Kansai Theater Festival 2023
Connected “Japanese Drama” Future Project 2023

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dates‍

2023/11/11 (Sat) to 19 (Sun)

venues

COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA SS HALL
3-6 Osakajo, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 540-0002

What is the summaryHere

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The Kansai Drama Festival hosted by Yoshimoto Kogyo started in September 2019, and this year marks the 5th time. Under the theme of “connecting,” 10 troupes selected from all over the country, regardless of whether they are famous or unknown, gathered this year as a theater festival where all participants, such as theater companies, audiences, judges, and staff, are connected in various ways. The works performed by the 10 participating troupes are 45-minute short films. The program is organized as 1 set of 2 works each time, and the audience can enjoy 2 works with completely different tastes. Also, after the performance, a “teach-in” is held as a place for communication between the troupe and the audience, and it is well received every year as a theater festival where the audience can also participate. Since the 1st edition in 2019, Itao Soji has served as festival director, and actress Minamino Yoko from Kansai was appointed as the executive committee chairman this year. It is finally attracting attention as a theater festival that transmits new talents from Kansai.

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Coincidentally, the “Japanese Drama” Future Project and the Kansai Theater Festival both have the theme of “connecting.” If that's the case, let's spread the satellite projects of the “Japanese Drama” Future Project to be held all over the country from Osaka, where the Kansai Drama Festival is held, and connect with even more people! Based on this purpose, we developed a public relations business for satellite planning at the Kansai Drama Festival venue.

The venue is COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA SS HALL. When you get off at Morinomiya Station on the JR Osaka Loop Line, Osaka Castle Park spreads out in front of you, making it a place of relaxation for citizens. After walking along the park path while listening to the children's cheers, I arrived at the venue in a few minutes. The banners of participating theater companies fluttered cheerfully at the entrance of the SS Hall.

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As soon as you enter the lobby of the venue, a large panel pops into your eyes. The audience said, “That was interesting!” They voted for the theater company they thought of, and the votes cast are visualized like a graph, which can also be said to be the symbol of this venue. It is a remarkable project where the audience award is given to the group that received the most votes. Next to that panel, a corner covering all satellite projects for the connected “Japanese Drama” Future Project 2023 was set up.

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There is an empty space at the bottom of the project introduction section.

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This is a corner where the audience can freely spell out their thoughts on the future of Japanese theater. It's a column where you write whatever you want, whether it's the fun of the play, the challenges you feel, or your personal concerns. How much will they be able to write during the one-week performance period...

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It was already written by one person...!

The presenter took the stage before and after each performance, and in addition to introducing theater companies and works, they also introduced future connected “Japanese drama” projects. Thanks in part to that, when I thought, “I want to hear a few more voices,” it was a blink of an eye!!

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With just the space initially prepared, there was no place to put sticky notes, and eventually the space on the board that was added was also filled up. There are many young actors and young theater fans at the Kansai Drama Festival, and their strong sense of ideals for theater and their strong sense of challenges to the current situation appeared in this form this time, and in fact, over 300 people actively spelled out their feelings. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their passion!

All performances ended on November 18, and an award ceremony was held on the following day, on the 19th, and the Fukuoka theater company “PandA” was selected as the MVO. After receiving awards and reviews for each award, people who met through this drama festival took commemorative photos and chatted, and there was a beautiful scene where the circle of encounters “connected”. These connections will form the basis for shaping the future of Japanese theater, and will eventually lead to the creation of works that move people's hearts.

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Report: Midorikawa Norihito