Born in Tokyo in 1959. Director. General Artistic Director of SPAC (Shizuoka Performing Arts Center). Tokyo Festival General Director.General Director of Performing arts, Culture City of East Asia 2019 Toshima.Studied theory of theater at the University of Tokyo under instructors such as Yushi Odashima, Moriaki Watanabe, and Hachiro Hitaka. Established the Ku Na’uka Theatre Company in 1990. After developing his performance activities internationally, he has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad for his directorial work combining contemporary textual interpretations with the physical techniques and styles of Asian theater. Was appointed General Artistic Director of SPAC in April 2007. In parallel with his own performances, he has been invited to collaborate on theatrical work casting a sharp eye on contemporary society all over the world, and spent enormous effort doing educational outreach program with a focus on creating theater as “a window to view the world.” His Antigone was performed in the Cour d’honneur du Palais des papes in 2017 as the opening work of the Festival d’Avignon. This was the first time in the festival’s history that a work from Asia had been selected as the opening work, and it earned a huge reaction from the artistic world. Other representative works include Medea , Mahabharata and Peer Gynt. from 2006 to 2017, he was been a producer of APAF (Asian Performing Arts Forum). He received the 3rd Asahi Performing Arts Award in 2004, and received the 2nd Asahi Beer Artistic Award in 2005. The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize of Drama.

Scheduled for Thursday, October 18 – Sunday, November 4, 2018

Director: Yoshiji Yokoyama

One of Italy’s most acclaimed directors, Giorgio Barberio Corsetti held auditions at Ikebukuro, personally selecting all performers for an outdoor performance of The Threepenny Opera to be held at Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park. From France come performances of Daniel Jeanneteau’s hit The Glass Menagerie and Stereoptik’s Dark Circus. Two works from choreographer Merlin Nyakam will be presented—El cielo se mide por alas (The sky is measured by wings), beyond good and evil, and is performed by children from Shizuoka, as well as its adult counterpart Stay Dreaming, in which female Japanese performers with greater experience of life spin a tale of hope. As an international collaboration, Dainanagekijo (Mie Prefecture) and Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group (Taipei) will present their collaborative performance of Café Lumiere. All of these events can be viewed at low prices.

Saturday, October 13 – Sunday November 18, 2018

Director: Kaku Nagashima / Co-Director: Chika Kawai

An international performing arts festival which introduces the fascination of contemporary stage performance from many different angles, in the pursuit of new possibilities in performing arts. This year will mark the 11th such event, and the program will include an Asian series introducing progressive Asian performing arts and other arts, comprising an outdoor performance by Thai choreographer Pichet Klunchun as well as performance pieces from Bangladesh and Cambodia that will only appear at F/T. The program will also present works from Japanese cutting-edge artists such as Marebito, which continues to explore new ground in conjunction with F/T. Under its new director this year, the program will also focus on holding symposiums and other events.

http://www.festival-tokyo.jp/

Saturday, September 1, 2018 – Sunday, November 25, 2018

Director: Minako Naito (Production Manager, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre)

The program hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre boasts a wealth of international performers, marking its fourth participation in the Tokyo Festival, opening doors on new forms of expression. This year sees a collection of remarkable works by Japanese and overseas artists, including In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom, which Hideki Noda, Artistic Director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, both directs and appears in; a newly written work by Tomohiro Maekawa of Ikiume, To Mr. Gegege, based on the world of manga artist Shigeru Mizuki; and MA étude by contemporary circus performer Camille Boitel. In Ikebukuro’s Nishiguchi Park, Australian company Back to Back Theatre will perform small metal objects.

http://www.geigeki.jp/

Saturday, September 1 – Sunday, December 9, 2018

Directors: Harumi Nemoto (Chief Producer of Owlspot Theater) / Hayato Sugita (Planning Section Project Officer, Cultural Section, Toshima Mirai Cultural Foundation)

Selected from within Japan as the 2019 East Asia City of Culture, Toshima City is justly proud of its arts and culture, which it conveys to the world—the whole city becomes a stage, an international city of arts and culture in which “everyone can play a leading role.” This year, in addition to the outdoor performance Daidengaku Ikebukuro Emaki, the city has expanded its line-up of traditional performing arts projects. As part of Traditional Performing Arts at Minami-Ikebukuro Park Project, traditional performing arts performances will include Japanese Performance SAMBASO – from the Middle Age to Edo era –, created and directed by Manzo Nomura, as well as the expressive folk dances of People Dance – Japanese Folk Dance –. Owlspot Theater will present a new project by Nanafuku Tamagawa: Nanafuku’s my-heart-stealer. Clockwise Man by video director Kaoru Haga and Ryohei Kondo of Condors Dance Company and Sound of Light: Sound of Shadow, a new work by dance artist Chisato Minamimura, who performed at the Paralympic Games in London, will also be presented. Ikebukuro Play Festival will also celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Toshima International City of Arts & Culture ： https://www.city.toshima.lg.jp/000/1804161543.html
Toshima Mirai cultural Foundation ： https://www.toshima-mirai.or.jp/
OWLSPOT THEATER： http://owlspot.jp/

Monday, October 15 – Monday, November 12, 2018

Director: Junnosuke Tada

The Forum selects young artists from the Asian region, seeking to cultivate human resources to play a key role in international collaboration and cross-border networking. International Co-creation scales up this year with Beautiful Trauma by Indonesian director Yustiansyah Lesmana, selected from the previous year’s international collaborative workshop. In the International Collaborative Workshop, participants will finish and present three original works on the theme “Violent,” as chosen by program director Junnosuke Tada. In the Art Camp program, which seeks to discover and nurture new talent who will play a role in future performing arts, participants will improve their practical skills through lectures, dramatic performances, discussions, etc. during the 9-day stay. Each event will be partially open to the public (free of charge).

http://butai.asia/