Sena Jun's Retirement Announcement
07/06/2009 - According to the official Takarazuka website, Sena Jun, current top star of Moon Troupe, will be retiring on December 27th after the last performance of Last Play / Heat on Beat.
Announcement (Sanspo article)
Retirement Press Conference (Revue Home Page)
Moon Troupe Top Star Sena Jun's Retirement Press Conference
(source: Sanspo)
Sena Jun, the Top Star of Moon Troupe who has decided to leave the Takarazuka Revue on December 27, held a press conference in the South Ward of Osaka City on Tanabata at Hotel Hankyu International, and spoke of her mental state.
Sena emerged with style in a glossy white pantsuit, accented with a long, purple scarf. It seems that she chose it "because it's the announcement of my retirement."
"I am going to be graduating on December 27th. I am grateful to everyone whom I have met. I would like to carry on as an otokoyaku till the end, and create a good performance," she said as her opening.
She decided to leave the Revue at the end of last year's Tokyo Nissay performance of "The Great Gatsby".
"Every day since I became top I have felt blessed to be busy, and they have been enjoyable days. When I felt that fullness, I wanted to bring it to a decisive completion."
The experience that left the greatest impression on her heart was "transferring to Moon Troupe (in December of 2004)." Her memorable performances are "The Great Gatsby", and playing the three major roles of Lucheni, Elisabeth, and Tod in "Elisabeth".
The day of the press conference is also the day that she will be moving to Tokyo for the Tokyo performances of the aforementioned "Elisabeth". She revealed her retirement to the members of Moon Troupe on the last day of rehearsals, on the 5th. "It was an extremely warm atmosphere, and I and everyone was crying."
Her wish for Tanabata is "to be healthy and able to work on stage until the end". She has no plans that call for congratulations yet, after her retirement, saying, "I want to go to the sea and spend some time with my dog, and take it easy," but hinted at a new acting career by saying that she would "like to be able to live using everything that I have learned up until now".
The Revue Board Chairman Kobayashi Kouichi, who was also present, spoke with us. "She has reached a period of maturity, a precious force with great presence. It's unfortunate that she is leaving, but she will shine more and more until the very last day, so please give her your support."
Sena's schedule from now is "Elisabeth" in Tokyo (July 10th~Aug. 9th), followed by a dinner show "0 -Zero-" (at Osaka Hotel Hankyu International from Aug. 18th~20th, and Tokyo Grand Palace on Aug. 22nd & 23rd). The meaning of the title "0" is that: "As a stage actress I started from minus, and at last now when I feel that I have reached zero, I want to display my own originality, without any affiliations."
And her farewell performance will be "Last Play -Like a Prayer-" / "Heat on Beat!", in the Takarazuka Grand Theater (Oct. 9th~Nov. 9th) and Tokyo Takarazuka Theater (Nov. 27th~Dec.27th), with the final performance being her final day.
Sena is from Tokyo, and made her debut in 1992. She was assigned to Flower Troupe, and had her first shinjin kouen lead in June of '98, as Macheath in "Speakeasy". Her first Bow Hall lead was April of 2001, as Rodrigo in "Manon". She played the major female role of Scarlet in the April '02 Nissay Theater performance of "Gone With the Wind". In October of that same year she played Lucheni. In December of '04 she was transferred to Moon Troupe. In February of '05 she played the title role of Elisabeth in "Elisabeth".
In July of '05, she became top following the previous Moon Troupe top Ayaki Nao, and made her debut as top in Osaka in an Umeda Arts Theater performance of "Ernest in Love". Her debut performance in the Takarazuka Grand Theater was in September of that same year, with "Jazzy Fairies". After that followed "Rome at Dawn", "Higher Than the Sky of Paris", "A Magician's Misfortunes", "Me and My Girl", "Floating Bridge of Dreams", and (from May of this year), the role of Tod in "Elisabeth". Recently the length of a top's career has been a rather long four and a half years.
(source: Sanspo)
Sena Jun, the Top Star of Moon Troupe who has decided to leave the Takarazuka Revue on December 27, held a press conference in the South Ward of Osaka City on Tanabata at Hotel Hankyu International, and spoke of her mental state.
Sena emerged with style in a glossy white pantsuit, accented with a long, purple scarf. It seems that she chose it "because it's the announcement of my retirement."
"I am going to be graduating on December 27th. I am grateful to everyone whom I have met. I would like to carry on as an otokoyaku till the end, and create a good performance," she said as her opening.
She decided to leave the Revue at the end of last year's Tokyo Nissay performance of "The Great Gatsby".
"Every day since I became top I have felt blessed to be busy, and they have been enjoyable days. When I felt that fullness, I wanted to bring it to a decisive completion."
The experience that left the greatest impression on her heart was "transferring to Moon Troupe (in December of 2004)." Her memorable performances are "The Great Gatsby", and playing the three major roles of Lucheni, Elisabeth, and Tod in "Elisabeth".
The day of the press conference is also the day that she will be moving to Tokyo for the Tokyo performances of the aforementioned "Elisabeth". She revealed her retirement to the members of Moon Troupe on the last day of rehearsals, on the 5th. "It was an extremely warm atmosphere, and I and everyone was crying."
Her wish for Tanabata is "to be healthy and able to work on stage until the end". She has no plans that call for congratulations yet, after her retirement, saying, "I want to go to the sea and spend some time with my dog, and take it easy," but hinted at a new acting career by saying that she would "like to be able to live using everything that I have learned up until now".
The Revue Board Chairman Kobayashi Kouichi, who was also present, spoke with us. "She has reached a period of maturity, a precious force with great presence. It's unfortunate that she is leaving, but she will shine more and more until the very last day, so please give her your support."
Sena's schedule from now is "Elisabeth" in Tokyo (July 10th~Aug. 9th), followed by a dinner show "0 -Zero-" (at Osaka Hotel Hankyu International from Aug. 18th~20th, and Tokyo Grand Palace on Aug. 22nd & 23rd). The meaning of the title "0" is that: "As a stage actress I started from minus, and at last now when I feel that I have reached zero, I want to display my own originality, without any affiliations."
And her farewell performance will be "Last Play -Like a Prayer-" / "Heat on Beat!", in the Takarazuka Grand Theater (Oct. 9th~Nov. 9th) and Tokyo Takarazuka Theater (Nov. 27th~Dec.27th), with the final performance being her final day.
Sena is from Tokyo, and made her debut in 1992. She was assigned to Flower Troupe, and had her first shinjin kouen lead in June of '98, as Macheath in "Speakeasy". Her first Bow Hall lead was April of 2001, as Rodrigo in "Manon". She played the major female role of Scarlet in the April '02 Nissay Theater performance of "Gone With the Wind". In October of that same year she played Lucheni. In December of '04 she was transferred to Moon Troupe. In February of '05 she played the title role of Elisabeth in "Elisabeth".
In July of '05, she became top following the previous Moon Troupe top Ayaki Nao, and made her debut as top in Osaka in an Umeda Arts Theater performance of "Ernest in Love". Her debut performance in the Takarazuka Grand Theater was in September of that same year, with "Jazzy Fairies". After that followed "Rome at Dawn", "Higher Than the Sky of Paris", "A Magician's Misfortunes", "Me and My Girl", "Floating Bridge of Dreams", and (from May of this year), the role of Tod in "Elisabeth". Recently the length of a top's career has been a rather long four and a half years.