June 13, 2017
Arts Council Tokyo,Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture

Tokyo Festival 2017 to be held
this fall
P R E S S

R E L E A S EWith a brand new logo symbolizing a spotlight

A performing arts festival to be held this year in the Ikebukuro area of Toshima City
A place for participation, interaction, and opportunities to create new value
The Tokyo Festival Executive Committee (Chairman: Shigeo Fukuchi) is proud to present theTokyo Festival, to be held principally around the Ikebukuro area of Toshima City for 74 days fromFriday, September 22 to Monday, December 4, 2017.
What is the Tokyo Festival?
This is an urban multidisciplinary arts festival that aims to connect with the world throughTokyo's deep and diverse arts and culture. The Festival aims to showcase the appeal of Tokyo's
artistic culture in an easy-to-understand manner, and enhancing Tokyo’s own artistic creativity at
the same time. In the mid-to-long term, we will continue to work on resolving social issues,
developing human resources, developing urban areas, and tackling globalization.
Mr. Satoshi Miyagi (Director / Producer of Asian Performing Arts Forum / General Artistic
Director of Shizuoka Performing Arts Center [SPAC]) has been appointed as the festival’s General
Director from 2018 to 2020.

OutlineName:

Tokyo Festival 2017

Festival dates:

September 22 (Fri.)‐December 4 (Mon.), 2017 (74 days)

Sites:

Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Owlspot Theater, Minami Ikebukuro Parkand others

Participating projects: Festival/Tokyo 2017,
Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Autumn Selection,
TOSHIMA International City of Arts & Culture Program,
Asian Performing Arts Forum
Organizers:

Tokyo Festival Executive Committee
Arts Council Tokyo & Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre(Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture),
Toshima City,
Toshima Mirai Cultural Foundation,
Festival/Tokyo Executive Committee,
Asian Performing Arts Festival Executive Committee*All programs are subject to change without notice.

<Contact>
Ryuichiro Mori/Hiroko Enjouji, Public Relations Team,
Arts Council Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture
TEL：+81-(0)3-6256-8432 E-mail：press@artscouncil-tokyo.jp<Inquiries Regarding this Release & Media Coverage>
Tokyo Festival
TEL：+81(0)3-6388-0119 FAX：+81(0)3-3478-7218 E-mail：info@tokyo-festival.jp

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The Tokyo Festival 2017 logo is a symbol of spotlight
The Tokyo Festival 2017 logo has been finalized. The art director is emerging designer
Masashi Murakami. This will lead an even more exciting edge to the Tokyo Festival.

● Logo concept
The shape of the logo symbolizes a spotlight illuminating a stage. Symbolic of the performing
arts, this spotlight consists solely of circles and lines, while the logo itself expresses the lightthat illuminates the existence of the Tokyo Festival. It was thought and designed to impart a
sense of the festival’s presence by illuminating the world brightly with art.

●Art Director
Masashi Murakami
Born in Kanagawa prefecture, 1982. Graduated from DesignDepartment, Tokyo University of the Arts, then graduated withMaster’s degree from the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo

University of the Arts. Established m2 in 2012. Working mainly ingraphic design, he oversees advertising art direction such as “PARCOLAST OFF” and “TOKYU PLAZA GINZA BLOOMING DAYS”, CDjacket designs such as “SALU/INDIGO”, and exhibition graphics for“mintdesigns”, as well as corporate branding. He also actively exhibits
artworks mainly composed of lettering. Tokyo TDC Award, JAGDA
Newcomer Award, ONESHOW Gold, NYADC Silver, UK D&ADAward. www.emuni.co.jp
TOKYO FESTIVAL
c/o : Japanese Centre of International Theatre InstituteNational Noh Theatre, 4-18-1, Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051
TEL：+81(0)3-6388-0119 FAX：+81(0)3-3478-7218 Mail：info@tokyo-festival.jp

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4 Program Profiles● Festival/Tokyo 2017
Scheduled from Saturday, September 30, to Sunday, November 19, 2017
This is one of the largest international performing arts festivals in Japan, which showcases theappeal of contemporary stage works from diverse angles as well as pursuing new possibilities in theperforming arts. Started in 2009, it has been established as a major cultural event held in Tokyo.
This year, in its tenth anniversary, the Festival will feature outdoor dance performances inIkebukuro, choreographed by Thai dancer/choreographer Pichet Klunchun as the opening program,co-organized by The Japan Foundation Asia Center. This work is open to participation, withperformers recruited from the general public as well as Japanese dancers selected by audition. A
diverse program has been developed, including new work by Yukio Shiba in co-production with aTaiwanese theater, the “Outdoor Performance Series” (succeeding last year’s performances) whichdevelops locations other than theaters as venues, and “Asia Series Vol.4: China”, which showcases
the present of various Asian countries from an artistic aspect.
●Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Autumn Selection
Scheduled from Tuesday, October 17, to Sunday, November 19, 2017
Among the many programs of the Tokyo Festival, the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre promises ahighly international collection with the participation of 4 programs, opening the path to newexpression. Artistic director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, Hideki Noda, will direct and appear
in an English version of the play Omote ni Deroi! , with appearances by outstanding actors including
Kathryn Hunter and Glyn Pritchard. In addition, Kuranosuke Sasaki will star in Shakespeare’s
Richard III, directed by Romanian director Silviu Purcărete. Dutch director Ivo van Hove will
present a performance of Othello, while dance company Idevian Crew, led by Shigehiro Ide, will
present a fascinating new dance performance.
● TOSHIMA International City of Arts & Culture Program
Scheduled from Friday, September 22, to Sunday, October 22, 2017
Toshima City, Tokyo aims to become an “International City of Arts & Culture”, proudly conveying
the appeal of its arts and culture to the world. This program was developed in accordance with themunicipality’s aim of turning the entire area of Toshima city into a stage where everyone can takeon the leading role, with the following 4 events to be presented in the Program. The “Ikebukuro PlayFestival” is a unique theatrical festival featuring public entries performed at theaters in Toshimacity and nearby during the whole month of September, with awards to be determined by 100 judges
from among the public offerings. Owlspot Theater will present an invitational dance performancefrom Finland’s Double Exposure, as well as Shuji Terayama and Taichi Yamada’s letter collection,
Letters from Shuji Terayama, and After the Seasons Took Us Away , composed and directed byJunichi Hirota. Kyogen performer Manzo Nomura will also present an urban outdoor performance ofDaidengaku Ikebukuro Emaki, based on the dengaku musical dance entertainment, popular inmedieval Japan, which was a great success last year.
● Asian Performing Arts Forum
Scheduled from Friday, December 1, to Monday, December 4, 2017
The Asian Performing Arts Festival, which started in 2002 as a place for young Asian performingartists to meet and collaborate, was upgraded and renamed to the “Asian Performing Arts Forum”
last year, and now serves as a human resource development program for the Tokyo Festival. Coorganized by The Japan Foundation Asia Center, a wide variety of artists will participate in thisinternational collaborative workshops, in which groups consisting mainly of three directors will
create and present small works on a theme set by the producer. There will also be a “Wrap Up”
program, in which the workshop outcomes will be reviewed and shared widely. In addition, Kiss Kiss
Bang Bang 2.0 (a work-in-progress) produced at last year’s workshop will be presented as a full size
production; “Creation through International Collaboration” (China, Japan, Thailand, thePhilippines). In addition to cultivating the potential of young artists, the Asian Performing Arts
Forum aims to convey the experience of Tokyo’s performing art’s present state and appeal, seeking
to be a platform that creates networks transcending national borders.

TOKYO FESTIVAL
c/o : Japanese Centre of International Theatre InstituteNational Noh Theatre, 4-18-1, Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051
TEL：+81(0)3-6388-0119 FAX：+81(0)3-3478-7218 Mail：info@tokyo-festival.jp