MURINKAN International

Ebara Riverside Theatre

Official Social Media

Project Objectives

This project builds on the training system developed by the resident theater company Seinendan, based at the Ebara Riverside Theater. Located in Toyooka City—home to the Prefectural University of Arts and Culture, the Kinosaki International Arts Center (one of Japan’s largest artist residency facilities), and the Toyooka Theater Festival, which transforms the entire city into a stage—the theater offers a hybrid model combining in-person residencies and online training. It aims to cultivate internationally active theater professionals through integrated training, creation, and performance.

Project Approach

Komaba Agora Theatre in Tokyo, the now-closed Youth Theatre's longtime base, established Murinkan, a training center for theater artists. This project uses that experience to train selected participants through foundational theater courses and international fieldwork, aiming to make Ebara Riverside Theatre a creative hub nurturing creators who will strengthen Japan’s stage production worldwide.

Ebara Riverside Theatre

The Ebara Riverside Theatre was established in April 2020 by renovating the former Toyooka Chamber of Commerce building. With the motto “Connecting the city and the world through theater,” it serves as both an international transmitter of the arts and a cultural hub for the region. Its initiatives include the “Playwrights Competition” to discover and train internationally active directors, the “Tajima Youth Theatre,” and various workshops for education and corporate training.

Official website

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Creators &
Advisors Involved
in the Project

Creators

20 individuals to be selected in FY2025, including playwrights, directors, producers, dramaturgs, stage designers, lighting designers, sound technicians, and other technical staff.