[New National Theatre] Announcement of Playwright Open Call for New Production in April 2028
The New National Theatre has launched an open call for playwrights for its new production 'Drama Connect,' scheduled for April 2028. Led by the incoming Artistic Director Satoshi Uemura and director Mari Gonohe, the project aims to explore new theatrical possibilities through collaborative creation.
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The New National Theatre is finally launching its "New Production through Collaborative Creation" project, named "Drama Connect," which was announced at the 2026/2027 Season Theatre Lineup Press Conference, with performances scheduled for April 2028.
One of the guiding principles of Satoshi Uemura, the next Artistic Director of Theatre (scheduled to assume office in September 2026), is "Encountering New Talent." Based on this principle, this project is an attempt to create a new work for performances in April 2028, with Mari Gonohe as director, by gathering playwrights through an open call and performers through full auditions, who will then create the new work after production workshops.
We are pleased to announce that the details for the "Playwright Open Call," the first step of this project, have been finalized, and we are now releasing the application guidelines. The finally selected playwright will be responsible for writing the play for the April 2028 performance.
We sincerely look forward to receiving many applications from everyone.
**Message from Satoshi Uemura, Next Artistic Director of Theatre**
Satoshi Uemura
Encountering New Talent "Drama Connect"
In theatre, when the creators' intentions reach the audience, imagination is stimulated, and there is potential to enrich each other's daily lives. The same applies to the creative process; when a playwright's thoughts reach the creators, the wings of imagination spread wide. Of course, when a director's ideas, an actor's voice, and staff's suggestions reach the playwright, a chemical reaction of imagination occurs, and the story grows into something richer. In this shared collaborative creation, despite differing roles, everyone is on equal footing. In Japan, there are many theatre companies, and countless excellent works have been born through such chemical reactions of imagination among creators.
Moreover, my revered Wajdi Mouawad, when he was a budding playwright, gathered his theatre friends at his apartment, sat around a dining table, and started with the question, "What are we afraid of?" He listened carefully to his friends' valuable opinions and trivial conversations, then spun dialogues and repeated trials, eventually giving birth to the work "Littoral."
"Drama Connect." While not a theatre company in the traditional sense, we will spend time engaging in discussions and trial and error to create a new Japanese play. This time, we will solicit playwrights through an open call, then, after sharing the concepts for playwriting and direction, recruit performers through full auditions, and from there, we will take our time to create the story. We hope to rediscover the potential of collaborative creation and, at the New National Theatre, allow fresh sensitivities to Connect.
**Message from Mari Gonohe, Director**
Mari Gonohe
To all Playwrights
Typically, a playwright works alone with manuscript paper or a computer, weaving a story, and then the director, performers, and staff carefully interpret each word etched in the script by the playwright to bring the work to life. Many theatrical productions are created through such a process.
On the other hand, a theatre rehearsal room is also a place where people with different values gather, exchange opinions, engage in dialogue, and create new, unseen stage expressions through repeated trial and error.
This time, we would like playwrights to also participate in this time of exchanging opinions, dialogue, and repeated trial and error in rehearsals. The performers who will be selected in the future are also scheduled to participate in the preparation process for scriptwriting. We ask you to try writing the script while utilizing the sensibilities and imagination of the assembled members. And even during the process where acting emerges from the completed stage script, if you have any ideas, we would like you to explore the possibilities of the work together from a linguistic perspective, such as adding, removing, or rewriting lines and trying them out.
However, we understand that some playwrights may find it difficult to speak up in a large group.
As the director, I would first like to create an environment where all participants can comfortably exchange opinions on an equal footing.
I hope to devise a method for this. Please also help us find ways for playwrights to enjoy participating in rehearsals.
**Mari Gonohe Profile**
After working in small theatres, she joined the Bungakuza Theatre Research Institute as a 45th-term student in 2005. In 2010, she was promoted to a member. She was involved in numerous internal productions as an assistant director. In 2016, she made her directorial debut with "Kaji" by Mantaro Kubota at the Bungakuza Atelier-no-kai. Recent major directorial works include musicals "Twelve Angry Men," "The Girl of Arles," "A Tale of Wolves and Foxes/Mermaid's Sea," "To Another Me," "My Kurezurara," "Washing Stones," "Okinawa," "Arabian Nights," "The Woman Called Macbeth's Wife," "Soldier Tanaka," "The Learned Ladies," "The Cherry Orchard," and others. At the New National Theatre, she directed "The Visit of the Old Lady" and "The Lower Depths," and participated as an assistant director in "Oresteia" and "The Citadel." In addition to directing, she also writes plays and fairy tales. In 2023, "The Visit of the Old Lady" (New National Theatre), "Coffee and..."
One of the guiding principles of Satoshi Uemura, the next Artistic Director of Theatre (scheduled to assume office in September 2026), is "Encountering New Talent." Based on this principle, this project is an attempt to create a new work for performances in April 2028, with Mari Gonohe as director, by gathering playwrights through an open call and performers through full auditions, who will then create the new work after production workshops.
We are pleased to announce that the details for the "Playwright Open Call," the first step of this project, have been finalized, and we are now releasing the application guidelines. The finally selected playwright will be responsible for writing the play for the April 2028 performance.
We sincerely look forward to receiving many applications from everyone.
**Message from Satoshi Uemura, Next Artistic Director of Theatre**
Satoshi Uemura
Encountering New Talent "Drama Connect"
In theatre, when the creators' intentions reach the audience, imagination is stimulated, and there is potential to enrich each other's daily lives. The same applies to the creative process; when a playwright's thoughts reach the creators, the wings of imagination spread wide. Of course, when a director's ideas, an actor's voice, and staff's suggestions reach the playwright, a chemical reaction of imagination occurs, and the story grows into something richer. In this shared collaborative creation, despite differing roles, everyone is on equal footing. In Japan, there are many theatre companies, and countless excellent works have been born through such chemical reactions of imagination among creators.
Moreover, my revered Wajdi Mouawad, when he was a budding playwright, gathered his theatre friends at his apartment, sat around a dining table, and started with the question, "What are we afraid of?" He listened carefully to his friends' valuable opinions and trivial conversations, then spun dialogues and repeated trials, eventually giving birth to the work "Littoral."
"Drama Connect." While not a theatre company in the traditional sense, we will spend time engaging in discussions and trial and error to create a new Japanese play. This time, we will solicit playwrights through an open call, then, after sharing the concepts for playwriting and direction, recruit performers through full auditions, and from there, we will take our time to create the story. We hope to rediscover the potential of collaborative creation and, at the New National Theatre, allow fresh sensitivities to Connect.
**Message from Mari Gonohe, Director**
Mari Gonohe
To all Playwrights
Typically, a playwright works alone with manuscript paper or a computer, weaving a story, and then the director, performers, and staff carefully interpret each word etched in the script by the playwright to bring the work to life. Many theatrical productions are created through such a process.
On the other hand, a theatre rehearsal room is also a place where people with different values gather, exchange opinions, engage in dialogue, and create new, unseen stage expressions through repeated trial and error.
This time, we would like playwrights to also participate in this time of exchanging opinions, dialogue, and repeated trial and error in rehearsals. The performers who will be selected in the future are also scheduled to participate in the preparation process for scriptwriting. We ask you to try writing the script while utilizing the sensibilities and imagination of the assembled members. And even during the process where acting emerges from the completed stage script, if you have any ideas, we would like you to explore the possibilities of the work together from a linguistic perspective, such as adding, removing, or rewriting lines and trying them out.
However, we understand that some playwrights may find it difficult to speak up in a large group.
As the director, I would first like to create an environment where all participants can comfortably exchange opinions on an equal footing.
I hope to devise a method for this. Please also help us find ways for playwrights to enjoy participating in rehearsals.
**Mari Gonohe Profile**
After working in small theatres, she joined the Bungakuza Theatre Research Institute as a 45th-term student in 2005. In 2010, she was promoted to a member. She was involved in numerous internal productions as an assistant director. In 2016, she made her directorial debut with "Kaji" by Mantaro Kubota at the Bungakuza Atelier-no-kai. Recent major directorial works include musicals "Twelve Angry Men," "The Girl of Arles," "A Tale of Wolves and Foxes/Mermaid's Sea," "To Another Me," "My Kurezurara," "Washing Stones," "Okinawa," "Arabian Nights," "The Woman Called Macbeth's Wife," "Soldier Tanaka," "The Learned Ladies," "The Cherry Orchard," and others. At the New National Theatre, she directed "The Visit of the Old Lady" and "The Lower Depths," and participated as an assistant director in "Oresteia" and "The Citadel." In addition to directing, she also writes plays and fairy tales. In 2023, "The Visit of the Old Lady" (New National Theatre), "Coffee and..."