighting fixtures to project them like shadow puppets.

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To be able tomove with a broad view of the world around me whilealso
growing as a person in my own right.

- What do you find difficult or challenging about your job?

It was difficult to assign work to people because there were no people my age on the team. Lighting is often the first thing to be set up onsite, but after my own lighting set-up is finished, I would work with the rest of the video and sound staff to help each other, and sometimes I would be present during the venue set-up. I have to assign roles within the team and leave things to them, but since I am the youngest member of the team, I have to be ....... But recently I have a junior colleague and we are working together. I think I can grow even more if I can look around me more broadly and move around more.

The most rewarding part of my job is when an event is completed smoothly and without delay. I am also happy when the event itself is a success, and I feel that I am growing as a person when I am able to proceed with the event while confirming the flow with the organizer.

The Yokohama City Hall Atrium is a 20-meter-high atrium that spans aboutthree floors, and on sunny days it is an open space with natural light pouring in through the glass ceiling and walls. When I was a student, I studied lighting designed for indoor use, so this is my first experience in an environment with the influence of outside light. It is bright enough with just enough outside light, so we don't use very flashy lighting effects for normal daytime event use. For events such as Christmas and Halloween, I would like to do my best to create a spectacular lighting effect. For example, we use the shadow puppets I mentioned earlier, or change the color of the lights to match the dancing on the stage. I try to appeal to the audience.

With the help of veteran seniors,
my goal is to learn the latest technology.

- It has been about four years since I joined the company. Did your image change before and after you joined the company?

Since I was in technical school, I wanted to gain knowledge not only in lighting techniques but also in all aspects of events, and I joined Theatre Workshop because I thought it was the place where I could do that. As it turns out, I am involved in a wider range of work than I had imagined, but I rather enjoy it.

- What are some of the challenges you would like to take on in the future?

I would like to learn the latest technology. For example, I have yet to use the moving equipment often used in concert halls, which can move light in accordance with the movements and sounds of people. Since I have the opportunity to participate in other sites besides the facilities I am in charge of, I would like to learn how it works first. There are many veteran senior workers in the Technical Production Department, and they will answer anything I ask them. It is also reassuring to know that I can immediately ask them about anything I don't understand.

- By the way, how do you spend your days off?

I like idols and listen to a variety of music from J-POP to K-POP. I spend a lot of time watching videos of my favorite idols performing live (laughs). I haven't been able to go to as many live performances as I would like to, but I would like to attend more in the future because it is easy for me to take my desired time off.

渡辺 真由

渡辺 真由

テクニカルプロデュース部門

2020年入社。日本工学院専門学校 クリエイターズカレッジ 演劇スタッフ科 舞台照明専攻卒。新卒採用で入社し、テクニカルプロデュース部門に所属。横浜エリアにある横浜市役所アトリウムとビエラスタジオ蒔田の2施設を担当し、常駐の技術管理運営スタッフとして現場に立つほか、シアターワークショップが関わる他施設のイベントにもテクニカルスタッフとして駆け付け、主に照明分野を担当している。