The troupe’s name, Gekidan Maihime, was inspired by the elegant dancing performances of onnagata roles, male performers portraying women, which are one of CEO Kotaro Aoi’s specialties. Their stage productions are also well worth seeing, particularly their sword-fighting dramas, which have become one of the troupe’s signature attractions.

The troupe continues to strive for excellence, constantly seeking something in which they can become “the best in Japan”, and dedicating themselves to continual practice and improvement.

Gekidan Maihime was originally founded as Aoi-za by Kojiro Aoi, the father of current troupe leader Kotaro Aoi and chairman of the En’yukai theatre association. In 2002 (Heisei 14), Gekidan Maihime became independent from Aoi-za.

In December 2033 (Reiwa 4), Shotaro Aoi became troupe leader.
From January 2024 (Reiwa 6), the troupe adopted it’s current structure, with Shotaro Aoi serving as the Artistic Director, Kotaro Aoi leading the ‘Mai-gumi’, and Tokitaro Nakamura leading the ‘Yu-gumi’ group. These are two internal performance groups within the same theatre troupe.