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The story
A question raised on a Hello! Project-related 5ch thread asked: “Isn’t it way too inefficient that stage plays spend a month and a half on rehearsals but only perform for a few days?” Replies pointed out that few actors can make a living from theater alone, and that turning a profit is difficult unless a troupe owns its own venue, as is the case with Shiki Theatre Company or the Takarazuka Revue. Some also suggested that when Hello! Project OGs (graduates, i.e. former members) appear on stage, it’s less a main career than something they do because they have no other work — expanding the discussion into the broader question of how actors actually make a living.
What people said
Isn't that way too inefficient no matter how you slice it? Can people even make a living off that? Or is it just a hobby for them?
Is it some kind of tradition?
That's why popular actors move into film and TV.
So anyone who can earn money some other way doesn't bother with it.
Because it's inefficient.
Engeki Joshi-bu (the Theater Girls' Club) is probably just breaking even.
Owning your own theater is a massive advantage.
In Japan, only the Takarazuka Revue and Shiki Theatre Company have dedicated venues of their own.
Don't forget Yagishiori too.
Tickets are expensive.
But I guess live performance has an appeal nothing else has.
The reality for OGs is that they have to turn that passion into a job.
Apparently it's gone from the "3B" to the "4B" list — jobs women are warned not to date (bandman, bartender, beautician — and now stage actor too).
Some end up living off a partner instead.
That's exactly why the facilities themselves are drowning in deficits too.
Actors at the bottom of the ladder have it way worse.
but Hello! Project OGs are usually lead-role level, so they don't need to go that far.
Even a regular starter only plays 90 minutes once a week, and might only touch the ball for a few dozen seconds total.
Stuff like Kamada scoring his first goal in three years is just normal in that world.
2.5D musicals are still doing plenty of things.
They're even bringing back the HUNTER musical.
and for OGs, it's just to give them some work to do.
It's just not worth the money.
It's the same as saying "I'm studying for med school" or "I'm studying for the bar exam."
I see.
Maybe it's because so few Hello! Project OGs are in them that I never hear about it.
For veterans of that generation, it's like the kind of easygoing work a company employee might pick up after retirement.
it's harder to win tickets for those than for some mediocre idol group.
Why are you comparing something popular to something that's just bad at what it does?
Background and Key Points of the Debate
Stage productions can look inefficient given how few performance days there are relative to the rehearsal period, but as thread participants noted, this is a structural issue tied to how hard it is to secure venues and how productions are run — not every show rehearses for a full month and a half. In Japan, only the Takarazuka Revue and Shiki Theatre Company are said to own dedicated theaters of their own, and only a handful of troupes can keep a high enough run rate going through regular performances. Few actors can make stage work their primary career, and the discussion split between those who see Hello! Project OGs’ stage appearances as something done alongside other work out of necessity, and those who argue the model survives because audiences find real value in live performance.
※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “Stage plays take a month and a half of rehearsal and tie you down, but only run for five days? Isn’t that incredibly inefficient?.”
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