Great plays created in modern and contemporary Japan are the assets of theatrical circles in the country and there is a wish to hand down the dramatic power of these plays to future generations.This is bearing fruit in the series “To the Present: Japanese Drama” for the 2004/2005 season.As an extension of the Series, this season will feature two of the masterworks by Kishida Kunio, the playwright after whom the Kishida Kunio award is named.He left behind great achievements in play writing and stage direction in shingeki (new drama) circles during the Taisho and Showa periods.Chosen from his works, which still retain their luster, for this production are Okujo Teien, a drama of reunion of old friends who have followed different paths in their lives, and Doin Sowa, which depicts the conflicting feelings of a husband and wife who worry about the former’s having to go to the front during the Russo-Japanese War.Okujo Teien will be directed by Miyata Keiko, who is known for her solid stage direction.Meanwhile, Doin Sowa will be directed by Fukatsu Shigefumi, one of the leading young directors in the Kansai region, who has continued to run at the forefront since the launch of the theater company Toenkai.Look forward to tense dramas suited to the small theatre, The Loft.