Interview with ex-Takarazuka Actress, Mio Cloud (Jun Sagiri)

A-to-J: For starters, thanks for this interview! Can you please introduce yourself? 
Mio Cloud: Hi, my name is Mio Cloud (maiden name is Hirano), I am 55 years old, an attorney and I live in New Canaan, CT. I am a class of 1981 to Takarazuka Revue.

A-to-J: Before we jump into the core of the interview, regarding your time with the Takarazuka Revue, can you tell us a bit about what led up to that part of your life?
Mio Cloud: I started ballet when I was 6 years old. By the time I was 10 or 11, it was obvious that I was going to be too tall to be a ballerina (I am 5’8” now, and Japanese male dancers are notoriously very short!). So, I concentrated on other activities (e.g. swimming), but one day I saw the Rose of Versailles by Takarazuka on TV. My friend, who was already a big fan, explained to me that they are all women, and tall women are playing male roles. I really wanted to sing and dance on stage, so decided to get into Takarazuka.

A-to-J: Did you have any prior theater experience prior to joining the Takarazuka Revue? 
Mio Cloud: Other than ballet performances, NONE!

A-to-J: Was joining the Takarazuka Revue something you aspired to? Like were you a fan of past productions and/or top stars? 
Mio Cloud: Like I said earlier, since I was too tall to be a ballerina or regular theater actress, I thought that joining Takarazuka was the only option. Of course, I became a fan once I saw it.

A-to-J: The audition process is notoriously difficult with very few of the applicants making it through, can you tell us a bit about it?
Mio Cloud: Training to get into Takarazuka Music School was insane. I was a 15 year old student living in Nagoya, about 150 miles northeast of Takarazuka. Every Saturday (we have half-day school on Saturdays in Japan), my mom picked me up at school and drove me to the train station, from which I took 5 different trains (including a bullet train) to get to a ballet class taught by a Takarazuka Music School teacher at 6 pm in Osaka. I stayed at a local ryokan Saturday nights, took a vocal lesson with a Takarazuka Music School teacher, went to another ballet class, and took trains back home Sunday night. In addition, every weeknight, I had a ballet, vocal or Japanese dance lesson in Nagoya. I did that for about a year, took the entrance exam, and didn’t get in for the first time. So, I continued this crazy schedule for another year, and I got in for the second time. The passing rate was 1 in 22.4 candidates.

A-to-J: What was it like in the Takarazuka Music School? Is it as tough as is often cited?
Mio Cloud: YES! But in hindsight, the first year of the school (Yoka) was the only time that I was taught any discipline. Also, I really enjoyed doing what I loved, so it wasn’t too bad.

A-to-J: Do you have standout moments during your training period where you thought that completing your training and joining the Revue might be a little too out of reach?
Mio Cloud: Well, not really -- not because I was confident or really good, but because I wasn’t thinking. I was just running from one lesson to another, and dreaming that I would be on Takarazuka stage someday.

A-to-J: Becoming an otokoyaku (male player) is something many aspire to, what was it like training to take on male roles? Was this something you aspired to versus becoming a musumeyaku (female player)?
Mio Cloud: I had no choice but becoming an otokoyaku because I was tall. The hardest thing for me was that I naturally had a high singing voice, and my singing in falsetto (uragoe) was better than in a normal voice (jigoe).

A-to-J: Did you find it hard at all to adapt to a "male" okoyaku voice?
Mio Cloud: I had no problem speaking like a male in plays, but wasn't very good at singing in "jigoe".  But some of my classmates were naturally good at singing, opera, popular, or anything, and I was so jealous!

A-to-J: It's been often mentioned that activities like smoking are sometimes encouraged to develop a huskier voice, was this something you witnessed or heard stories of?
Mio Cloud: I started smoking when I was in Takarazuka simply because most otokoyaku smoked. I don't remember anyone encouraging us to smoke, though.... Perhaps there was an unspoken rule.... I am happy to report that I quit smoking before I had my kids!

A-to-J: We understand that you also occasionally took on the role of a musumeyaku, was it hard to switch from one to the other? 
Mio Cloud: The only times I had to play female roles were in corps (e.g., line dance). But Maki Ichiro, who played Scarlett O’Hara in hon koen and played Rhett Butler in shinjin koen of Gone with the Wind, told me that was really difficult.  

A-to-J: When you were in the Takarazuka Revue you took on the name “Jun Sagiri”. Taking on a stage name is extremely common as is basing them off special meanings or references to past stars. Was there any special reason behind you choosing your stage name? 
Mio Cloud: “Jun” came from another Takarazuka actress whom I was a fan of (Jun Asaka). “Sagiri” was a mix of kanji letters that I liked.

A-to-J: What were some of the productions you took part in? Did you have any favorites out of them? 
Mio Cloud: The most memorable was of course my debut stage, “First Love.” The rehearsals for the line dance were so hard, but I can still remember the excitement and “chill” when we finished the line dance and the audience was applauding on the first day of the production.

A-to-J: Flower Troupe is the oldest of the Takarazuka troupes. What was it like joining such a well-established group? 
Mio Cloud: Actually, I wanted to get into Star Troupe because there were many actresses that I liked in that troupe…. Anyway, when I was there, Flower Troupe had a rare “double top” situation – there were two top stars (Akira Matsu and Mitsuki Jun). So, it was a very popular troupe at that time.

A-to-J: Do you have any experiences regarding interacting with the then-stars of either Flower Troupe or within Takarazuka in general during your time there?
Mio Cloud: I, like many junior members, helped with the senior members’ changing of costumes, managing their props, etc. during performances. But the most memorable interaction with a star was when Ran Otori, one of the biggest starts in Takarazuka history, came to perform at a Japan Chamber of Commerce dinner in New York about 15 years ago. I went up to her table and introduced myself, Ms. Otori thought that it was so interesting that a former Takarazuka actress became a NY lawyer, and we talked for a long time.  

A-to-J: Was there a point where you thought you’d like to make a long career out of your work in the Takarazuka Revue?
Mio Cloud: No.  As I said before, my otokoyaku singing was not great. Even in dance, I found it difficult to dance male roles – I was a ballet and lyrical dancer, not a crisp, sharp theater dancer, which otokoyaku should be. As soon as I joined the troupe, I realized that this was not for me…. I don’t know why I didn’t see that when I was in school.

A-to-J: Were you part of any of revues? (Referring to a collection of song and dance numbers) Were there any differences or challenges in these versus standard productions? 
Mio Cloud: The standard combination for a production is one play (Japanese or Western) and one revue. (Exceptions are long plays, like the Roses of Versailles or Gone with the Wind,)  Revues are Takarazuka’s signature productions, with many dancing and singing, bright costumes with feathers, and quick scenery changes. Everyone loves them!

A-to-J: Do you have any funny stories that you could perhaps share with us that happened during a production, either onstage or backstage?
Mio Cloud: I fell from the top to the bottom of the ookaidan (big staircase) during a finale…. Thankfully, I didn’t knock anyone down.

A-to-J: Would you mind letting us know why you eventually left the Takarazuka Revue?
Mio Cloud: I didn’t think I was good enough to become a star in Takarazuka. I also wanted to go back to school.

A-to-J: Can you tell us a bit about your life post Revue?
Mio Cloud: Because I left high school after the freshman year, I had to take the test to earn the high school diploma equivalency (like GED). Then, I took the national university entrance exam and was accepted to Okayama University. I graduated with BA in Law, worked at Deutsche Bank Tokyo Branch, decided to go to law school in the U.S., took LSAT, and was accepted to Boston College Law School. Upon graduation from BC Law, I worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as a staff attorney. Since then, I have worked at major international financial institutions, including MUFG, JPMC, Citi, and RBS, as a bank regulatory attorney. I met my future husband while I was in law school, got married, and had two children who are now 23 and 22 years old.

A-to-J: Do you still keep up with the Takarazuka Revue since your time with them? (i.e watching shows, following troupe lineups, etc.)
Mio Cloud: It is difficult to get tickets from overseas, so the last time I saw the performance was more than 10 years ago. But I check on youtube, takawiki, etc. once in a while. One of my classmates is still there (Masumi Rika) as kumicho of Snow troupe. Some of my classmates are doing well as actresses (Miki Maya, Mayo Suzukaze, Hitomi Kuroki, etc.). I really want to see my vocal teacher who was a second mother to me while I was in Takarazuka Music School again. I have to make plans to go back soon!

A-to-J: Recently there have been more shows brought to the US as well as more media based on the Takarazuka Revue. What are your thoughts regarding its growing popularity outside Japan?
Mio Cloud: Fantastic!  Spread the dreams! 

A-to-J: Lastly, what are your overall thoughts regarding Takarazuka as someone looking at it from the outside who was once a part of it? 
Mio Cloud: When I was young, I didn’t realize how special Takarazuka was. Do you know any performing arts troupe in the world that is backed by a conglomerate that includes a railroad company, department store and bank, has three theaters dedicated to it, has an affiliated school and a movie studio, is performing as many as 20 shows a year throughout the country, employs over 600 people, and has been successful over 100 years? Now that I know something about business and finance, I must say that Ichizou Kobayashi was a genius!

Thank you for the interview!

For More Information on The Takarazuka Revue:
http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/index.html