Takahisa Masuda (22) of NEWS has landed his first starring role in a play this November, titled "Ame no Hi no Mori no Naka." Masuda has performed in stage shows before, but this will be his first time taking the stage in a true acting role.

The play is written and produced by Masafumi Nishida, who was one of the screenwriters for the hit drama series "Maou." The story is an original slapstick comedy about a college student (Masuda) whose car runs out of gas, stranding him and a friend (Mitsuki Tanimura) in the woods on a rainy day. They eventually end up at an old boarding house, but it seems suspicious. As it turns out, Masuda's character gets frightened very easily by the incidents that occur, while Tanimura plays the much more strong-willed character.

Performances are scheduled for November 4-23 at The Globe Tokyo, followed by a run at Osaka's Theater Drama City on November 26-30.