ABOUT

A new collective space, a new “commons,” in the city: welcome to Theater Commons Tokyo.
This fifth edition of Theater Commons Tokyo will be presented under the theme “Bodies in Incubation.” Over the course of one month, we will mount a packed program of VR/AR performances, video works, experiential art, workshops, talk events, and more!

Theater Commons Tokyo is a project to create a collective space for society that harnesses the collective wisdom of theater. By using theater – that is, by applying theatrical ideas – in the context of everyday life and the urban space, it aims to propose a model for theater(s) to come. Theater Commons Tokyo and its artists use the imagination of theater to create experiences in which diverging elements and time periods intersect, and the ordinary is defamiliarized through dialogue and discovery.
For this fifth edition, we will mount a month-long packed program of VR/AR performances, video works, experiential art, workshops, talk events, and more.

Theater Commons Tokyo is held in venues across Minato ward as part of FY2020 Minato Cooperation Project for Cultural Program. The executive committee is composed of Arts Commons Tokyo and the following international cultural institutions based in the ward: Taiwan Cultural Center (Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan), Goethe-Institut Tokyo, Institut français du Japon, and Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Curatorial Concept

Bodies in Incubation
Chiaki Soma

Today, bodies across the globe are experiencing a period of incubation.

From 2020 into 2021, we’ve lived through a peculiar time of limited mobility, contact, and gathering. As a year passes with our essential human activities placed under strict scrutiny and control, individuals are clearly witnessing a slew of abnormalities in their mental, physical, and sensory experiences.

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  • Theater Commons Tokyo ’21
  • Date: February 11th – March 11th, 2021
  • Venues: Various places in Minato ward, Tokyo
  • Organized by Theater Commons Tokyo Executive Committee
  • Taiwan Cultural Center, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan
  • Goethe-Institut Tokyo
  • Embassy of France in Japan / Institut français du Japon
  • Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
  • Arts Commons Tokyo
  • Co-organized by FY2020 Minato Cooperation Project for Cultural Program
  • In partnership with SHIBAURA HOUSE, A440 Inc., Tokyo Art Acceleration [TAA]
  • Equipment Support | HTC NIPPON Corp., THIRDWAVE Corporation
  • Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan in the fiscal 2020‬, Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
  • Theater Commons Tokyo Executive Committee
  • Chairperson | Chiaki Soma (Representative Director, Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Vice-chairman | WANG Shu-Fang (Taiwan Cultural Center, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan)
  • Member | Peter Anders (Director, Goethe-Institut Tokyo)
  • Samson Sylvain (Embassy of France in Japan / Attaché culturel, Institut français du Japon)
  • Bas Valckx (Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
  • Natsuko Odate (Board Director, Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Auditor | Yohei Suda (Lawyer)
  • Theater Commons Tokyo Staff
  • Executive Director | Chiaki Soma (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Production Manager and Coordinator | Satomi Shimizu, Sayuri Fujii (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Project Coordinator | Makiko Yamazato, Haruka Shibata
  • Ticket・Coordinator | Fumiko Toda (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Editor | Satoko Shibahara, Mai Hashiba, Rieko Suzuki (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • PR | Sayaka Iwamoto
  • PR Advisor | Naoko Wakabayashi
  • Project Advisor | Kyoko Iwaki, Natsuko Odate (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Translation | Lillian Canright, Hibiki Mizuno (Art Translators Collective)
  • Art Direction / Design | Kensaku Kato (LABORATORIES)
  • Web Design | Kensaku Kato, Hiroki Ito (LABORATORIES)
  • Intern | Kiyoka Kobashi, Ayumi Seki, Ushin Tei, Marika Niko, Alena Prusakova
  • Accountant | Kotomi Matsushita
  • Legal Adviser | Yohei Suda (Lawyer / Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Cooperation | neo-logue inc.
  • Theater Commons Tokyo '21 Technical Staff
  • Stage Manager | Lang Craighill
  • Lighting | Megumi Yamashita (RYU Inc.)
  • Sound | Takeshi Inarimori
  • Movie | Yuki Sato (Edith Grove)
  • Documentation Video and Photography | Shun Sato
  • Partner for “Art Teleportation Platform Project” | A440 Inc.