Criticism During Performances, Exchanging Bills With Fans… A Flood of “Legendary” Tomokazu Seki Episodes!? Revealing the Behind-the-Scenes of the Theater Company!

On ABEMA’s “Anime LIVE Channel,” episode #13 of “Say You to Yo Asobi Friday [Tomokazu Seki × Ryotaro Okiayu]” aired on August 1, 2025 (Friday) at 10:00pm. In this episode, Ryotaro Okiayu stepped in as the MC in place of Reiji Kawashima, with Miki Nagasawa joining as a guest. The episode featured a special spotlight on “Gekidan Hero Hero Q Company,” with Tomokazu Seki serving as its head. The three discussed the behind-the-scenes activities of the theater company and shared some of Seki’s most memorable episodes.

■Tomokazu Seki, Ryotaro Okiayu, and Miki Nagasawa Reveal the Behind-the-Scenes Truths of Their Theater Company!

This broadcast focused on the “Gekidan Hero Hero Q Company” (commonly known as Hero Q), led by Seki. In the segment titled "A Grand Introduction to Hero Q! – The Little-Known World of the Theater Company," the three talked candidly about backstage matters such as stage production, rehearsals, and payment details.

It was explained that the company was founded by Seki, Nagasawa, and their fellow training school classmates, motivated by the desire to “create a place where they could continue learning acting even after graduation.” When it was revealed that over 60 productions had been staged so far, all three were surprised at the number, with Seki commenting, “I want to reach 100 performances!” and sharing his future goal. Stage photos and behind-the-scenes shots from those times were shown, featuring a young Seki, Nagasawa, Katsuyuki Konishi, and Fumiko Orikasa.

The talk also touched upon Seki’s role as a director. Seki admitted that he often argues about direction with Nagasawa and the staff, and when Nagasawa remarked, “You sometimes wear your director’s face even on stage,” Seki nodded emphatically, revealing that he sometimes approaches actors during performances, pretending to be in character, but actually to give them critiques. The studio reacted with surprise to this unexpected instance of giving notes on stage.

Okiayu also shared, “Seki tries to make us laugh from the wings,” to which Seki replied, “I always want to keep things fresh,” and, “I enjoy seeing those surprised faces.” Nagasawa immediately quipped, “That’s the reason!?” bringing a warm and friendly atmosphere to the studio.

They also answered frankly to questions such as how roles are cast, stories about blunders during actual performances, “Are there many romances within the company?” and “How much do you get paid?” On the subject of pay, Seki explained, “Basically, there’s no pay for the members. We all contribute to a fund, and with the proceeds from the previous show combined, we just barely scrape together enough to put on a production.” Nagasawa and Okiayu both chimed in, “It’s nowhere near enough!” and, “It really is! Stage acting is absolutely not profitable,” agreeing with each other. Still, when asked why they keep running the company, Seki said, “Being able to stand on a good stage and be seen by an audience is a treasure for any actor. The younger members work hard with that as their motivation.”