Kabuki is one of Japan’s traditional performing arts. Many of the Kabuki plays were created in the Edo period and include various aspects, such as the meanings of lines and movements, that are difficult to understand today not only for beginners but also for those who have watched Kabuki performances more than once. What becomes invaluable in such instances is the audio guide, which provides introductions to actors, synopses, explanations of costumes, props, music, historical backgrounds, and the unique conventions of Kabuki. Kabuki’s audio guides are broadcast in synchronization with the live stage performances. In this article, we explore how they are made.

The audio guide is produced by Earphoneguide Co., Ltd., located near the Kabukiza Theatre. The company began broadcasting regularly at the theatre in 1976. Today, it provides audio guides and subtitle services for Kabuki as well as other performing arts, including Bunraku, Noh, opera, musical, and ballet.
Currently, there are about 30 audio guide commentators specializing in Kabuki and Bunraku (about 20 of them are Japanese language commentators), and Ms. Yokode, whom we spoke with this time, is one of them. She has been serving as a commentator for about 10 years after she passed the audition, which is focused on the person’s knowledge of the plays, their skills to explain things clearly, and the quality of their voice for ease of listening.

The production of audio guides for Kabuki, which puts on different plays each month, begins with the Earphoneguide company selecting suitable commentators for the scheduled performances.
The selected commentators research the plays and, upon receiving the scripts, start drafting their comments. After the production staff at Earphoneguide reviews the drafts, the commentators record and edit their audio commentaries.
The commentaries are recorded about 3 to 4 days before the opening day. After that, the commentators check their recordings at the rehearsal, and if there are any discrepancies from what they originally anticipated, all the relevant comments are revised, re-recorded, and edited to be ready for the opening. Sometimes, all comments need to be re-recorded, so the production process has to move swiftly.

So far, we have seen how the commentaries are produced, but how are they broadcast? Some of you who have used the audio guide before may think that the commentators are present at the theatre and speaking their comments live because they match perfectly with the performance on stage. The truth is that the recorded comments are aired one by one, following the cues written in the script by the commentators. This daily operation is done by the staff members in charge, who press a button to air each comment at the right moment in the operation room.
Sometimes, an actor who performs a scene slowly on the opening day may pick up the pace as he becomes familiar with the play after some performances, or an improvised scene may vary on certain days, requiring the operations staff to adjust their timing every day.

The audio guide provides support for beginners, but at the Kabukiza Theatre, about 40% of the audience uses it at each performance. Popular plays are often performed repeatedly, and in particular, classic pieces have been staged dozens or even hundreds of times, so “I try to make my comments easy to understand for beginners while also adding new and unique content for Kabuki enthusiasts,” says Ms. Yokode.