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February 10 - March 27,2006
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From Director of the TIF

NPO Arts Network Japan is proud to hold the Tokyo International Arts Festival 2006 this February and March. At this Festival, we make an experimental attempt to implement a drastic reform, as we continue to question social, ideological and political nature of the theater.
Even if the art is incapable, at the moment, of breaking down the homespun feelings and customs which have unknowingly seeped into our bodies or fully manipulated conventional wisdom, it may well be able to reveal the deformity of the power and the authority behind them.
The United States is isolated in the art community today. From 9.11 to the war in Iraq, the US government pursued its hard line despite the will of many American artists, leading the artists to further isolation. Even if Bush's government is disliked by the rest of the world, American artists should not be considered likewise. We insist on necessity and importance of continuing dialogue and exchanging ideas among artists, regardless of policies of their state. In cooperation with The Playwrights' Center(USA), Guthrie Theater(USA)and Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission and in collaboration with the NPO Arts Midwest, we translate four plays written after 2000 and present staged reading by Japanese directors and actors/actresses. What do American playwrights think? This is our three-year project.
We will again present works from former East Germany and Middle-East. “ Emilia Galotti” directed by Michael Thalheimer(Deutsches Theater)is a highly reputable play, sensual and sophisticated in contrast to the work by Castorf from Volksbuhne last year.
The Middle-East Series is at the third year of its three-year project with The Japan Foundation, although we have decided on extending its period to 2008. The Sulayman Al-Bassam Theatre Company from Kuwait will perform a new work co-produced by The Sulayman Al-Bassam Theatre Company and the Tokyo International Arts Festival, following “ The Al-Hamlet Summit” at the Tokyo International Arts Festival 2004. We will also expose “ Strawberry Cream and Gunpowder,” a dance work with strong political consciousness presented by one of the most high-profile choreographers of the world today, Yasmeen Godder from Israel.
We are planning to reform the Regional Theater Series after this year's series. The new initiative of this year includes starting production of Japanese theatrical works. In cooperation with Toshima City, we have set up the infrastructure for production, including rehearsal rooms and a special stage(Nishi-sugamo Arts Factory)in Nishi-sugamo in autumn 2004. We have several directors including Koji Kurasako and Hatsumi Abe as resident artists and they use Nishi-sugamo Arts Factory as the production base for their works, which will be performed at the Tokyo International Arts Festival. Further more, in our efforts to introduce the German theater, we found that dramaturgs play an essential role in theater production. We have held a seminar on dramaturg to promote a better understanding for dramaturg and we also put it into practice this time. In collaboration with Kaku Nagashima who is an invaluable asset in Japan who can assume a role as dramaturg, director Hatsumi Abe will present “ 4.48 Psychosis”, written by Sarah Kane. We hope the introduction of this new method will stimulate the Japanese theater community, and also to take the next steps to address the issue of how to advance the human resources development of dramaturg.

The Director of the Tokyo International Arts Festival:
Sachio Ichimura

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