The World's Largest Shakespeare Festival Kicks Off with a Japanese Theater Troupe! Kakushinhan's 'Shin Titus' Selected as the Opening Performance.

Among Shakespeare's plays, Titus Andronicus is known as his bloodiest revenge tragedy.

Director Ryunosuke Kimura has reinterpreted this work, infusing it with prayers for a modern world plagued by endless war and conflict. By collaborating with Komparu-style Noh performer Tsuna-o Yamai, the production places the spirit of traditional Japanese Noh at its core. Beneath the stage's depiction of a cycle of bloodshed, a "prayer for world peace" flows as a constant bass note.

The premiere was forced to be canceled twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Driven by a strong determination to "complete this prayer now," the production was moved to a massive warehouse. In 2023, it was successfully staged at "WAREHOUSE," a community space formerly used as a factory within the "OKS CAMPUS" at the Oizumi Factory headquarters in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture.

Now, this production has been selected as the opening act for the Craiova International Shakespeare Festival 2026. It will be performed for two days, on Thursday, May 21, and Friday, May 22, 2026, at the Marin Sorescu National Theatre (Amza Pellea Hall) before an international audience.

The cast features a diverse lineup, led by Tsuna-o Yamai and Fuka Haruna, who delivered powerful performances in the 2023 version, Shin Titus REBORN. Returning from the previous production are Go Kijima, Miki Takii, Rion Yanagimoto, Mark Yudai Iwasaki, Ryo Morimoto, Seiji Miyagawa, and Yukari Sanyutei. They are joined by six new actors: Hirotaka Kato, Mayumi Shichimi, Momoyo Tateno, Shin Hikage, Natsuyama Tatsumoto, and Hiroichi Tate-gata. With Noh Yoshida joining for live musical accompaniment, the 2026 version of Shin Titus is set to take the stage.