ABOUT

A new collective space, a new “commons,” in the city: welcome to Theater Commons Tokyo.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary under the theme of “Translating Commons,” Theater Commons Tokyo will feature plays, various performances, and learning programs held in various locations across the city!

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.

Theater Commons Tokyo is organized by the executive committee composed of Arts Commons Tokyo and the following international cultural institutions based in the ward: Goethe-Institut Tokyo, Embassy of France in Japan / Institut français du Japon, and Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Director's Note

Translating Commons Chiaki Soma

Theater Commons Tokyo is a new project that expands on the concepts of theater as both a space and a medium. Harnessing theatrical ideas within everyday life and the city, it aspires to propose an ideal future theater.

The first edition of Theater Commons Tokyo was launched on January 25th, 2017 with this statement. By utilizing the accumulated, historical common knowledge (commons) of theater as a medium, each year we have attempted to create a temporary commons within our lived society. From our founding to the present, this understanding has always stood as our aim and raison d’etre as an independent project.

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  • Theater Commons Tokyo '26
  • Date | February 22nd – March 8th, 2026
  • Venues | Various places in Tokyo
  • Organized by |
    Theater Commons Tokyo Executive Committee
    Goethe-Institut Tokyo
    Embassy of France in Japan / Institut français du Japon
    Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
    Arts Commons Tokyo
    In partnership with SHIBAURA HOUSE
  • Supported by | Arts Council Tokyo(Grant for Artistic City), Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
  • Co-operated by Miraikan - The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
  • Theater Commons Tokyo Executive Committee
  • Chairperson | Chiaki Soma (Representative Director, Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Vice-chairman | Natsuko Odate (Board Director, Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Member | Melanie Bono (Director, Goethe-Institut Tokyo)
  • Member | Samson Sylvain (Attaché culturel, Embassy of France in Japan / Institut français du Japon)
  • Member | Bas Valckx (Deputy Head Public Diplomacy, Political, Cultural Affairs, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
  • Auditor | Yohei Suda (Lawyer)
  • Theater Commons Tokyo Staff
  • Executive Director | Chiaki Soma (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Production Manager and Coordinator | Satomi Shimizu (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Project Coordinator | Makiko Yamazato, Haruka Shibata, Sachi Abe (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Editor | Satoko Shibahara, Mai Hashiba, Rieko Suzuki (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • PR | Sayaka Iwamoto (Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Translation | Lillian Canright, Hibiki Mizuno, Ben Cagan, Haruka Ueda (Art Translators Collective)
  • Art Direction / Design | Kensaku Kato (LABORATORIES)
  • Web Design | Kensaku Kato (LABORATORIES), Hiroki Ito
  • Ticket | Kyoko Kinoshita
  • Assistant Coordinator | Maika Oguri, Yuzuki Hashimoto
  • Accessibility Adviser | Miyuki Tanaka
  • Accounting Adviser | Yamauchi-Accounting-Office
  • Legal Adviser | Yohei Suda (Lawyer / Arts Commons Tokyo)
  • Theater Commons Tokyo '26 Technical Staff
  • Stage Manager | Lang Craighill
  • Lighting | Megumi Yamashita, Aria Hoashi, Arisa Nagasaka (RYU)
  • Sound | Takeshi Inarimori
  • Movie | Yuki Sato (Edith Grove)
  • Documentation Video and Photography | Yutaro Yamaguchi