Exchange Program for Professionals in Performing Arts 2026

photo: Yuki Moriya

Nagara Wada graduated with a degree in film and performing arts from Kyoto University of Art and Design, and then completed the art studies master’s program at the same university. In February 2011, she began working as a theater director based in Kyoto and founded her own theatre unit, shitatame. With a deep interest in the act of acting, Wada deciphers texts and motifs as if zooming into them, aiming to establish a distinct language for acting with each performance. She actively pursues collaborative projects, and through the medium of theater, she connects with artists from various fields, including visual art, photography, architecture, music, sculpture, and dance. Since 2018, she has served as a member of the booking team for the multidisciplinary art space UrBANGUILD, where she organized 3CASTS, a performance series that focuses on actors. She is Assistant Director of Kyoto Experiment and The Saison Foundation ‘Saison Fellow Ⅰ’ from 2025.

Peangdao Jariyapun is a producer, researcher, and actress with an M.A. in Dramatic Arts from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. She is a key member of BIPAM and a co-founder of the Thai Theatre Foundation, where she supports the local theatre community through research, productions, festivals, and advocacy. She is passionate about connecting art, communities, and policymakers, focusing on equitable access to the performing arts beyond the capital city, and on strengthening emerging practitioners to sustain their practice. Peangdao also teaches theatre and arts management at universities. Alongside her management work, she has performed in film, television, and theatre.