The Kyoto Experiment (KEX) performing arts festival is marking the beginning of a new era. Not only does it have three new program directors at the helm, it also has a fresh logo and renewed focus on experimentation to boot.
Tag: Contemporary Japanese Theatre
Book chapter in 漂流の演劇 – 維新派のパースペクティブ [Lit. Theatre Adrift: The Ishinha Perspective] Osaka UP
A chapter I wrote on a site-specific production by the erstwhile Osaka-based theatre company Ishinha was published in a new book looking at the company’s work and legacy.
Profile on Multimedia Artist Hiroko Tanahashi
This article explores key elements of Hiroko Tanahashi’s life and career as a multimedia artist who creates immersive worlds for Post Theater in Berlin and Stuttgart.
On Theatre E9, a new black box venue in Kyoto
Theatre E9 Kyoto was launched in June 2019 and has quickly gained a reputation for producing challenging performance work. What’s at stake in creating a new black box theatre in 2019-2020? How does it tie into the wider regional and national theatre scene?
Kyoto Experiment Marks the End of an Era
The 10th edition of Kyoto Experiment marked the end of a decade-long labor of love for Yusuke Hashimoto, who stepped down as program director and passed the baton on to three new co-directors. What impact has this performing arts event had at home and abroad? What are some of the milestones in its story so far?
On the Theatre Olympics 2019 at Toga Village, Toyama
This article was originally published in the Japan Times newspaper on August 14 2019. Since the late 1970s, people from all over the world have traveled to the village of Toga in rural Toyama Prefecture to attend Tadashi Suzuki’s renowned acting classes or to see the Suzuki Company of Toga (SCOT) and other invited artists…
On the Performing Arts Program at the Aichi Triennale 2019
This article was originally published in The Japan Times newspaper on July 30 2019. The political function of art is a perennial question in the field of aesthetics. In classical Athens, Plato argued that art as a form of imitation was limited in its ability to communicate knowledge about political life. In contrast, Aristotle saw…
Tokyo Theater Commons and Tokyo Performing Arts Meeting
This article was originally published in the Japan Times Newspaper on January 24, 2017. A bonanza is brewing in Tokyo and Yokohama for lovers of cross-cultural contemporary theater. That’s because, from Jan. 25 to Feb. 5, the capital’s Minato Ward hosts a new performance and workshop program named Theater Commons Tokyo. Meanwhile Yokohama’s Naka Ward…
"Landslide World" – Shiki Goroshi's stage adaptation of "Lord of the Flies"
This article was originally published in the Japan Times newspaper on January 7 2015. Central to William Golding’s dystopian novel “Lord of the Flies” is the notion of violence as a social construct. “Maybe there is a beast … maybe it’s only us,” says the protective Simon before a hostile assembly of other schoolboys marooned…
Kansai region in midst of arts renaissance
This article was originally published in the Japan Times newspaper on Jan 1 2015. In its 2013 policy report, the Agency for Cultural Affairs vowed to build “a nation based on culture and the arts” through the promotion of regional festivals, artist-in-residence programs and other events. So what can we expect the Kansai region’s contribution…
