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.
Saitama Gold Theater players take their final bow after 15 years
The theater troupe, founded in 2006 by Yukio Ninagawa with a cast of actors aged 55 and over, will bid farewell with Shogo Ota’s nonverbal 1981 masterpiece, “Mizu no Eki.”
Kabuki actor and national treasure Nakamura Kichiemon dies at 77
A native of Tokyo, the actor became a member of the Japan Art Academy in 2002 and was recognized as a Person of Cultural Merit in 2017.
Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, whose work transformed musical theater, dead at 91
Sondheim's quick-witted lyrics made audiences sit up and listen in the 1950s, while his ground-breaking shows in the 70s and 80s thrust the American musical into the modern era.
‘The Doctor’ diagnoses society’s afflictions
Veteran actress Shinobu Otake takes on the role of Dr. Ruth Wolff, a Jewish physician, and tackles modern ills in a Japanese production of Robert Icke's latest work.
New opera ‘Yuzuru’ cautions against the dangers of capitalism
For his first foray into opera, dramatist Toshiki Okada is modernizing a Japanese classic, centering it on "the damaging influence of capitalism" instead of a tragic love story.
Rena Matsui tackles Shakespeare in an all-female 'Julius Caesar'
The former idol-pop star takes on the role of Mark Antony in a version of Shakespeare's tragedy that focuses on the tense disputes that arose around Julius Caesar's assassination.
Cameron Mackintosh's all-Japanese 'Oliver!' will have you asking for more
"You’ll leave the theater with a smile on your face and joy in your heart," says theater titan Cameron Mackintosh of his latest production.
Kyoto Experiment calls on 'unheard voices'
The experimental festival, held at various locations around Kyoto, explores the power of speech in the performing arts.
Family drama hits close to home for Keito Okamoto
The former Hey! Say! Jump member makes his stage debut opposite his father in “The Son,” a play about a complex father-son relationship.
Obscured truths come to light in Hideki Noda’s ‘Fakespeare’
William Shakespeare is one of the world’s most influential playwrights, but his life continues to be shrouded in mystery. Since his death in 1616 at the age of 52, no handwritten manuscripts have ever surfaced, and even his six supposed signatures all spell his ...
Israel Galvan renews the passion of a long love affair
Flamenco — the exuberant dance form originating from Andalusia in southern Spain — has long thrived in Japan, with many of the greats traveling here to perform. There is even a popular claim that Japan has more flamenco academies than Spain. “In this country flamenco ...
