Akihito HIrano
Translator (Japanese, French, Italian). He has worked mainly on plays, but also on novels, psychoanalysis, and nonfiction. He is also active in Japan and abroad as an interpreter specializing in the performing arts and as a multilingual performer. His translations include “The Inability to Be Alone” (Kodansha), “Hitler, My Neighbor” (Iwanami Shoten), “Of Pure Men” (Eiji Press, Inc.), etc. On New Year’s Day 2025, he published a poetic essay about translation on his website, which received over 200,000 hits in one week.

Chiharu Shinoda
Chiharu Shinoda is a theatre maker and director, as well as a tour guide and after-school program instructor. She excels at distinguishing between multiple environments, placing them in a space, and arranging them without closing them off. In 2004, she founded FAIFAI with fellow students at Tama Art University, serving as the core member of the company directing, writing, and planning its productions until her departure in 2012. She then moved to Bangkok and launched a solo practice.In March 2020, she returned to Japan and based herself in Nerima, Tokyo. At Bigakko, Shinoda teaches a course called How to Quit Acting.