Theatre,
Akita Arts theatre Mille Has

A thater for Plays, Dance, and Other Stage Performances

Following the closure of Akita Prefectural Hall and Akita City Cultural Hall due to the aging facilities, the Akita Arts Theatre Mille Has opened in June 2022. The prefecture and city collaborate on facility maintenance, reducing maintenance and other costs and consolidating functions to achieve higher functionality. Seating from the demolished Akita Prefectural Hall was relocated to the Akita Children's Hall Theater, demonstrating the prefecture and city's commitment to carefully carrying on the history of each facility.
The theater is the successor to the former Akita City Cultural Hall. It emphasizes realism and can accommodate mainly theater and dance performances. The space is unified in dark gray to complement the performance. With 500 seats on the first floor and 300 seats on the second floor, it is neither too compact nor too large, allowing visitors to enjoy powerful stage performances. The design of the Kyoto Nishijin-ori drop curtains was inspired by lanterns from the Akita Summer Festival and the lotus and azalea flowers that grow along the moat at the Otemon Gate of Sensyu Park near the theatre, offering a sense of presence in the otherwise muted color scheme of the space.

Hall Seating with Kasuri Thread Patterns, Representing the Lanterns of the Kanto Festival to Match the Kumiko Woodworking on the Inner Walls

Audience seating was customized for Akita Arts Theatre Mille Has and based on Kotobuki Seating's Theatre and Hall Seating TS-61 series. A clean, linear design was adopted to match the interior walls of the hall, which are based on Kumiko woodworking. This ornamentation is in contrast to the main hall with its many curved lines.
The straight, solid wood backboard has a three-dimensional cushion that conforms to the body of the seated person. The seat offers relaxing comfort that differs from its modest appearance. The built-in high-density molded urethane cushioning and corrugated springs distribute body pressure, making it comfortable and fatigue-free even after many hours of viewing.
FABRIKO, a group company of Kotobuki Seating, designed and produced the upholstery fabric, which was inspired by the lanterns of the Kanto Festival that glow in the dark. Bright dots shimmer in the black upholstery of this Akita-inspired fabric. For more information on upholstery fabrics, please click here.

Accessible Seating Configurations that are Friendly to All

As in the main hall, the auditorium was designed with accessible seating in mind and a permanent wheelchair space was provided on the upper 10th row of seats on the first floor. Some of the seats in this row are removable, and the space can accommodate up to 13 wheelchairs. The four seats facing the two vertical aisles that run through the seating area feature flip-up armrests for smooth transfers from wheelchair to seat.
Behind the audience seating is a multipurpose room lined with sofa-like seats for parents and their children, where families with children can cuddle up to enjoy the stage through a glass window.
A staggered layout is used in the center block to ensure a sight line so that the stage is not obscured by the heads of those seated in front. To make it easier to find a seat from a distance, the row numbers are marked in large letters on the back of the backboard, and the seat number plates are also marked in Braille.
The chairs in the first to third rows of the first-floor center block and the front left/right blocks are also equipped with removable seats, enabling various stage effects. This includes creating a runway or front stage by removing seats. There is also a backrest collapsible seat in the rear, allowing a PA desk to be set up over the folded chairs.

Facility Overview

Akita Arts Theatre Mille Has was built in June 2022 in response to the aging Akita Prefectural Hall and Akita City Cultural Hall, which served as Akita's cultural hubs for many years. The prefecture and city collaborate on facility maintenance, reducing maintenance and other costs and consolidating functions to achieve higher functionality, a rarity in Japan. In addition to the main and theater, the facility also features two smaller halls, practice studios, a training room, and a production studio. Akita cedar is used throughout the building, and traditional crafts and techniques, such as Magewappa wood bending and Kumiko woodworking, are used to showcase Akita's unique style.

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