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“STAGE BEYOND BORDERS”
—Cross-Border Online Distribution of Outstanding Japanese Stage Performances
©Ayami Fukushi ©KUNITA Shigeru ©INOUE Yoshikazu
The Japan Foundation (JF) has started the project “STAGE BEYOND BORDERS—Selection of Japanese Performances,” which presents outstanding Japanese stage performances online for people throughout the world who are seeking opportunities to enjoy Japanese stage performances amid the spread of COVID-19.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the world of performing arts. Theater festivals around the world have been canceled; artists have lost their performing venues and people cannot freely visit theaters like in the past. At the same time, however, an increase in virtual interactions online has also created more opportunities for sharing moving experiences and excitement in real time with people in distant locations. Performing arts is one of the earliest forms of entertainment that stirs imagination and provides hopes and hints about the real world. The Japan Foundation’s online project “STAGE BEYOND BORDERS—Selection of Japanese Performances” hopes to reach out to theater enthusiasts with outstanding Japanese stage performances and encourage more people to connect beyond borders in multiple languages.
The Japan Foundation hopes to cultivate new fan bases for performing arts and also approach theater professionals. Through new connections created through this project, the Japan Foundation strives to create momentum to hold performances overseas again, once international interactions resume.
The titles disseminated through this project span across three genres; contemporary theater, dance performance and traditional performing arts. All works will have multilingual subtitles in around five languages and can be viewed free of charge on the Japan Foundation’s official YouTube channel.
As a new initiative, the lineup of projects getting released between October 2021 and March 2022 targets the post-COVID world with the following three points in mind:
- Sharing large volume of existing theater works with the cooperation of the Emergency Performing Arts Archives and Digital Theater Support Project (EPAD), to show diversity in the Japanese theater scene.
- Cast light to promising Japanese artists expected to be active overseas, by showcasing works by upcoming artists on YouTube, so they are easily accessed by people from around the world.
- Conveying the appeal of Japan’s diverse regional performing arts by showing traditional Japanese performing arts such as Gagaku and Ryukyu Buyo, as well as variety of folk performing arts from different regions, such as Kagura and Traditional Puppet Theater.
- URL of the venue：
- The Japan Foundation official YouTube channel
- Web site:
- https://stagebb.jpf.go.jp/en/
- Organizer：
- The Japan Foundation (JF)
| Release date | Artist | Title | Subtitles |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 15 | SPAC-Shizuoka Performing Arts Center | Antigone | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese |
| October 20 | mamagoto | Our Planet | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, German, Japanese |
| Romeo CASTELLUCCI | From Kenji Miyazawa / Yumenoshima" The Phenomenon Called I" |
- | |
| AMEYA Norimizu | From Kenji Miyazawa / Yumenoshima "ground" | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| Kids Launch Project | NAMUHAMUDAHAMU | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, German, Japanese | |
| contact Gonzo | xapaxnannan: Our future sports | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| Monochrome Circus | The Green Table | - | |
| KASAI Akira / NPO Kaibunsha | Dance by KASAI Akira x Piano by TAKAHASHI Yuji “Crystal labyrinth“ | - | |
| Nibroll | Romeo OR Juliet | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| October 22 | NAKAMURA Shido | KABUKI: the Legacy of Eccentric Spectacle （※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Japanese |
| October 29 | Dairakudakan | Dream Cambrian（※） | - |
| November 12 | Baobab | Baobab Re:born project vol.6 “Please! Laughing Frame”（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish |
| November 20 | Port B / Akira Takayama | TOKYO / OLYMPIC | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese |
| ISHINHA | Twilight | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| HORI KIKAKU | The Water Station by OTA Shogo | - | |
| Cigare sisters | Oyasumanasai - Good Night But Don't Fall Asleep | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, German, Japanese | |
| ONODERA Shuji × SHUTO Yasuyuki | “Kuhaku ni Ochita Otoko”（A Man Fallen Into a Void） | - | |
| LOLO | Itsukou Series vol. 7 “I Can’t Hibernate With Books as a Pillow” | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| Art and Direction: MARUYAMA Junko / Choreography and Direction: Young Doo JUNG | Silent Flower | - | |
| Choreography, Direction: Ella Rothschild / Art: OHMAKI Shinji | Futuristic Space | - | |
| November 26 | KUJIRAI Kentaro and OKUYAMA Barabbas | A HUM SAN SUI, Mountains and Rivers from Alpha to Omega（※） | English, French, Russian |
| December 3 | KATAYAMA Kurouemon X, NOMURA Mansai, TAKEMOTO Oritayu VI, TSURUSAWA Seisuke, KIRITAKE Kanjuro III, NAKAMURA Shido II, SISYU | Japanese Traditional Performing Arts: Discovering with New Eyes (※) | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Japanese |
| December 10 | KURATA Midori and AMEYA Norimizu | Five-Minute Walk from YouTube Hot Springs Station, Higashi Kujo, Shinjuku-ku, Mie Prefecture（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese |
| December 17 | YANAGIYA Sankyo | Rakugo: Creating Worlds from Nothing（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| December 20 | Tokyo Theatre DōJō | Red Demon by NODA Hideki | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese |
| Ikiume | THE SUN | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese | |
| Shiroyagi no Kai | Self-Introduction Reader | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| FUKAIPRODUCE-hagoromo | SMALL ANIMAL KISS KISS | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| MORIYAMA Mirai, Ella ROTHSCHILD | JUDAS, CHRIST WITH SOY | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| FUTOME Performance | Sento | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| FUJIMOTO Akiko | 17th Fujimoto Akiko Concert | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| December 24 | FUJIWARA Dozan, FUJIMOTO Akiko, OKAMURA Shintaro | Sankyoku: Layered Resonance（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| January 7 | YAMADA Fumihiko, BUNNO Takeaki | Gagaku: Beyond a Thousand Years（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| January 14 | MIYAGI Noho, NISHIE Kishun and others | Ryukyu Buyo: Okinawan Soul（※） | EEnglish, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| January 20 | Theater Collective HANCHU-YUEI | I can’t die without being born | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, German, Korean, Japanese |
| Choreography: TSUKAHARA Yuya / Performance: TERADA Misako | Three phases for a dancer to carry a bubble gum (preparation, transportation, removing) | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| MONO | SOUTAITEKI UKIYOE | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Korean, Japanese | |
| Nitosha | The Air Ver. 3: And He Left... | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| KITAMURA Akiko | Echoes of Calling | - | |
| YAMADA Un Co. | COSMOS | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| Choreography: YANAIHARA Mikuni / Film Director: YOSHIGAI Nao | Coffee | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| Kioi Hall / NIPPON STEEL Arts Foundation | Kanjinchō | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| Kioi Hall / NIPPON STEEL Arts Foundation | Genroku-fū Hanami Odori / Shunkyō Kagami Jishi | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| January 21 | INOUE Yachiyo V, INOUE Yasuko | Kyomai: Classical Elegance（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| January 28 | WATANABE Hisashi | Ojami-hyon series Episode 4 Ojami-born（※） | English, French, Russian, Japanese |
| WATANABE Hisashi | Ojami-hyon series Episode 5 Gravi-hyon（※） | - | |
| February 4 | Higashi Futakuchi Puppet Theater | Traditional Puppet Theater（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| February 10 | HAYASHI Eitetsu and others | Taiko（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| February 18 | Take Kagura Preservation Association | Kagura（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| February 20 | Seinendan International Theater Exchange Project 2019 | Tokyo Notes International version | English, French, Russian |
| February 25 | The Akan Ainu Industrial Arts Association | Traditional Ainu Dance （※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| March 4 | FUTAGO ONIKENBAI | Traditional Folk Dances（※） | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese |
| March 11 | NISHIO Kaori/ Bird Park | To the End, One by One on Solitude Hill | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese |
| March 18 | NEMOTO Shuko | To the Greatest Love | English, French, Russian, Korean, Japanese |
| March 20 | Memento C | The Pacific Refreshment Room | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese |
| Ishii Mitsuzo Office Co.,Ltd | Musical HEADS UP! | English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese | |
| March 25 | Usagi Stripe | I wish they all die | English, French, Russian, Korean, Japanese |
- 1.The above is the planned list as of January 2022. Changes may be made later on the date of transmission, artists, subtitles, etc.
- 2.Performances marked with an asterisk (*) are new works produced for this project and are being made public for the first time.
- 3.Some dance projects do not have subtitles. Chinese subtitles are in both simplified and traditional Chinese.
- 4.Subtitles of languages other than English may be uploaded later than the release date due to the production situation.
- 5.The release period of the works transmitted in this project will vary according to the work. Please confirm the period of transmission at the above-mentioned special website.
Click the link below to see the released title list.
[Contact Us]
Shinohara (Ms.), Shin (Ms.), Tamura (Mr.),
Performing art section, Arts and Culture Dept., The Japan Foundation
Tel: +81-(0)3-5369-6063
E-mail: pa＠jpf.go.jp
(When sending an e-mail, please replace the full-width "＠" character with a half-width character.)
