Actor Shiro Ito was awarded the 50th Kikuta Kazuo Theater Award and attended the awards ceremony held in Tokyo on May 21. Upon receiving the Kikuta Kazuo Theater Award Special Award for his many years of achievements on stage, Ito expressed his joy, saying, "I was just surprised and couldn't have been happier. If I had to say what I was feeling, I was very happy that my 'long years of involvement in the stage' was being recognized."
Ito, now 87 years old, took the stage supported by staff and said, "As you can see, I'm an old man. My name is Ito Shiro, but at one point I called myself Benjamin. Please forget about that," which drew laughter from the audience.
"I've been in the entertainment industry for 66 years, soon to be 67, and I looked up yesterday how long I've been performing on stage, and I found that I was definitely performing at least once a year. I remember performing on stage for 400 days in a row when I was in my 20s," he revealed.
"Even now, I need help getting up (onto the stage), but once I'm onstage I completely forget about that and start jumping and bouncing. The stage is so fascinating that it makes you think, 'Is he a con man?'" he said passionately.
After looking back on his 66 years on stage, Ito concluded by saying, "I'm still going strong, so if you see me fall somewhere, please help me. I owe it all to all of you who have come to see my performances over the years. I am the pride of the Ito family."
In addition to Ito, other guests on stage included Kuriyama Tamiya, who won the grand prize for directing the plays "Orlando" and "Fan Letter," as well as Masami Nagasawa, Asumi Rio, and Kai Shoma, who won theater awards, director Ueda Ikko, and Hayashi Yoichi, who received the Kikuchi Kazuo Theater Award Special Award.
