The International Theatre Institute

An international organization for theater. Abbreviated as ITI. At the request of UNESCO, discussions were held on creating an international organization for theater, and the first conference was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now the capital of the Czech Republic) in 1948, with delegations from 22 countries in attendance. The ITI Japan Center was founded in 1951 (Showa 26), with Takahashi Seiichiro as chairman and Kitamura Kihachi as director. In the same year, the organization was approved to join the international organization at the fourth conference in Oslo. After Kitamura's death in 1960, Sugawara Takashi became director, but in 1970, Sugawara also passed away and most of the organization's activities stagnated, but at the end of the same year, a general meeting was held to reinstate the organization, with Takahashi as chairman and Hojo Hideji as director, and the secretariat was established at the Japan Theater Association in Tsukiji, Tokyo. Following Takahashi's death in 1982, the organization was run by chairman Hojo and vice-chairman Uchimura Naoya, and subsequently the chairmanship was passed down to Uchimura (1985-90), Sakamoto Tomokazu (1990-97), and Nagayama Takeomi (1998-2006). The organization is committed to international theater exchange through activities such as the International Theater Month, overseas theater lectures and exhibitions, publication of the International Theater Yearbook, and symposiums, and in particular the annual summer classical performing arts workshop, which has been highly praised both at home and abroad. As of 2001, the organization has 86 member countries and 9 cooperating countries.

[Hiroshi Fujita]

"International Theatre Yearbook: Japan Edition and Overseas Edition (various editions)" edited and published by the Japan Centre of the International Theatre Institute

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

演劇に関する国際組織。略称ITI。ユネスコの要請により演劇の国際組織をつくることが協議され、1948年チェコスロバキアのプラハ（現在はチェコの首都）で第1回大会が開かれ、22か国の代表団が出席して結成された。51年（昭和26）にITI日本センターが創立され、会長に高橋誠一郎、理事長に北村喜八が就任した。同年、オスロにおける第4回大会で国際組織への加入が承認された。60年北村の死後菅原卓(すがわらたかし)が理事長になるが、70年に菅原も亡くなり活動のほとんどが停滞していたが、同年暮れに再建総会が開かれ、会長高橋、理事長北条秀司(ひでじ)として東京・築地(つきじ)にあった日本演劇協会に事務局を併設することで新発足した。82年高橋の死により会長北条、副会長内村直也(なおや)で運営、その後会長は、内村（1985～90）、坂本朝一(ともかず)（1990～97）、永山武臣(たけおみ)（1998～2006）とかわっている。国際演劇月の活動、海外演劇講座および展覧会、『国際演劇年鑑』の刊行、シンポジウムなどを行い、とくに恒例となった夏の古典芸能ワークショップは内外の高い評価を得るなど演劇の国際交流に努めている。加盟国は2001年現在、86か国および協力9か国に上っている。

［藤田　洋］

『国際演劇協会日本センター編・刊『国際演劇年鑑』日本編・海外編（各年版）』

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