It's an age-old question: Which is more important in determining the course of our lives, nature or nurture? Actors Hayato Kakizawa and Eiji Wentz grapple with this absorbing issue in the mu…
After 15 years of entertaining audiences in Japan and abroad, the actors of Saitama Gold Theater will take the stage for the last time with "Mizu no Eki" ("The Water Station") this month. Fe…
After its premiere at north London's Almeida Theatre in 2019, Robert Icke's The Doctor earned glowing reviews and plaudits, most notably Olivier Award nominations for best new play and best …
Rena Matsui always knew she wanted to enter the acting world, and launching her career by performing in idol-pop groups was all part of her plan. She started out as a member of the Nagoya-ba…
When Keito Okamoto was offered the title role in French dramatist Florian Zeller's latest work, The Son, he felt the play was written about him. "It was completely astonishing," he says. And…
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…
Colorful graffiti marks the facade of a shuttered shopping mall. People navigate their way around chain partitions and orange traffic cones. It's a scene that looks familiar to anyone who ha…
He may live in New York, but playwright J.T. Rogers has spent a lot of time in Japan over the past few years, and it's not just because he loves the food there ("especially the white sliced …
In his 1964 anthem, "The Times They Are A-Changin'," Bob Dylan sings: "As the present now / Will later be past / The order is rapidly fadin'…" At the time, he may have had social turmoil i…
Sometimes a gesture of gratitude comes in the form of a carte blanche. Akira Shirai, the departing artistic director of Kanagawa Arts Theatre (KAAT), decided to show thanks to his long-time …
Maybe 13Â is an unlucky number? Contemporary theater's annual Festival/Tokyo is known for its focus on young artists and edgy productions, but, for its 13th edition, it has had to deal wit…
Kennosuke Nakamori's sonorous voice fills a small room as he practices the lines of a traditional noh play, even though he hasn't performed before a live audience in months. He moves gracefu…
A Midsummer Night's Dream has the makings of a fairy tale: a forest full of meddling fairies, magic potions that spark romantic fancies, a series of comedic errors and a happy ending. And ye…
Maybe 13 is an unlucky number? Contemporary theater's annual Festival/Tokyo is known for its focus on young artists and edgy productions, but for its 13th edition it has had to deal wi…
Back in January, when English director Lindsay Posner visited Tokyo for preparatory meetings to stage the iconic courtroom drama Twelve Angry Men at Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon in Shibuya Ward,…
Performing arts festivals and opportunities to enjoy live entertainment have been few and far between this year due to the ongoing pandemic, but dramatist Oriza Hirata, 57, has hopes for his…
This past week, health officials called for more than 800 theatergoers to be tested for COVID-19 after at least 59 cases were traced back to performances of a play titled Werewolf in Toky…
As the new reality of daily life amid a global pandemic settles in, many people are getting accustomed to somewhat isolated lifestyles as they abide by social distancing measures and work re…
Troupes turn to telework in a bid to keep audiences entertained The performing arts are built on interactions between live audiences and artists " whether ballet dancers, circus performers, …
On April 3, Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC) announced the cancellation of this year's edition of its annual World Theatre Festival Shizuoka, which was due to be held from April 25 to …
Responses to the spread of the COVID-19 virus have varied widely from country to country and are changing from one day to the next. So, while Broadway shows in New York have shut down for at…
Ever since his Oscar-nominated Hollywood debut as Lord Katsumoto in 2003's The Last Samurai, Ken Watanabe has been the best-known Japanese actor in the world. Along with other memorable s…
With William Shakespeare's iconic use of English lost in translation, bold and reimagined versions of his works have long blossomed in Japan, as dramatists have mainly taken inspiration from…
In theater, as in daily life, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Such was the case with Tempo 12-nen no Shakespeare (Shakespeare in Year 12 of the Tempo Era) by dramatist and w…
Haruki Murakami is probably Japan's best-known living writer " a worldwide bestseller with novels translated into at least 50 languages. Yet, despite that, dramatizations of the 71-year-old …