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 Mika Eglinton

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Mika Eglinton
Mika Eglinton is a performing arts researcher, critic and journalist. She is professor of English theater and cultural studies at Kobe University of Foreign Studies. She is also actively involved in the creation of theater as a translator, dramaturg and facilitator.
For Mika Eglinton's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Various aspects of Japan’s Sado Island — noh, taiko drumming, business investment and cultural regeneration projects — weave their way into “L’ile d’Or Kanemu-Jima,” with characters and cultures coming together in a melting pot of real-world political problems, theater styles and dark humor.
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 20, 2023
Cultures collide in Ariane Mnouchkine's Sado Island-inspired play
The Kyoto Prize-winning French theater director's latest production, "L’ile d’Or Kanemu-Jima," draws from her experiences in Japan, both old and new.
One of the works that will be performed at Kyoto Experiment is “The Window of Spaceship ‘In-Between’” by the Chelfitsch theater company. The play questions what the Japanese language is today from a plurality of perspectives.
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 29, 2023
Kyoto Experiment explores fluidity of culture with performance works
The lineup for the international performing arts festival features 11 works from countries such as Brazil, Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong.
The cast of Chelfitsch’s play “The Window of Spaceship ‘In-Between’” includes individuals with different levels of Japanese-language proficiency. They participated in workshops hosted by the theater company to promote more inclusivity in Japanese theater.
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 29, 2023
Chelfitsch challenges Japanese theater's language barriers
The theater company questions the status quo of the Japanese stage by casting non-native speakers in new project, 'The Window of Spaceship "In-Between."'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 29, 2022
Kyoto Experiment's new ways of moving forward
As the arts festival searches out sustainable solutions for funding, the keyword for the 2022 edition, 'new teku teku,' urges people to consider different forms of walking and movement.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 15, 2022
Echigo-Tsumari and Setouchi triennials: Building communities in a time of upheaval
Two contemporary triennials taking place in Japan this year are finding longevity by collaborating with local residents and embracing site-specific art.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 20, 2022
Theater Commons Tokyo rethinks the 'voices' of performing arts in the COVID era
The festival examines radically different ways of creating and experiencing theater in the context of the pandemic, while also challenging the very idea of what theater can be.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 2, 2021
Kyoto Experiment calls on 'unheard voices'
The experimental festival, held at various locations around Kyoto, explores the power of speech in the performing arts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 5, 2021
Kyoto Experiment marks a new era
The international performing arts festival has three new program directors and a renewed focus on experimentation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 25, 2020
Hiroko Tanahashi: A journey from film studies to multimedia art
Inspired by manga featuring New York, Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" and the diversity of Western cities, Hiroko Tanahashi moved to the U.S. and Germany to pursue multimedia arts.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Nov 30, 2019
Sachiko Hara: Acting on a dream to perform
Using acting techniques inspired by Japanese angura (underground) theater, Sachiko Hara impressed European directors and won her way into German theater.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 6, 2019
The theater hoping to create a 100-year legacy
Months after it opened its doors, Theatre E9 Kyoto is pressing on with its plan to foster local talent and stage local theater productions in the city
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 28, 2019
Kazuko Hohki: A 'frank chicken' in London
For Kazuko Hohki u2014 member of performance group Frank Chickens as well as theater director and writer, '80s London u2014squats and all u2014 provided the right community to foster artistic liberation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 24, 2019
Kyoto Experiment marks the end of an era
The 10th edition of Kyodo Experiment kicks off on Oct. 5, promising a range of overseas and domestic performers at a number of venues across the city
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 13, 2019
The Theatre Olympics goes back to its roots for ninth iteration
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 perform at the site's specially crafted indoor and outdoor theater spaces.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 30, 2019
Diving into the world of political performance at Aichi Triennale
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 this mimetic gap as a space for imagining new political realities.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
May 25, 2019
Avant-garde artist Yoshiko Chuma traverses disciplines, nations and causes
Avant-garde artist Yoshiko Chuma challenges the conventions of dance, traversing disciplines, nations and causes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 4, 2018
The experiment continues on Kyoto's stages
The #MeToo movement has been gaining momentum in Japan over the past year, though its impact on public life hasn't been anywhere near as strong as in other countries. Still, the efforts of journalists such as Shiori Ito and BuzzFeed's Keiko Kojima have helped bring social justice issues to new ears in this country.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 30, 2018
Playwright Aya Ogawa: Seeing theater as a stage for cultural identity
Director believes her multicultural upbringing helped open doors to the theatrical business.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 20, 2018
Contemporary dance festival puts modern 'Genji' front and center
How do you make a thousand-year-old story resonate with an audience in Osaka today? Tell them that you plan to radically modernize one of the most famous literary works ever to come out of Japan to fit present concerns.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 10, 2018
Juliet Knapp: A life of theatrical management
Name: Juliet Knapp

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Akira Toriyama's gift to the world