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Theater

Gracia Hosokawa, a path of light

An oratorio in commemoration of Gracia Hosokawa, from the noble Akechi family of Kumamoto, and whose father killed Oda Nobunaga in 1582, will be performed for the first time in Tokyo on May 10, 2026. Titled A path of light, the love of Gracia Hosokawa, this graceful and deep works, composed by Minako Tokuyama in 2025 and still in the creative process, was first played in Kumamoto last year, in remembrance of the 2015 earthquake. Written in Japanese, supported by solists and a choir, it highlights the destiny of a Christian convert at the end of the 16th century. It is a rare instance of religious based Japanese contemporary music, in the form of an oratorio with great melodic lines, written and sung in Japanese.

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Circus Contemporary dance English subtitles French Theater

From Shizuoka to Avignon – 2026

World Theater Festival Shizuoka highlights

World Theater Festival Shizuoka will take place from April 25 to May 6. Some highlights have been announced, and Avignon will be back to Shizuoka this year. I am really excited to have a chance to see Qui Som, written by the French/Catalunyan pair Camille Decourtye/Blai Mateu Trias, which was performed in the Lycée Saint Joseph in 2024. A 2h30 fresco of humanity revolving around the art and craft of ceramics, engaging comedians, circus arts, contemporary dance, mixing culture and languages, from French to Catalunyan and Cantonese. An energetic and fun performance full of passion.
Satoshi Miyagi will present this year Medea (Euripide), another Greek tragedy, as the Antigone (Sophocle) he played in the Cour des Papes in 2017, but this time set in Meiji era. Deemed to be subtitled in English, it will give us insight into the art of this famous Japanese director. Finally, SPAC will also present Eel migration, a creation from the female playwright and director Natsuki Ishigami – again deemed to be accessible to non Japanese speakers thanks to subtitling. For all those who will not be able to travel to Avignon in July, let us meet in Shizuoka.
More information on Theater festivals in Japan
For some highlights of the past 2025 edition.

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Theater

Fahrenheit -320

Noda Map latest works will play from April 10 to May 31st at TMT before a round trip to Kyushu, Kansai and England. This is going to be SF, but not Science Fiction – it will be about Science Fake-tion. About a slug which is slugging in the bottom of the earth. No use of human brain. Hideki Noda, the provocative author of The bee, is re-framing Fahrenheit 451 in the world of Fake News and fake science. It is extremely rare that a play is programmed for 3 weeks, let alone for 6 weeks. This is deemed to be one of the important performances of 2026. Tickets will go on sale on March 8 for Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.

Categories
ballet Contemporary dance Dance

Ballet coffret 2026 at the New National Theater Tokyo

From February 5 to February 8, the NNTT proposes his yearly Ballet Coffret. Supported by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the theatre ballet company will perform 3 works, in original choregraphies from the late 1940s, from the 1970s, and from 2000 – so to speak contemporary dance classics, from Balanchine to David Dawson. I have never been disappointed by the NNTT Ballet Coffret, in its classic modernity and diversity.
https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/productions/ballet-dance/coffret.html

For more performances in the first quarter

Categories
Contemporary dance

Dance 花 – Session house young dancers selection

On February 7th, Session House Kagurazaka will feature “Dance Bana,” Flowers of dance, a young dancer support project. Aiming to foster the next generation of dancers by electing recipients of the Session Award as well as performers for the international dance festival “New Dance of Asia” which was held in Korea, this program aspires to serve as a stepping stone for emerging dancers. Presenting 7 works, solos and duos, it will offer a rich range of styles and performers with alluring and intriguing titles such as Self, Reality , mo’,・ (vanishing point), call it a day – , One Fraction, Reverb, and By others.

For Session House website and more information
For more info – in Japanese – on the program

And for Session House English page – easy reservation with e-mails


Categories
Comic French

Impro show in French, in Tokyo

Let us start the year in laughter and in français with ImproTokyo. The French troupe will pick themes from the audience and improvise. On January 17th, Our space Hatagaya. Always a good time in a very French atmosphere.
Pour les réservations, improtokyo arobase outlook.fr

Categories
English Theater

Lemons lemons lemons (+2)

Boy meets girl at a pet funeral, and they fall in love. Sounds easy, but they live in a world where people are entitled to spend 140 words a day. Better than letters ! Tokyo International Player will bring Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons by Sam Steiner to Tokyo stages from February 12 to February 15. Reflecting on communication, language, resource scarcity, conveying emotions, this play looks challenging and fun, in a world where we are overwhelmed by so many messages and sollicitations. TIP is one of the few English speaking companies continuously operating in Tokyo, and that is a great opportunity to enjoy a good play for non Japanese speakers – if they had a choice of 140 good plays in English to see per year, they would be delighted, and so would we.
Some hints on the play from the Guardian
– Review on 2023 performance
– Lemons made a ballet

For other theater plays and Tokyo performing arts shows in Q1 2026, check here.

Categories
English Theater

Yasmina Reza’s ART in Tokyo

From March 25 to April 5, Sheepdog Theatre will stage Art, Yasmina Reza’s play which made us laugh so much. How a white and expensive painting can break friendships ? We might remember the great film adaptation starring Fabrice Lucchini, Pierre Arditi and Pierre Vaneck, or have seen the play in Paris or elsewhere. The Tokyo based company is bringing the play to the capital. As we remember the excellent The effect, we will be looking forward to this new rendition of Reza’s most famous work for the stages. An opportunity to check how it sends in English !

For other theater plays and performing arts shows in Q1 2026, check here.
And for a review of my favorite performances of past 2025, check there.

Categories
Contemporary dance

Dance Bridge continued : The Sky Connects Us

On March 28 and 29, Session House Kagurazaka will present the 3rd leg of their journey though dance. Three works will be performed : Resilient skies II (San Diego Dance Theater), A women is a journey (Mademoiselle Cinema), and My hero (R.Kondo).
In July 2025, Session House resident company Mademoiselle Cinema traveled to the US for conducting workshops and presenting a works themed around immigration at San Diego Dance Theater. As a continuation of this journey, in March, dancers
from San Diego Dance Theater’s resident company will be invited to
Japan. Together with Ryohei Kondo, artistic director of Saitama Art Foundation and choregrapher and founder of Kondors, who spent his childhood abroad, and Mademoiselle Cinema, they aim to create a unique stage experience that will transcend borders and backgrounds— with active audience participation and deep intercultural dialogue. Through dance, memories of the body, personal narratives, and new encounters come vividly to life. It will also be a great opportunity to see renowned choregrapher Ryohei Kondo in an intimate performance, and probably without a high school uniform, this time.

For the program (in Japanese)
For Session House English website (booking is easy and can be made per mail in English)

Categories
Theater

Editor’s choice – Tokyo stages 2025 favorite performances

As 2025 closes, let us share our preferred performing arts shows for each month – unfortunately I had to not retain a quite a number of works I also enjoyed. It is always a hard choice, but each of the below performances I would be ready to watch again – and laugh again, and cry again, and wonder again. And again reflect upon.

January 25 – Impro Tokyo, theater to start the year in laughter
February 25 – The flag and the apron, theater, Kurumizawa
March 25 – Ballet coffret, ballet and contemporary dance, NNTT
April 25 – As far as impossible, theater, WTF Shizuoka
May 25 – Lacrima, theatre, WTF Shizuoka
June 25 – Next to that girl, theater, Kurumizawa
July 25 – Birds of a kind, theater, SPT
August 25 – Awa Odori festival Otsuka (Tokyo), folk dance
September 25 – The Mistake, theater
October 25 – Dance juror’s dance, theater, TMT
November 25 – The rite of spring, butoh, Kochuten
December 25 – Hamletmachine, theater, YPAM