“Theater Commons Tokyo ’24” Announces Program: Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Q / Satoko Ichihara, and More

Theater Commons Tokyo is a project that seeks to create a collective space for society that harnesses the collective wisdom of theater. Its 8th edition, Theater Commons Tokyo ’24, will take place from February 29 to March 12 at various venues in Tokyo (Miraikan - National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Institut français du Japon - Tokyo Espace images, Spiral Hall, Goethe-Institut Tokyo, and Komagome Soko).

In the aftermath of the pandemic, contemporary society is still suffering from wars fought across the globe. In a statement, the Chairperson and Executive Director of Theater Commons, Chiaki Soma, said: “As a gesture of continuing to open the doors of imagination in a chaotic and increasingly uncertain world, I would like to invite you to immerse yourself in the five different worlds of five different artists.”

One of the program’s highlights is Dialogue with the Sun (VR), the first interactive VR performance work by Thai independent filmmaker and artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The visual poetry transcending any language, the particles of light floating in the air, and the ripples created by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s music invite the visitor into an entirely new space-time.

Playwright, director, and novelist Q / Satoko Ichihara will present her latest play, Yoroboshi: The Weakling, which premiered at Theater der Welt in Germany last year. The play is a contemporary Buranku play in which puppets embody human karma, taking the audience on a journey beyond good and evil.

The program also features a solo performance by Nastaran Razawi Khorasani, a film screening by Saodat Ismailova, a performance by Minouk Lim, and three panel discussions on gender, technologies, and polyphonic art. Ticket reservations are available on the official website.