An interview with Atsuhisa Shinomiya, an actor and dancer active internationally between Japan and the United States, about his memories of disliking English as a junior and senior high school student, the “harsh welcome” he experienced in the U.S., and the challenges of fully understanding and performing from English scripts.
四宮 貴久 Atsuhisa Shinomiya
A member of the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), SAG, and AGVA. While studying at Kunitachi College of Music, he was deeply inspired by Alan Johnson’s production of West Side Story. After graduating, he moved to the United States, and three years later, performed under Johnson’s direction in Switzerland. In New York, he appeared in numerous productions, including The King and I starring Ken Watanabe, as well as nationwide tours and regional performances. In Japan, his credits include Toho’s Miss Saigon and a leading role in The Oath Coin at Botchan Theater in Ehime, which was later invited to Russia and well received in Moscow and Orenburg. Beyond performing, he has translated American works and contributed as a director, choreographer, and instructor. Among these projects, the American musical TRAILS received the Big Tree Theater Award at Tokyo’s Green Festa 2015.
Atsu Shinomiya, a musical actor with extensive experience on international stages, first encountered English as a child. From around first grade, his mother sent him to an English conversation school, where learning was playful rather than academic, involving simple vocabulary and pronunciation exercises. Although he initially enjoyed these lessons, his engagement was largely passive and guided by his mother rather than personal choice.
In middle school, Atsu began formal English classes. Early on, he found them easy due to prior exposure, but gradually encountered more complex grammar and idioms. He perceived English as a subject for exams rather than a tool for life, which reduced motivation. High school maintained this trend; while some teachers made classes engaging, others were more lecture-focused, emphasizing rote learning. Classes with participation and conversation were notably more enjoyable.
At music university in Tokyo, Atsu studied mainly opera, which required German and Italian rather than English. He approached these languages similarly to how he had learned English—starting from grammar basics—but prioritized pronunciation and musical application over conversational fluency. He viewed language learning primarily as a tool to perform music effectively.
After graduating, Atsu moved to New York to pursue musical training. He began with ESL classes for four to five months, which marked his first serious engagement with English since childhood. The classes were immersive, involving global classmates and active communication rather than passive instruction. This environment made English learning enjoyable and necessary for survival and study.
Atsu recalls initial difficulties using English in daily life, such as misunderstanding directions at JFK Airport and inadvertently taking an unsafe taxi. These experiences highlighted the practical need for language proficiency and reinforced his motivation to learn. Transitioning from ESL to musical school revealed another challenge: classmates and instructors spoke quickly, requiring adaptation to conversational speed and slang, a stark contrast to the slower ESL instruction.
In musical training, language learning intertwined with acting. Understanding and performing lines required both linguistic comprehension and emotional interpretation. Atsu emphasized “tone” or “color” of speech to convey emotion, recognizing that subtleties in vocal expression often transcend words. He described the iterative process of integrating language comprehension with performance, noting that initial limitations in English slowed his ability to fully convey character emotions.
Atsu highlighted that in acting, emotional nuance matters more than the literal language. For example, he performed in Russia using Japanese with subtitles, where audiences could still perceive emotional depth through vocal tone. While mastery of language remains crucial for conveying precise meaning, he believes the emotional layer—expressed through rhythm, melody, and vocal color—is essential for authentic performance.
Transitioning from Japanese to English performance presented challenges in rhythm, melody, and accent. Atsu noted that Japanese lacks the melodic contour of English, making direct translation of speech patterns ineffective. Guidance from instructors helped him adapt his pronunciation and phrasing to create natural, flowing English delivery while maintaining emotional expressiveness.
Atsu described learning as gradual and continuous, with no single transformative moment. Changing teams and environments repeatedly challenged him to adapt and absorb new techniques. His motivation stemmed from passion for work, curiosity, and the desire to learn from experienced directors and colleagues. He emphasized that professional performance combines accurate linguistic comprehension with emotional conveyance, requiring both tools for maximum audience impact.
Ultimately, Atsu views language as a tool that supports the deeper goal of communicating emotion and intention. Even with limited linguistic proficiency, effective use of tone and expression can convey meaning across languages. His experiences illustrate the interplay between technical mastery of language and the artistic nuance required for authentic theatrical performance.
Atsu aims to use musical theater as a bridge between cultures. While in Japan, he translates, directs, and produces overseas works, and his future goal is to discover high-quality shows that haven’t yet reached major international stages, translate them, and introduce them to Japanese audiences. He hopes to show that even productions outside of Broadway can be exceptional. Conversely, he also wishes for opportunities to bring outstanding Japanese theater to the U.S. His work illustrates how music and performance can naturally lead to English skills, even for those who did not enjoy English in school. This kind of cross-cultural exchange is a meaningful and inspiring endeavor.
