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“Blue Tarp” November 14th 11:00, 14:30: Performances confirmed

The performances of “Blue Tarp” today (November 14th) at 11:00 and 14:30 will go ahead as planned. Expect rainy weather.

Please be aware in advance that the venue is outdoors, with no heating or cover (umbrellas are not permitted during the performance). Please come suitably dressed for the weather conditions.

Access
Former Toshima City 10th Junior High School
http://www.festival-tokyo.jp/15/en/access/#section04

No parking facilities are available at the venue. The nearest station is Senkawa Station on Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line and Fukutoshin Line. Please be careful not to mistake the station with the similarly named Sengawa Station on the Keio Line.

Timetable for “Festival Fukushima! @Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park”

This is the full timetable for performances and events over the two-day “Festival Fukushima! @Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park”, which opens Festival/Tokyo 2015.

10/31 (Sat)

14:50-15:00 F/T15 Official Opening
15:00-15:30 Toshima City mascot characters and friends
15:35-16:05 kukangendai talks & performance
16:05-16:25 Giant furoshiki song talk
16:30-17:30 Bon dance
PROJECT FUKUSHIMA! Bon Band, Kanako Mikado, Tomoe Endo
17:40-18:10 Shidamyojin Jr.
18:30-20:00 Bon dance
Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band, Kanako Mikado, Tomoe Endo, Sachiko M

11/1 (Sun)

13:00-13:30 Toshima City mascot characters and friends
13:35-14:05 Taro Yasuno talk & performance
14:10-14:30 Strange Kinoko Dance Company (Chie Ito, Satomi Yajima, Miwa Sasaki, Memi Shinozaki)
14:35-15:05 Jun Nagami + Akihiro Okachi + Tsuyoshi “TICO” Toki + Kenji Sato
15:30-16:30 Bon dance
PROJECT FUKUSHIMA! Bon Band, Kanako Mikado, Tomoe Endo
16:30-16:50 Bon dance talks: Hajime Oishi
17:00-18:00 Bon dance
Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band, Kanako Mikado, Tomoe Endo, Sachiko M

Symposium: Russian Theatre Today

As part of Festival/Tokyo 2015, Chiten and kukangendai will present a radical new adaptation of the Russian modern masterpiece “Mystery-Bouffe”. This free symposium explores the context of Vladimir Mayakovsky’s original play and Russian theatre as it stands today.
 


 
Russian theatre has been a central part of the nation’s culture, from the time of Chekhov and Stanislavsky to the avant-garde era of Mayakovsky and Meyerhold, the Soviet period, and the years that have followed the collapse of the USSR. How has Russian theatre evolved as society has changed? What problems does it face? This symposium welcomes leading Russian theatre artist Andrey Moguchy to discuss these questions.

 

Date November 28th 14:00-16:00
Venue Nishi-Sugamo Arts Factory
Tickets Free (reservations required)
Language Japanese and Russian (with Japanese interpretation)
Guest Speakers Andrey Moguchy (director, Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater), Sachio Ichimura (Directors Committee Representative, Festival/Tokyo), Motoi Miura (director, Chiten)
Moderator Kumi Tateoka (Faculty of Intercultural Studies, Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University)

Reservations: Chiten

 

Andrey Moguchy
Russian theatre director, born in 1961. Originally an engineer, he graduated from Leningrad Institute of Culture in 1989 and in the same year founded Formal Theatre. He became artistic director of Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater in 2013. He directs in Moscow and Finland. Major productions include Sasha Sokolov’s “A School for Fools” and “Alice”.

Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater
One of Russia’s leading theatres, founded in 1918. It is associated with the work of early twentieth-century Russian writers like Alexander Blok and Maxim Gorky. Georgy Tovstonogov took over as artistic director in 1956 and the theatre entered its golden years. The theatre visited Japan in 1987. Andrey Moguchy became artistic director in 2013.
http://bdt.spb.ru/
 
Presented by the Japan Foundation
In co-operation with Festival/Tokyo, Chiten
Inquiries: info@chiten.org

Full performer lineup announced for “Festival Fukushima! @Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park”

Full details of the performer lineup have now been announced for “Festival Fukushima! @Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park”, held over two days in Ikebukuro as the opening event of Festival/Tokyo 2015.

This year, 15 groups and 53 performers will transform Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park into an autumnal festival of music and dance. The two-day event also features Taro Yasuno and kukangendai, who are also presenting other work at F/T15.
 
Music & Performances
Shidamyojin Jr. (10/31)
Michiro Endo (guitar/vocals), Hisato Yamamoto (guitar), Masayuki Chatani (drums)

Strange Kinoko Dance Company
Chie Ito, Satomi Yajima, Miwa Sasaki, Memi Shinozaki, Kurumi Toji, Yoko Koyama

Jun Nagami + Akihiro Okachi + Tsuyoshi “TICO” Toki + Kenji Sato (11/1)

Kanako Mikado

Sachiko M

Tomoe Endo

Yusuke Kobayashi

Kazumi Nikaido

Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band
Otomo Yoshihide (guitar), Naoko Eto (piano), Tatsuo Kondo (organ, harmonica), Kan Saito (flute), Nashie Inoue (clarinet), Ryoko Egawa (saxophone), Ryota Higashi (saxophone), Hiroshi Suzuki (saxophone), Shutoku Sato (trumpet), Osamu Imagome (trombone), Jinya Kimura (tuba), Shunsuke Okuchi (accordion), Shinobu Kawai (bass), Takefumi Kobayashi (drums, percussion)

PROJECT FUKUSHIMA! Bon Band
Jun Nagami (guitar), Akihiro Okachi (drums) (11/1), Tsuyoshi “TICO” Toki (steel pan), Kenji Sato (bass), Yuriko Mukojima (violin) (10/31), Kanako Mikado (flute), Norihiro Endo (percussion), Akemi Endo (chorus), Yusuke Kobayashi (percussion), Kyohei Nitta (chorus) (10/31), Chie Nakajima (percussion), Brown nose no.1 (banjo), Mutsumi Asakura (pianica), Rie Akiyama (saxophone), Keita Ando (trumpet (11/1), Makoto Omori (saxophone) (10/31), Shintaro Ono (ukulele), Akiko Koike (percussion), Eiko Koseki (percussion), Katsuhiko Soeta (banjo), Kumiko Takano (pianica), Akiko Tomiyama (pianica), Jun Numata (guitar), Yuki Numata (bass) (11/1), Seinoshin Yamagishi (pianica), Yoko Wada (shamisen)

kukangendai (10/31)

Taro Yasuno (11/1)

Talks
Hajime Oishi (11/1) Seinoshin Yamagishi Tohru Nakazaki (10/31) Cohta Asano (10/31)
 
 
Timetable
10/31 (Sat)
15:00 Live music, performances, talks
16:30 Bon dance
11/1 (Sun)
13:00 Live music, performances, talks
15:30 Bon dance

A full timetable will be announced next week.

Asia Series Vol.2: Myanmar “Roundabout in Yangon”
“The Monk” (screening & talk with director The Maw Naing)

Film director The Maw Naing is presenting work at the Asia Series Vol.2: Myanmar “Roundabout in Yangon”. His acclaimed film “The Monk” is here screened for the first time in Japan at Theater Pole-Pole Higashi-Nakano, followed by a talk with the director.

 

“The Monk” (screening and talk with director The Maw Naing)

Date 11/11 (Wed) 20:30
Venue Theater Pole-Pole Higashi-Nakano
Tickets ¥1,500
Language Myanmar language with Japanese and English subtitles (film)
Myanmar language with Japanese interpretation (talk)

Following the screening, there will be a talk with director The Maw Naing.

 

the_monk
“The Monk” (2014, Czech Republic/Myanmar)

A young boy Zawana enters a small village monastery led by U Dahma. Zawana has doubts if this lifestyle is right for him, but he grows to like the old abbot. The monastery faces financial crisis, monks are leaving, and on top of that U Dahma gets sick. Somebody must take care of him and the whole community. Zawana understands that he has to take the challenge…

Director: The Maw Naing
Screenplay: Aung Min
Director of Photography: Tin Win Naing
Editing: Zaw Win Htwe
Sound Recordist: Sai Kong Kham
Sound: Jan Richtr
Produced by FAMU (Vít Janeček)

Novice Zawana: Kyaw Nyi Thu
Marlar: Han Newe Nyein
Abbot U Dahma: Thein Swe Myint
Monk Yawata: Moe San

roundaboutartist1

The Maw Naing
Film director, poet, performer

Born in 1971, he studied film at Yangon Film School and FAMU in Prague. He published his first collection of poetry in 2004. His documentary “Nargis — When Time Stopped Breathing” (2012) and film “The Monk” (2014) have been screened at numerous international film festivals to great acclaim. He also presented work at the Nippon International Performance Art Festival 2009 and the Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale 2014.

Asia Series Vol.2: Myanmar “Roundabout in Yangon”
Film & Talk Events

Each year, F/T focuses on one country in the Asian region. The 2015 festival is showcasing the diverse contemporary arts scene in Myanmar. In addition to the main theatre, installation, video, music, and performance works, there is also a packed program of related events. These include screenings of the acclaimed “The Monk” (2014), directed by The Maw Naing, who is part of the “Roundabout in Yangon” showcase.

 

Myanmar: The Basics (talk)

Date 11/3 (Tue) 16:00
Venue Hotel Grand City Restaurant Saison
Guests Katsumi Tamura (Executive Director, Graduate University for Advanced Studies; Professor Emeritus, National Museum of Ethnology)
Rina Igarashi (curator, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum)

Tickets ¥500 (priority to reservations, includes soft drink)

 
Myanmar is today experiencing rapid growth as foreign investment pours in due to the recent shift towards democratization. F/T’s second Asia Series program turns to examine this new and exciting scene through the work of three artists. This talk will provide an overview of general social issues in Myanmar, as well as the nation’s unique puppet theatre and other traditional arts, and the arts in Myanmar today in the context of Southeast Asia. The guest speakers are cultural anthropologist Katsumi Tamura, an expert on Myanmar culture and history, and Rina Igarashi, who has a long association with the arts in Myanmar and Southeast Asia.
 
See more
 

Myanmar Film Screenings

“The Monk” (screening & talk)

Date 11/18 (Wed) 18:00
Venue Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Atelier East)
Guests The Maw Naing (film director, poet, performer)
Aung Min (screenwriter, doctor, film director)
Tickets ¥500 (priority to reservations)
Language Myanmar language with English and Japanese subtitles (film)
Myanmar language with Japanese interpretation (talk)

As part of the Asia Series Vol.2: Myanmar “Roundabout in Yangon” showcase, F/T is screening a selection of films from Myanmar. “The Monk” is the first fiction film directed by The Maw Naing, who is also presenting work at “Roundabout in Yangon”. The screening features a talk with The Maw Naing and screenwriter Aung Min about the film (in Myanmar language with Japanese interpretation).

 
3 Recent Films from Myanmar

Dates 11/20 (Fri) — 11/23 (Mon)
Venue Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Atelier East)
Tickets ¥500 (priority to reservations) Ticket valid for 2 screenings on same day
Language Myanmar language with Japanese subtitles
(“The Monk” also has English subtitles)

The second part of the Myanmar film screenings accompanying the “Roundabout in Yangon” showcase of contemporary arts in Myanmar present three recent films, introducing various aspects of Burmese society and culture. The Maw Naing’s “The Monk” (2014) is screened again, along with two documentaries: one about the effects of a natural disaster, “Nargis — When Time Stopped Breathing”, and another about traditional music, “Beauty of Tradition — Under the Sky of Yangon”.

Screening Schedule

11/20 (Fri) 18:00 “The Monk”
19:45 “Beauty of Tradition — Under the Sky of Yangon”
11/21 (Sat) 13:00 “Nargis — When Time Stopped Breathing”
14:45 “Beauty of Tradition — Under the Sky of Yangon”
11/22 (Sun) 13:00 “The Monk”
14:45 “Beauty of Tradition — Under the Sky of Yangon”
11/23 (Mon) 18:00 “Nargis — When Time Stopped Breathing”
19:45 “The Monk”

See more

Applications open for Teatr ZAR workshop: The Actor’s Body — An Evoked Drama


Applications are now open for a workshop and demonstration by a director and a performer from Teatr ZAR, the international theatre company based at the Grotowski Institute. The workshop will be held in English with consecutive Japanese interpretation.
The workshops are also open to non-participatory observers.

The change, and an ability to recognise it, is the main and fundamental aspect of every drama.

How to make a live, visible stream of permanent movements, how to structure them within their inner micro-dramaturgical potential? How to learn your partner a unique code of your own acting body communication? How to create a body-text without a common body language?

During the workshop the dramaturgical concept of four physical centres of actor will be introduced: Pelvis/Coccyx Center; The Chest/Collarbones Center; The Third Center – The Breath; and Seeing/Hearing/Perception as the Fourth Body Center – all of them creating an unique organism for incorporating drama.


Dates: 11/26 (Thu), 11/27 (Fri) 13:00-17:00
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Rehearsal Room)
Instructors: Jarosław Fret, Simona Sala (Teatr ZAR)

 


jaroslaw-fret

Jarosław Fret
Director, actor, head of Teatr ZAR, Director of Grotowski Institute

Jarosław Fret is the founder and leader of Teatr ZAR, as well as a theatre director and actor, the director of the Grotowski Institute, and curator of the theatre program of Wrocław: European Capital of Culture 2016. In 1999-2002, he carried out a series of expeditions to Georgia, Armenia, and Iran, conducting research into the oldest forms of religious music of Eastern Christianity. In the following years, together with members of Teatr ZAR, he organized expeditions to Athos mountain in Greece, Sardinia, Corsica, Armenia, Turkey, Israel. In 2013, he presented “Armine, Sister”, dealing with the Armenian Genocide. The work of Teatr ZAR is presented around the world.

 
 
 


 
Language: English (with Japanese interpretation)

Requirements
– 18 years old and in a healthy physical condition
– Able to participate in both workshop dates
– Possess acting experience
Participants will receive insurance coverage for injury.
Underage participants require a signed consent form from a guardian.

Fee
¥2,000 (in advance)

Capacity
16 participants (chosen by lottery)

Application Deadline
October 20th (Tue)

Applications

Please send the following information to the email address at the bottom of the page.

All applicants will be contacted by F/T by October 27th.

1. Name
2. Date of birth
3. Gender
4. Address
5. Daytime contact telephone number
6. Email address
7. Workplace/school
8. Nationality
9. Language ability (English, Polish) (please include qualifications and/or overseas experience, if any)
10. Previous acting experience (in English)

Apply


Workshop Observation
The workshop is also free to watch as an observer, though capacity is limited to 20 places (chosen by lottery). Please make a reservation below.
Apply
 

Applications & Inquiries
Festival/Tokyo
“Polish Theatre Today”
Email: ft-office@festival-tokyo.jp
Tel: 03-5961-5202 (weekdays 11:00-19:00)

All information submitted with applications will be handled in accordance with festival policies regarding personal information. It shall be used only for the purposes of this workshop and will be deleted after it is no longer needed.

Festival/Tokyo 2015: Performance Language Guide

Worried about the language barrier? Here is our guide to finding the right performance to see!

No language required

These performances feature music, dance, and other elements with little or no dialogue — or otherwise can be enjoyed without understanding the language.

“Festival Fukushima! @Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park”
Direction: PROJECT FUKUSHIMA! + Seinoshin Yamagishi
October 31st, November 1st

Zombie Opera “Danse Macabre”
Taro Yasuno (concept, music) + Miho Watanabe (dramaturgy) + Noriyuki Kiguchi (stage design)
November 12th – November 15th

Asia Series Vol.2: Myanmar “Roundabout in Yangon”
Program B: Thxa Soe (live music)
November 13th – November 15th

Performed in English

Goethe-Institut Korea + NOLGONG “Being Faust – Enter Mephisto”
Concept: Peter Lee
November 19th – November 22nd

“All the Sky Above the Earth (Wendy’s Syndrome)”
Text, Direction, Stage Design, Costumes: Angélica Liddell
November 21st – November 23rd
Also performed in Spanish, and partly in Chinese, Norwegian, and French.

Performed in German

Goethe-Institut Korea + NOLGONG “Being Faust – Enter Mephisto”
Concept: Peter Lee
November 19th – November 22nd

Performed with English surtitles

Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC) “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Direction: Satoshi Miyagi
Text: William Shakespeare (Translation: Yushi Odashima)
Embellishment: Hideki Noda
Music: Hiroko Tanakawa
October 31st – November 3rd

“The Monk”
Direction: The Maw Naing
November 18th – November 23rd

“All the Sky Above the Earth (Wendy’s Syndrome)”
Text, Direction, Stage Design, Costumes: Angélica Liddell
November 21st – November 23rd
Also performed with Japanese surtitles.
Performed in Spanish and partly in English, Chinese, Norwegian, and French.

“God Bless Baseball”
Text, Direction: Toshiki Okada
November 19th – November 29th
Also performed with Japanese and Korean surtitles.

Performed in Spanish

“All the Sky Above the Earth (Wendy’s Syndrome)”
Text, Direction, Stage Design, Costumes: Angélica Liddell
November 21st – November 23rd

Performed in Korean

“God Bless Baseball”
Text, Direction: Toshiki Okada
November 19th – November 29th
Performed in Japanese and Korean (with Japanese, Korean, and English surtitles).

Cultural Centre of Fujimi City, KIRARI FUJIMI “A Typhoon’s Tale”
Kiwoong Sung (text) + Junnosuke Tada (direction)
November 26th – November 29th
Performed in Japanese and Korean (with Japanese surtitles).

Performed in French

Théâtre de la Ville-Paris “Rhinocéros”
Text: Eugène Ionesco
Direction: Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota
November 21st – November 23rd
Performed in French with Japanese surtitles.

Gintersdorfer/Klaßen “Logobi 06”
November 26th – November 29th
Performed in French with consecutive Japanese interpretation.

Performed in Japanese only

“Blue Tarp”
Text, Direction: Norimizu Ameya
November 14th – November 15th, December 4th – December 6th

Chiten + kukangendai “Mystery-Bouffe”
Text: Vladimir Mayakovsky
Direction: Motoi Miura
Music: kukangendai
November 20th – November 28th

The symposium “The Future of Arts Festivals” will be held in Japanese. The series of F/T Talks will be held in Japanese, though certain events will also be held partly and entirely in English and Chinese with Japanese interpretation. The Grotowski screenings are in Polish with English subtitles. Please check the F/T Talks page for more information.

Selected pre- and post-performance talks also take place in languages other than Japanese. Please check the F/T news blog for further details.

English synopsis available

Zombie Opera “Danse Macabre”
Taro Yasuno (concept, music) + Miho Watanabe (dramaturgy) + Noriyuki Kiguchi (stage design)
November 12th – November 15th

“Blue Tarp”
Text, Direction: Norimizu Ameya
November 14th – November 15th, December 4th – December 6th

Chiten + kukangendai “Mystery-Bouffe”
Text: Vladimir Mayakovsky
Direction: Motoi Miura
Music: kukangendai
November 20th – November 28th

Théâtre de la Ville-Paris “Rhinocéros”
Text: Eugène Ionesco
Direction: Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota
November 21st – November 23rd

Gintersdorfer/Klaßen “Logobi 06”
November 26th – November 29th

Cultural Centre of Fujimi City, KIRARI FUJIMI “A Typhoon’s Tale”
Kiwoong Sung (text) + Junnosuke Tada (direction)
November 26th – November 29th

Performed in Myanmar language

Asia Series Vol.2: Myanmar “Roundabout in Yangon”
Program A: The Maw Naing (performance, installations, video works), Nyan Lin Htet (theatre performance)
Program B: Thxa Soe (live music)
November 13th – November 15th

Pre- and Post-Performance Talk Guests

Pre- and post-performance guest speakers have been announced for the following productions at Festival/Tokyo 2015.

 
 
Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC) “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

11/1 (Sun) 15:00 Satoshi Miyagi + Yumiko Komai (costume designer for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”)
11/3 (Tue) 18:00 Satoshi Miyagi + Katsuyuki Motohiro (film director)

 
Asia Series Vol.2: Myanmar “Roundabout in Yangon”

11/13 (Fri) 15:00 The Maw Naing + Keiko Sei (curator, media activist, writer)
In Myanmar language, Japanese
11/15 (Sun) 15:00 Nyan Lin Htet + Atsuko Hisano (Program Director, the Saison Foundation)
In English, Japanese

 

“God Bless Baseball”

11/21 (Sat) 17:00 Toshiki Okada
11/26 (Thu) 15:00 Toshiki Okada + members of cast

 
“All the Sky Above the Earth (Wendy’s Syndrome)”

11/22 (Sun) 18:00* Yoichi Tajiri (Kansai Gaidai University) + Masahiko Yokobori (dramaturge, Festival/Tokyo Directors Committee)

 
“Rhinocéros”

11/23 (Mon) 15:00 Christophe Lemaire
In French, with Japanese interpretation
17:15-18:00 at Saitama Arts Theater Video Hall
Previously announced guest Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota is unfortunately now unable to appear.

 

Cultural Centre of Fujimi City, KIRARI FUJIMI “A Typhoon’s Tale”

11/27 (Fri) 15:00

Junnosuke Tada + Toshiki Okada
11/28 (Sat) 18:00 Kiwoong Sung + Junnosuke Tada + Jiro Shima (stage designer for “A Typhoon’s Tale”)

 

Gintersdorfer/Klaßen “Logobi 06”

11/27 (Fri) 19:30 Monika Gintersdorfer
In German, with Japanese interpretation

 
*Pre-performance talk
 
Unless otherwise noted, talks are in Japanese only.
Admission free. No reservation required.
For pre-performance talks, only ticket-holders for the performance that day will be admitted.
For post-performance talks, any ticket-holder for the production will be admitted, regardless of ticket date.
 

Other Talks

“Being Faust – Enter Mephisto”

11/21 (Sat)
17:45-18:30

Peter Lee + Dr. Stefan Dreyer (Goethe Institut Korea, Director in Charge of East Asia)
In English, with Japanese interpretation

Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Atelier East)
Admission free. No reservation required.