BACKSTAGE was a GRAPH feature where stars answered questions and told stories about their backstage habits.
The July issue featured Houzuki An, Ayaki Hikari, Arisa Hitomi, and Neiro Yui.
BACKSTAGE
Questions and answers about your backstage environment.
Houzuki An (Moon Troupe)
Do you get to the dressing room early? Late?
I usually get there about 2 and a half hours before curtain. It takes a long time to wake my body up, so I come in early to give myself plenty of time.
Points you focus on in your makeup
Contouring. I’m working so hard at making my face look defined, and I think the base is the most important thing. Of course the different parts like eyes, et cetera, are important, but I think if the skin is pretty the whole thing will look beautiful. So I try for a dewy appearance and use dark colors on places where I want things to look sharper. I think I’m definitely focusing the most on creating that base.
Time to complete your stage makeup
Including my hair, maybe about an hour. That’s the amount of time I’d want on days where I’m not changing my makeup during the show.
Food habits
I get too relaxed when I eat so I don’t really eat much in the dressing room. But I need to focus a lot on the play, so during the intermission I’ll have some sweets or an onigiri or something. It’s like I’m eating to revive my brain (laughs).
Your beverage go-tos?
I have barley tea or water in the wings. In the dressing room I’m constantly sipping on caffeinated drinks like coffee.
Decorations on your dressing table
I’ll decorate with photos of places where the show is set, or during Outen no Mon, I had illustrations from the original comics, but basically I don’t usually have anything there a lot of the time.
Your favorite makeup products
If I apply LUNASOL shimmer eyeshadow in a broad area from my eye socket to my cheekbone, it makes my face really glossy and pretty when the lights hit it, and it gives my face more dimension, so I like it. Also, the red lipstick I use during revues is always Chanel’s Rouge Allure #99. It’s a red with some translucency, and I feel like it gives a really elegant touch so I’ve been using it for a long time.
Recent fun stories from the dressing room
I’m in the Leader’s Room currently, and they were getting new chairs for it during our Tokyo performance run. Rika (Masumi) showed us the catalog, and we were allowed to pick, so we chose these gaming chairs with a back massager. It was funny to see the dressing room suddenly turn into a gaming cave (laughs). I haven’t been able to use the massage function yet, but it’s really nice! (laughs)
Your post-show habits
Ever since I was a junior actress, I’d eat in my dressing room, then take my makeup off, but recently if I’m not talking with people I’ll often just go to the baths right away and then head straight home.
Do you leave the dressing room early? Late?
Now that I’m in the Leader’s Room I’ll be helping the Troupe Elder and talking about the troupe and things, so that takes some time. So sometimes that will mean I leave later, but generally I think I’m average.
Ayaki Hikari, Flower Troupe
Do you get to the dressing room early? Late?
On the late side. I prepare thoroughly at home, so as long as I get to the dressing room 2 hours before curtain it’s basically fine. To make sure there aren’t any incidents to make me late, I make sure to follow the exact same routine every morning.
Points you focus on in your makeup
A long time ago, Shihou Nanami told me ‘for otokoyaku, the foundation, sideburns, and eyebrows are everything’, and that’s really stuck with me. I try to do the foundation really carefully, but also quickly. In order to make it all come together beautifully, I always focus on keeping my real skin underneath in good condition.
Time to complete your stage makeup
If I hurry, 20 minutes. Recently I challenged myself to see how fast I could do it and it was 18 minutes (laughs). For a Japanese-style show, about 10 minutes.
Food habits
I always make sure to eat during the long break on 2-show days. Once the first show ends, the first and most important thing is food! Every morning, I make make onigiri, miso soup, and boiled eggs, and pack myself a lunch. Recently I bought a half-size hot sandwich maker that can also make grilled onigiri, so I think I’ll make good use of it in the future!
Your beverage go-tos?
If it’s a 2-show day, I’ll drink about 3 liters of hard mineral water. I also have a pot of something warm like milk tea in the dressing room for when I want a little break. I’ll also have honeyed black tea on days when my throat is in bad shape.
Decorations on your dressing table
None! I’m not at good at managing my dressing table, so if I put anything important there it’s going to vanish off somewhere (laughs).
Your favorite makeup products
MAC’s Lip Glass in Ruby Woo. I love it for revues, since the red color is so rich and it’s so glossy, but now you can’t buy it any more. I was moaning about it, so then Piisuke (Amahana Ema) gave me some Bobby Brown lip gloss in a color called Rock & Red as a present!
Recent fun stories from the dressing room
In the Battlefield for the Two of Us dressing room, we had our escape room appreciation squad of Wataru (Hibiki), Haryuu (Mitsuki), Haruhi (Urara), and me, and then added Maizuki (Nagisa) and Towaki (Sea) so it was a really fun group of six. I brought a book of brain teasers to the first day of dress rehearsals, and everyone stopped doing their makeup to absorb it, and then once we got back from our scenes someone would have figured it out… I can’t even describe how excited we would get when one of us solved something…!! We were singing our praises the whole time, ‘If the six of us are together we have all the wisdom of Manjushri!’, and then before we knew it it was closing day (laughs).
Your post-show habits
First I change and go straight to the baths. I try to take care of any cleaning or wig maintenance during breaks in the show so I don’t have as much to do after the show ends.
Do you leave the dressing room early? Late?
Early. Because my cat is waiting for me!
Arisa Hitomi, Star Troupe
Do you get to the dressing room early? Late?
I want to arrive 2 and a half hours before the show, but…I always get going late, so it’s 2 hours before (laughs). I always get everything I’m bringing ready the night before, and I wake up more than 2 hours before, but…why is it like this (laughs).
Points you focus on in your makeup
Everything, but maybe especially my eyes? When I was a fan, I thought people who could do a lot of acting with their eyes were so amazing, so depending on my character I’ll adjust my eyeliner wing angle, or my eyeshadow color, and even though it’s just little things I put a lot into it.
Time to complete your stage makeup
Usually around 30 to 40 minutes.
Food habits
My mother will make side dishes to send me, so in the morning I’ll eat those, but during a show I don’t like losing focus so I don’t eat very much. I’ll just nibble on some chocolates. When I get home I’ll have omelette rise and things like that, but I don’t really eat a lot of carbohydrates.
Your beverage go-tos?
Basically I just drink water, but when I was playing Eloise in The Count of Monte Cristo, she’s a mature lady so suddenly I wanted to have black coffee! And I still drink it sometimes now. It’s such a struggle when your tastes change with each role (laughs)
Decorations on your dressing table
I love angels and fairies, so I always have a lot of those decorations on my dressing table, and these postcards are part of that. They’re so healing to me!
Your favorite makeup products
MAC highlighter. Costume designer Katou told me that it’s important to have lustrous skin so it seems like the sparkle is shining out of you, so depending on the role I use different shades of highlighter.
Recent fun stories from the dressing room
Near the close of Le Rouge et le Noir, Rei (Makoto) gave me a red preserved flower arrangement inspired by my character of Louise! It was covered in glitter and so beautiful so I was really moved… Being able to act closely with Rei before I retire is the happiest I’ve ever been and I’ll treasure it all my life!
Your post-show habits
I’m super slow (laughs). It’s not like I’m dawdling, but after a show ends I feel such peace that I can’t move for a while. I’ll be taking care of my costumes and wigs full of all the gratitude I have and then suddenly they’re closing the doors…is how it feels.
Do you leave the dressing room early? Late?
I am always the very last one!! (laughs)
Neiro Yui, Snow Troupe
Do you get to the dressing room early? Late?
I’m so not a morning person… I’m always wanting to go in as soon as the dressing room opens and working to make it happen, but I still end up late sometimes (laughs).
Points you focus on in your makeup
Recently what I’m most focused on is my foundation. Saki-san (Ayakaze Sakina) watched the live stream of Struensee of the Shore, and she gave me some advice on my makeup. She told me about the shu uemura unlimited block:booster primer and it’s been revolutionary! It gives such a beautiful shine.
Time to complete your stage makeup
I want to get everything done including my hair within an hour, but generally I’ll use a whole hour just on my makeup.
Food habits
I have to have rice during the big break or I won’t survive (laughs). I’ll always have 1 onigiri. I love the tuna mayo ones from the Violet Kitchen1!
Your beverage go-tos?
It used to be tea, but a few years back I started consciously trying to drink water. And when I want to get some sugars I’ll have iced milk tea.
Decorations on your dressing table
This hairbrush that I got from Kishiro (Yuriya) in a classmate present exchange for Christmas. I’ve carefully selected the cutest of her name seals to decorate it with and I use it all the time (laughs). I also decorate with the wonderful and thoughtfully made letters and cards fans send to me!
Your favorite makeup products
The ReFa Ion Care Brush. When I use it to brush the conditioner through my hair in the bath it makes it so smooth. A senior actress and a fan gave me presents of the same one, and so I get to use them at the dressing room and at home.
Recent fun stories from the dressing room
In Struensee, me, Shiramine (Yuri), and Agata (Sen) play the king, his consort, and his lover. We were all very in tune with our mutual roles (laughs). Agata’s birthday was during the Kanagawa run, and when I went to the dressing room first thing in the morning to secretly leave her a present…Shiramine was already there waiting for the doors to open!
“Oh no! I can’t leave anything now!”
“Shiramine-san, please do!”
And after this back-and-forth I finally pushed her into leaving her present (laughs). Those days of staying swept up in our roles even when nobody else was around were so fun (laughs).
Your post-show habits
When I have junior rehearsals, I’m always in a rush! But after the junior performance is done, I’ll be spending time caring for my wigs and costumes, and before I know it they’re playing Auld Lang Syne at me. I think I just do things slowly (laughs).
Do you leave the dressing room early? Late?
I’m late. A few people before last…is how it always feels.
1 – One of the internal cafeterias for performers.
2 – A traditional closing time jingle in Japanese stores.