Bangkok--8 Aug--Festival Tokyo
Japan's largest performing arts event — is to be held this autumn in Tokyo, overcoming the immense obstacles posed by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami that devastated the country, and along with its subsequent nuclear crisis have shaken the nation's very social fabric.
F/T11, the fourth installment of the annual international theatre and dance festival that last year attracted nearly 65,000 visitors, was in the planning stages when the catastrophe hit. In the face of much uncertainty the organizers decided to go ahead and rather harness the power of performance to create a public forum for debating the grave issues now affecting Japan.
The 10-production program is diverse, including major visiting overseas giants such as Germany’s Ren? Pollesch and France’s J?r?me Bel, as well as veteran Japanese directors alongside up-and-coming artists. And with 5 world premieres, several of the productions will naturally deal directly with the current controversies.
Post-3.11 Japan
One of these includes a "referendum" being staged by acclaimed director Akira Takayama, who will install polling booths around Tokyo, and stage discussions and educational sessions to encourage the population to share opinions on the Fukushima issue. A national plebiscite has never been held in Japan and now Takayama, known for his theatre projects that utilize audience interaction and online media, will bring the most urgent questions on nuclear power to the fore.
Otaku (geek) art unit CHAOS*LOUNGE will likewise seek to question how far subcultures can address these serious issues, while "Total Living: 1986-2011" draws a line from Chernobyl during the Japanese economic Bubble to present day Fukushima at a time of recession.
Out into the City
As Festival Director Chiaki Soma's suggests, the current Japan has been "ripped apart". Shaken awake from our idyllic dream of stability, what can we say when faced with this new reality?
A continuing theme at F/T has also been to take performances out of conventional spaces, and this year is the culmination of its efforts so far. From Akira Takayama's voting stations spread out over Tokyo, to multiple outdoor stagings in parks and wasteland, rooftop performances, and even a roaming "salon" for providing a site for critics, artists and audiences to gather, Festival/Tokyo will be connecting with audiences in a range of unique urban environments throughout this autumn.
September 16 — November 13, 2011
>> http://www.festival-tokyo.jp/en/
Inquiries
NPO Arts Network Japan
4-9-1 Nishisugamo, Toshima-ku
Tokyo-to 170-0001 JAPAN
TEL: +81 03-961-5202
FAX: +81 03-5961-5207
Overseas PR Contact: William Andrews
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