Symposium

International Festivals as Seen in Criticism Today

Organized by Festival/Tokyo 2017 with the Japanese section of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) and Waseda University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Theatre and Film Arts), this symposium will explore the significance and possible significations of international theatre festivals today.


Date10/9 (Mon) 14:00-17:00 (No entry restrictions)
VenueConference Room 1, Building 33, Toyama Campus, Waseda University
TicketsFree (priority to reservations)
LanguageJapanese, English (consecutive interpretation)
PanelistsYun-Cheol Kim (Artistic Director, National Theatre Company of Korea / Former President, IATC)
Octavian Saiu (theatre critic, Adjunct Secretary General, IATC / President of the Romanian Section – Theatre Studies of IATC)
Shintaro Fujii (Waseda University, IATC)
Manabu Noda (Meiji University, IATC, Theatre Arts)
Sachio Ichimura (Director, Festival/Tokyo)

Presented byFestival/Tokyo, International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) Japan Center, Waseda University Studies in Theatre and Films Arts

Special Lecture

Arab Theatre Today

Lecturer: Ghannam Ghannam (playwright, director / PR Manager, Arab Theatre Institute)

In December, the Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute will present a staged reading of a play by Ghannam Ghannam. Ahead of this, the writer will visit Japan to discuss contemporary Arab theatre and the work of the Arab Theatre Institute, including the Arab Theatre Festival that marks its tenth year in 2018.

Moderator: Mari Oka (modern Arabic literature researcher / Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University)


October 6th: Arab Theatre Festivals (moderator: Sachio Ichimura [Festival/Tokyo])

October 7th: Theatre in the Arab World and I

Ghannam Ghannam

Director, Playwright, Actor

Born in Jericho in 1955. He started his work in the theatre in 1984. He is a member of the Jordan Artist Guild and Jordan Theatre People Association as well as a founding member of the Arab Theatre Institute (ATI) and other important theatre groups. He also works as a jury member for various theatre festivals and as the publishing and media manager for ATI. As a playwright and director, he has won many important prizes, including the Creative Prize from the Department of Cultural Affairs, Jordan, for “Lilac Duhaa (Death in the Era of Daish)” (2016). His work includes “Return to Haifa,” a monodrama based on the novel by Ghassan Kanafani. His latest play is “I will die in exile” (2017).


Dates10/6 (Fri) 18:30
10/7 (Sat) 14:00
VenueTokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Atelier East)
Tickets¥500 (priority to reservations)
LanguageArabic (with Japanese interpretation)

Presented bythe Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute
Co-presented byFestival/Tokyo

F/T Talks


F/T Talks is a series of discussions helping audiences learn more about the performances and events in the festival.

“Toky Toki Saru” Lounge Talk

Speakers: Pichet Klunchun, and more

Join “Toky Toki Saru” director Pichet Klunchun to discuss the process behind creating his unique new dance work for Festival/Tokyo.

VenueRestaurant Saison (Hotel Grand City B1, 1-30-7 Higashi-Ikebukuro)
Date10/1 (Sun) 17:30
Tickets¥500 (priority to reservations)
LanguageThai, English (consecutive Japanese interpretation)
Running Time120 min. (TBC)
Box office and doors open 30 minutes before




Saison Foundation Artist in Residence Visiting Fellow Public Talk
Places, spaces and people in Riga

This talk features Laura Stasane, a producer with the New Theatre Institute of Latvia, who is in Tokyo as a visiting fellow on The Saison Foundation’s artist-in-residence program. In her talk, Stasane will discuss her work at the New Theatre Institute of Latvia as well as Homo Novus, the largest performing arts festival in the Baltic region, and recent trends in the Latvian performing arts scene.

Speaker: Laura Stasane

Laura Stasane is a producer and program curator at the New Theatre Institute of Latvia, specializing in contemporary dance. She is involved with Homo Novus, the largest performing arts festival in the Baltic region, as well as the international project Dance Move Cities. As part of the latter, she has produced a work commissioned from the Japanese group contact Gonzo. She has also invited Heine Avdal and Yukiko Shinozaki in 2015 and 2016, and worked on co-productions with Latvian choreographers and musicians. She has previously visited Japan to attend TPAM in Yokohama in 2011.

VenueTokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Atelier East)
Date10/10 (Tue) 19:00-20:30
TicketsFree
LanguageEnglish (with Japanese interpretation)
ReservationsOnline via The Saison Foundation website or by email
Website: http://www.saison.or.jp/r_morishita/index.html
Email: Laura2017@saison.or.jp
Reservations Open9/25 (Mon)

Presented byThe Saison Foundation
Co-presented byFestival/Tokyo




Architecture/Design/Theatre: Connecting theatre and everyday life

Speakers: Miho Tominaga + Takahito Ito (tomito architecture), Taichi Abe (GOKIGEN), Chikara Fujiwara (BricolaQ)
Date10/13 (Fri) 19:00
VenueTokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Atelier East)
Tickets¥500 (priority to reservations)
LanguageJapanese


Exhibitions


Exhibits related to the performances and events at F/T17.


Toshima City Central Library: 9/23 (Sun) — 11/23 (Thu)
Toshima City Office (Marugoto Museum): 10/1 (Sun) — 11/30 (Thu)

F/T Station

Open for two weeks during the festival, this information center offers audiences the chance to learn more about F/T17’s events. In addition to the usual Atelier East space inside Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, this year F/T Station expands over the entire basement floor. Not just information about F/T17, visitors can browse books by the artists in the lineup as well as an archive display of previous festivals. The space will also host a wide range of events related to the main performances, such as talks and screenings.



Dates10/4 (Wed) — 10/15 (Sun) 12:00-20:00

10/15 (Sun) 12:00-18:00
Opening hours subject to change when there are events
VenuesTokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Atelier East, Atelier West, Lower Plaza)


Film Screenings

Documentary
“Unheard Voices: Palestinians, Israelis, and the Occupation” (2009)
Part 2: Encroachment
Director, Director of Photography, Editing: Toshikuni Doi

Homes are demolished and the residency rights of Palestinians in Jerusalem are usurped, while elsewhere the “separation wall” encroaches on land and resources, depriving Palestinians of the foundation for building an independent state.


Date10/8 (Sun) 14:00
VenueTokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Aterlier East)
TicketsFree (no reservation required)
LanguageArabic and English with Japanese surtitles
Duration121 min.

‚ìí2009 DOI Toshikuni / SIGLO


Toshikuni Doi

Freelance journalist

Born in 1953 in Saga Prefecture, Toshikuni Doi first became involved with the Palestinian-Israeli problem in 1985. He has been filming in Palestine and Israel for 17 years, and, working with the Palestinian Documentary Society, completed the four-part “Unheard Voices: Palestinians, Israelis, and the Occupation” in 2009. His recent work includes “Life in Gaza” and “Attack on Gaza: Summer 2014” (both 2015)



F/T14 Performance Video
“Rashomon | Yabunonaka”
George Ibrahim (Al-Kasaba Theatre) (Artistic Director) [Palestine] + Yukari Sakata (Director) [Japan] + Mé (Stage Design) [Japan] + Kaku Nagashima (Dramaturgy) [Japan]

In 2014, Festival/Tokyo worked with Al-Kasaba Theatre’s George Ibrahim, who performs the lead role in Einat Weizman’s “Palestine, Year Zero.” Teaming up with the director Yukari Sakata, the dramaturge Kaku Nagashima and visual art unit M√©, “Rashomon | Yabunonaka” was a unique theatrical event inspired by Kurosawa’s film “Rashomon” and Akutagawa’s original short stories with a Middle East twist. This is a screening of video footage of the performance at F/T14.
“Rashomon | Yabunonaka”


Date10/9 (Mon) 15:30
VenueTokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Atelier East)
TicketsFree (no reservation required)
LanguageIn Arabic with Japanese subtitles
Duration80 min.
Video courtesy of Festival/Tokyo
ⓒMé