Dates☞ October3th (Sat) – October 25th (Sun) 2026 [23 days]

Venues:☞ ROHM Theatre Kyoto, KYOTO ART CENTER, Kyoto Art Theater Shunjuza, THEATRE E9 KYOTO and other locations

Organized by
Kyoto International Performing Arts Festival Executive Committee [City of Kyoto, ROHM Theatre Kyoto (Kyoto City Music Art Cultural Promoting Foundation), KYOTO ART CENTER (Kyoto Arts and Culture Foundation), Kyoto Performing Arts Center at Kyoto University of the Arts, THEATRE E9 KYOTO (Arts Seed Kyoto)]
General Incorporated Association Kyoto Experiment

Kyoto Experiment is a performing arts festival held in Kyoto since 2010. Dedicated to producing and presenting experimental performing arts—both from Japan and overseas— the festival aims to explore and create new dialogues and values in society. Featuring experimental works that move freely between genres such as theater, dance, music and fine art, the festival hopes to open up new possibilities through the creations, experiences, and ideas that emerge from such a diverse combination.

The festival consists of three programs: “Kansai Studies,” a program that researches the Kansai region, where the festival is rooted, and aims to cultivate a foundation for future creation; “Shows,” a lineup of experimental performing arts and exhibitions from around the world; and “Super Knowledge for the Future [SKF],” a series of talks and workshops that explore the relationship between experimental performing arts and all kinds of different topics beyond the world of art.

With “Carrying a pebble in my pocket” as this year’s key phrase, Kyoto Experiment will be held as a festival where encounters of diverse people with performing arts, as well as dialogues, can happen.

Human beings have hitherto moved around the world, “carrying” various luggage and tools, and, by carrying various memories and stories at the same time, they have constructed cultures and languages made up of various mixed elements. As our time is symbolized by the division, conflict and war, and it is now increasingly becoming difficult to share a story with the other, can a “festival” become the space for carrying and sharing those stories? As we quietly put in our pocket a pebble, the oldest medium for humans and a symbol of resistance, we will re-consider a performing arts festival as the place for sharing with the audience the memory and story of the other, while resisting the division.

The festival consists of three programs: “Kansai Studies,” a program that researches the Kansai region, where the festival is rooted, and aims to cultivate a foundation for future creation; “Shows,” a lineup of experimental performing arts and exhibitions from around the world; and “Super Knowledge for the Future [SKF],” a series of talks and workshops that explore the relationship between experimental performing arts and all kinds of different topics beyond the world of art.

Yoko Kawasaki, Yuya Tsukahara

Organized by
Kyoto International Performing Arts Festival Executive Committee
City of Kyoto
ROHM Theatre Kyoto (Kyoto City Music Art Cultural Promoting Foundation)
KYOTO ART CENTER (Kyoto Arts and Culture Foundation)
Kyoto Performing Arts Center at Kyoto University of the Arts
THEATRE E9 KYOTO (Arts Seed Kyoto)
General Incorporated Association Kyoto Experiment

Co-presented by
Kyoto City University of Arts
[Kaori Endo | Mithu Sen, Carmen Lee & Chun Shing Au / Theatre du Poulet]

The Japan Foundation
[Ho Rui An, Zan Yamashita & Nhã Thuyên with Project Đẩy Sàn]

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea
[Kim Kangyeon, Lee Minjin, Park Minhee]

Supported by
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Japan Arts Council
Japan Foundation for Regional Art Activities
Association for Corporate Support of the Arts,
Japan: Arts Fund for Creation of Society

Supported by
(individual programs)

Institut français du Kansai
[Tiago Rodrigues]

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
[Carmen Lee & Chun Shing Au / Theatre du Poulet]

Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
[Alice Ripoll / Cia. REC]

Japan Creator Support Fund
[Echoes Now]

Donor
COSMONET Co., Ltd.

Sponsored by
Hase Building Co., Ltd.

With the stage equipment cooperation of
Lighting Equipment: RYU Co., Ltd., Audio Equipment: KWAT Co., Ltd.,
Video Equipment: Takenaka Co., Ltd.

With the cooperation of
BnA Alter Museum、HOTEL ANTEROOM KYOTO, KAGANHOTEL,
THE REIGN HOTEL KYOTO, node hotel, MAGASINN KYOTO,
KYOTO OKAZAKI TSUTAYA BOOKS, Kyoto Student Theater Festival 2026,
Toyooka Theater Festival 2026, Centers for Job Transition Support Services – INCOP Kyoto Kujo, Kyogashitsukasa Kanaya Masahiro, Glass Studio Adhoc

Key Visual Cooperation
Hiromi Ishikawa, Ayaka Fujita, Moe Matsuki, Leon Koh Yonekawa

Chair:
Mayumi Yamamoto (Director, Creative Development & Partnerships, Kyoto Arts and Culture Foundation)

Vice Chair:
Hiroya Ishida (Managing Director, Kyoto City Music Art Cultural Promoting Foundation)

Committee Members:
Yoshitaka Ando (Professor, Director of Kyoto Performing Arts Center)
Itsuki Umeyama (Theater Researcher / Professor, Department of Arts, Kindai University)
Yukako Ogura (Program Director, ROHM Theatre Kyoto)
Tetsuya Ozaki (Journalist / Arts Producer)
Yota Kageyama (Director, Arts Seed Kyoto / Theatre Manager, THEATRE E9 KYOTO)
Toru Koyamada (​Artist / President and Chancellor, Kyoto City University of Arts)
Akira Nagata (Secretary-General, Kyoto Arts and Culture Foundation)
Hiroshi Yoshioka (Aesthetician / Director, Institute for Philosophy and Science of Art Kyoto University of The Arts)
Kenji Yoshida (Manager, Culture and Arts Planning Section, Culture and Citizens Affairs Bureau of Kyoto City)

Advisors:
Fumio Amano (Noh Researcher / Professor Emeritus, Osaka University)
Kojin Ota (Theater Critic / Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University of Education)
Akira Shigeyama (Kyogen Artist / Board Member of NPO Kyoto Arts Meeting / Director, THEATRE E9 KYOTO)
Motoaki Shinohara (Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University)
Soshitsu Sen (Urasenke Grand Tea Master)
Akira Tatehata (Poet / Art critic / General Director, KYOTO ART CENTER)
Ritsue Hata (Guest Editor, Mainichi Shimbun / Visiting Professor, Osaka University of Arts Junior College)
Oriza Hirata (Playwright, Theater Director / Director of Seinendan / President, Professional College of Arts and Tourism / Special Advisor to the City of Kyoto, Director of the Aomori Museum of Art)

Names are listed in gojuon order (a system for ordering Japanese kana characters).

Co-Artistic Directors:
Yoko Kawasaki, Yuya Tsukahara

Office:
Junko Kakiwaki (Administrative Director)
Yoko Kawasaki (Executive Director)
Nagara Wada (Assistant Director)
Yoshimi Toyoyama (Director Team Management)
Shunsuke Kadowaki (Accounting & Ticketing)
Ruka Maeda, Momona Eguchi, Akane Saito (Public Relations)
Moe Nagasawa (Intern & Volunteer Coordinators)
Hiroshi Watanabe (More Experiments Coordinator)
Kyoko Ifuku
Mone Kuwano, Reina Minami, Miwa Yamazaki (Interns)

Chief Production Coordinator:
Kanako Yamasaki (KANKARA Inc.)

Production Coordinators:
Yuko Kuroda, Kei Saito, Haruka Shibata, Tsubasa Shimizu (KANKARA Inc.),
Yoshimi Toyoyama, Hiroshi Watanabe
[ROHM Theatre Kyoto] Miho Kawahara, Takanori Goto
[KYOTO ART CENTER] Akari Aota, Huang Yuxi, June Teraoka, Shoko Nishida, Jun Yukioka
［Kyoto Performing Arts Center］Keiko Nakama, Mizuta Masaya
［THEATRE E9 KYOTO］Asaki Nakamura
［Kyoto City University of Arts Art Gallery］Mizuho Fujita, Miharu Seta, Natsuki Yamamoto, Kazuki Yoshimoto

Overseas Curator Residency Coordinator:
Yukio Nitta

Technical:
Yuhi Kobayashi (Technical Director)
Kodachi Kitagata, Sota Kojima, Yohei Sogo, Shunsuke Watanaka (Technical Coordinators)
Mao Sakai (Technical Administration)

Text Coordination:
Noriko Yamaguchi

English Translation from Japanese:
Art Translators Collective (Haruka Ueda, Hibiki Mizuno, Ben Cagan, Keith Spencer), William Andrews, Kei Saito, Michaela Komine

Interpreters:
Kei Saito, Miho Tsujii

Art Direction / Design:
Aiko Koike

Design:
Minami Wetli Tanaka

Web Direction / Design / Development:
Yota Shiraishi

Advisory Board:
Torao Ohsawa (Institute for Culture Commons)
Kaori Togashi (Associate Professor, Department of Arts and Tourism, Professional College of Arts and Tourism)