The Festival/Tokyo 2016 Activities and Results Report, covering last year’s festival held between October and December 2016, is now available in English and Japanese.
Activities and Results Report (PDF, 2.1MB)
Main Media Coverage (PDF, 1.6MB)
All posts by FT16
Auditions in Tokyo for new Pichet Klunchun dance work
Dancers are invited to audition for a new dance work directed and choreographed by Pichet Klunchun, which will be performed this autumn at Festival/Tokyo 2017.
Acclaimed for his unique symbiosis of Thai traditions and contemporary style, Pichet Klunchun is one of the most important dance artists in Asia today. He will create a new outdoor work for Festival/Tokyo. Ahead of this, he will visit Japan in March as a Saison Artist in Residence Visiting Fellow through the support of The Saison Foundation, and will hold auditions for performers during his stay.
Supported by The Saison Foundation
Pichet Klunchun
Dancer and choreographer Pichet Klunchun is trained in Thai classical mask dance (Khon) and works with a fusion of both traditional and contemporary sensibilities. After graduating from Chulalongkorn University with a degree in art and applied arts, he started his career in the performing arts as a dancer and choreographer. His has worked in North America, Asia and Europe. His awards include the rank of Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2012) and the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Award from the Asian Cultural Council (2014). His recent work that has been performed in Japan includes “Dancing with Death” (2016) and “Black and White” (2015).
Photo: Sutras Rungsirisilp
Audition Dates
March 17th, 2017: 11:00-14:00 / 18:00-21:00
March 18th, 2017: 11:00-14:00 / 18:00-21:00
Candidates are required to attend only one session.
Auditions Venues
Studio in Tokyo (TBD)
Audition Fee
None
Available Positions
10-20
Application Deadline
March 12th, 2017 / 23:59
Auditions are held in either Thai or Japanese. No English-language support is offered. Please note that applications can only be accepted in Japanese. For further information, including qualifications and online application forms, please see the F/T Japanese website.
Inquiries (Japanese-language only)
Email: ft-office@festival-tokyo.jp
Previous work by Pichet Klunchun
Information regarding performances of “Song Tree” on November 13th
The performances of “Song Tree” on November 13th at 11:00 and 15:00 will take place as scheduled. Please wear clothing suitable for the weather.
The performances will take place as announced at Toshima City Office (10F Toshima Forest). However, due to rain affecting the condition of grass at the venue, the content of the performance will be different.
Ticket-holders to the performances on November 13th who wish to receive a refund should please contact the F/T Ticket Center (ticket@festival-tokyo.jp).
Information regarding performances of “Song Tree” on November 12th
The performances of “Song Tree” on November 12th at 11:00 and 15:00 will take place as scheduled. Please wear clothing suitable for the weather.
11:00 Performance
The performance will take place as announced at Toshima City Office (10F Toshima Forest). However, due to rain affecting the condition of grass at the venue, the content of the performance will be different.
15:00 Performance
Ticket-holders to the performances on November 12th who wish to change their ticket to another performance or receive a refund should please contact the F/T Ticket Center (ticket@festival-tokyo.jp).
Language Guide for Performances and Events at Festival/Tokyo 2016
Worried about the language barrier at Festival/Tokyo 2016? Here is our guide to which performances and events are happening in what language!
No Language Required
“Festival Fukushima! @Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park”
idevian crew “Blind Spot”
“x / groove space”
“Hommage à Dore Hoyer”
“Buddha Boxing”
“B.E.D. (Episode 5)”
Performed Partly in English
The Instant Café Theatre Company “NADIRAH”
ASWARA (National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage) “BONDINGS”
Guidance in English
English Surtitles
chelfitsch “There is Nothing You Can Do for Her”
DOCU(NT)MENT “The Unknown Dancer in the Neighboring Town”
Performed in Malay
The Instant Café Theatre Company “NADIRAH”
ASWARA (National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage) “BONDINGS”
Performed in Korean
Kunhyung Park + Namsan Arts Center “All the Soldiers are Pathetic”
Performed in Polish
Performed in Japanese
marebito theater company “Performing Fukushima”
“Channel Fuku”
“Song Tree”
English Synopsis Available
“Woodcutters”
Kunhyung Park + Namsan Arts Center “All the Soldiers are Pathetic”
ASWARA (National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage) “BONDINGS”
The Instant Café Theatre Company “NADIRAH”
Talks in English
Art Projects in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia
Talks in Chinese
Youth Culture, as Seen in Zhi Japan (“Knowing Japan”)
This guide will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
Susanne Linke dance workshop in Tokyo
This December, Susanne Linke returns to Japan with “Hommage à Dore Hoyer”, which re-conceives the influential work of Dore Hoyer. Linke will also lead an exclusive three-day workshop in Tokyo. Applications are now open for this unique opportunity to participate in a workshop by one of Europe’s most important dance artists.
Dates December 4th — December 6th
Time: 13:15-16:45 (3.5 hours each day)
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Rehearsal Room M3)
Susanne Linke
Born in 1944, Susanne Linke received her education from expressionist dance pioneer Mary Wigman, after which she studied at Folkwang-Hochschule in Essen and became a dancer at Folkwang Tanzstudio under Pina Bausch. In the mid-1980s, she began her career as an independent dancer and choreographer. She created a new company at Bremen Theater, and was a founding member and artistic director of the Choreographisches Zentrum Essen. She returned to independent dance and choreography in 2001. Since the 2015/16 season, she has been the artistic director of the dance department at Theater Trier.
Language: English (with Japanese interpretation)
Fee: ¥6,000 (paid in advance)
Participation Requirements
Workshop participants must be physically healthy and aged 18 or over. They must be able to participate in all three days of the workshop, and have some previous dance experience. All participants will be covered by personal injury insurance.
Participants: 20
Application Deadline: October 18th / 23:59
Applications
Please complete the online application form.
All applicants will be informed of their application result by October 25th.
1. Name
2. Artist name (if any)
3. Date of birth
4. Address
5. Daytime telephone number
6. Email address
7. Workplace, school
8. Nationality
9. Previous dance experience
10. Reason for applying
Inquiries: ft-office@festival-tokyo.jp
Two new F/T Talks events announced about Polish and Austrian theatre
Two new talks have been announced for the F/T16 program. Both are related to the production of “Woodcutters”, which runs October 21st — October 23rd at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.
F/T Talks 3
Thomas Bernhard & Vienna Theatre
This talk by Austrian literature scholar Itaru Terao examines the work of Thomas Bernhard, author of the novel on which “Woodcutters” is based, as well as the world of Viennese theatre that Bernhard satirizes.
F/T Talks 4
Cutting-edge Polish Theatre
Krystian Lupa has taught at State Higher School of Theatre in Kraków since 1983, influencing generations of young Polish directors. At F/T15, three generations of directors in their twenties, thirties and forties gathered in Tokyo for a special talk discussing contemporary Polish theatre. Following on from that talk, the curator and producer Grzegorz Reske introduces the directors’ experimental work.
Tickets for Festival/Tokyo 2016 now on sale
Tickets for all Festival/Tokyo 2016 performances and events are now on general sale.
Availability is limited for certain dates, so be sure to reserve early and avoid disappointment.
Tickets can be reserved and purchased online in English.
There are also various discounts and festival passes. Please check the tickets page for further information.
For ticket inquiries, please contact the F/T Ticket Center at ticket@festival-tokyo.jp.
Festival/Tokyo 2016 Full Lineup Press Conference and Guest Lecture on Krystian Lupa
Festival/Tokyo has announced the full lineup of 16 productions for the 2016 festival this autumn.
Based in the Ikebukuro area of Toshima, Tokyo, Festival/Tokyo (F/T) is Japan’s largest performing arts festival. Festival/Tokyo 2016 runs from October 15th to December 11th for 58 days as part of Tokyo Metropolitan Festival 2016, featuring 16 productions in the Main Program and 14 productions in the Affiliated Program.
A press conference will be held to announce details of the program, followed by a special guest lecture on the work of Polish theatre giant Krystian Lupa, whose work is appearing in Japan for the first time as part of F/T16.
F/T16 Press Conference
August 30th / 14:00-14:50 (Doors open: 13:30)
Guests: Piotr Rudzki (theatre scholar, dramaturge for Polski Theatre in Wrocław), Sachio Ichimura (Director, Festival/Tokyo)
The press conference is held in Japanese and Polish
Lecture: The Theatre of Krystian Lupa
August 30th / 15:00-16:00
Introducing the work of the Polish theatre giant
Lecturer: Piotr Rudzki
The lecture is in Polish with Japanese interpretation
Venue: Embassy of the Republic of Poland
2-13-5 Mita, Meguro, Tokyo 153-0062
Presented by Festival/Tokyo
Co-presented by Instytut Polski w Tokio
Endorsed by Embassy of the Republic of Poland
Reservations
Piotr Rudzki
A theatre scholar and dramaturge for Polski Theatre in Wrocław, Piotr Rudzki taught at the University of Delhi from 1995 to 2000, and currently teaches at the University of Wrocław. Specializing in contemporary Polish theatre, his book published in 2013 about the work of Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy) also offered a comprehensive perspective on Polish theatre from 1956 to 1989. Since 1994, he has served as an editor of the Polish theatre magazine Notatnik Teatralny (Theatrical Notebook), and has written many articles about Krystian Lupa.
Angélica Liddell’s “And what will I do with this sword? Approach of the Law and of the Issue of Beauty” premieres at Festival d’Avignon in July
Last summer, European theatre giant Angélica Liddell visited Tokyo for a special creative workshop.
In addition to presenting “All the Sky Above the Earth (Wendy’s Syndrome)” later in the autumn at F/T15, Liddell also developed a new piece during her one-week workshop in Tokyo, which culminated in a one-hour work-in-progress.
Along with four Japanese participants from the Tokyo workshop, Liddell now premieres her new play, “And what will I do with this sword? Approach of the Law and of the Issue of Beauty” (¿ Qué haré yo con esta espada ?), at the Festival d’Avignon in July.
Liddell uses all the tricks of a theatre in which beauty, eroticism, and death are inextricably intertwined to delve into the deepest recesses of human nature. A way to try to say what cannot be said. With total sincerity and explosive power, the director exposes herself to question herself. And through her heartrending cry of distress, and her deeply human cry of hope, she tries to bring about the triumph of the law of poetry over the law of the state. Terribly disturbed by the violence of Issei Sagawa, the Japanese student who killed and ate his classmate, and by that of the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks of November 2015 in Paris, Liddell proposes a journey from Tokyo to Paris and back, in order to free, inside this fictional world, the homicidal instincts often buried deep within us. With her companions Hölderlin, Cioran, Mishima, and Nietzsche, she goes back to the origins of tragedy and seeks to transform on the stage real violence into mythological violence. Using her power as an actress to express the fragility of desires and do away with bourgeois self-righteous morals, Angélica Liddell leads us to places where tranquillity does not exist.
“And what will I do with this sword? Approach of the Law and of the Issue of Beauty”
7 July to 13 July 2016 / 22:00 (No performance 9 July)
Venue: Cloître des Carmes
Duration: 4 hours (including interval)
Performed in Spanish, French and Japanese with French surtitles
Text, direction, stage design and costumes: Angélica Liddell
Performers: Victoria Aime, Louise Arcangioli, Paola Cabello Schoenmakers, Sarah Cabello Schoenmakers, Lola Cordón, Marie Delgado Trujillo, Greta García, Masanori Kikuzawa, Angélica Liddell, Gumersindo Puche, Estíbaliz Racionero Balsera, Ichiro Sugae, Kazan Tachimoto, Irie Taira, Lucía Yenes, and more
Lighting: Carlos Marquerie
Sound: Antonio Navarro
Spanish-Japanese Interpretation and Translation: Makiko Sese
Spanish-Japanese Translation Suport: Yoichi Tajiri
Production: Ianquinandi SL
Co-production Festival d’Avignon
With the support of Community of Madrid and the Japan Foundation, Festival/Tokyo
Festival d’Avignon (French):
http://www.festival-avignon.com/fr/spectacles/2016/que-hare-yo-con-esta-espada
Festival d’Avignon (English):
http://www.festival-avignon.com/en/shows/2016/que-hare-yo-con-esta-espada
Angélica Liddell
Writer, director, performer
Born in 1966, Angélica Liddell is a well-known name at many important European festivals. Her play “La casa de la fuerza” received the Premio Nacional de Literatura Dramática, Spain’s most prestigious playwriting award, in 2012. She won the Leone d’argento per il Teatro (Silver Lion for Theatre) at the Venice Biennale in 2013. In 1993, she founded Atra Bilis Teatro (“black bile theatre”) in Madrid, where she has staged 22 productions. As an avant-garde, radical and uncompromising artist, she was initially relegated to the fringe art scene, but soon won recognition after presenting her work outside Spain. Today, Liddell’s plays are staged all over Europe and beyond, and her work has been translated into many languages. In addition to theatre, Liddell also writes poetry and prose. “Angélica [una tragedia]”, a documentary about the production of “All the Sky Above the Earth (Wendy’s Syndrome)”, was released in April 2016.