10 Masterpieces Selected from 171 Works to be Performed Anew The Strongest Solo Performance Festival, 'INDEPENDENT:5SS' Selection Held Once Every 5 Years, Tour Kicks Off Soon!

The 'INDEPENDENT:5SS' will be held from July 16 (Thu), 2026 to July 20 (Mon, Holiday), 2026 at in→dependent theatre 2nd (4-9-5 Nipponbashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Independent Theatre 2nd). This will be followed by performances in 7 cities nationwide.

Tickets for the Osaka performances are now on sale through Confetti (operated by Long Run Planning Co., Ltd., Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, Representative Director: Daigo Kurematsu).

Click here to purchase tickets

Official Website https://independent-fes.com/index.html

A tour featuring selected outstanding works from the 5th season!

'INDEPENDENT,' which began in 2001 at a private small theater in Osaka, decided to continue the following year and announced a plan to hold a tour in the sixth year, dividing time into 5-year seasons and selecting outstanding works from each season for a revival tour. The first East-West tour was held in 2006.

The festival, which specialized in short solo performances, a rarity nationwide at the time of its inception, began attracting actors, playwrights, and directors from all over the country. The second tour covered 7 cities nationwide. Responding to the demand for opportunities to challenge solo performances in various regions, a "Regional Independent" series, centered on local creators, began its regular run in 2012. Since then, a cycle has been established where outstanding regional works are invited to the main venue in Osaka, and the works performed in Osaka from across the country are then invited to other regions in the following years. This has fostered a rich creative environment where creators nationwide inspire each other and provided audiences with opportunities to experience the expressions of various creators from outside their local areas.

Furthermore, in 2018, overseas expansion began with participation in the Taipei Fringe Festival in Taiwan, followed by the Melbourne Fringe Festival in Australia in 2019 (overseas expansion is currently suspended due to the pandemic and the current weak yen trend). Since 2023, the official workshop "How to Create a Solo Performance That Serves as a Business Card for Actors," which shares the know-how cultivated in producing works for this festival, has been launched, further strengthening efforts in promoting solo performances.

Over the past 25 years, more than 713 works have been produced in the series, with actors, playwrights, and directors participating from 38 prefectures. Regular performances have been held in 6 regions (Kansai, Hokkaido, Tohoku, Tokai, Kyushu, and Okinawa), including the main venue in Osaka, and performances have taken place in 15 cities, including 2 overseas cities, making it an exceptionally large-scale project for a small theater-based initiative.

INDEPENDENT will once again hold a nationwide tour in the summer of 2026, summarizing its 5th season (2021-2025), which concluded last November. We aim to deliver these performances to a wide audience in collaboration with theaters, producers, and creators from various regions.

10 Masterpieces Selected from 171 Works to be Performed!

Ten outstanding works selected from all the pieces performed at INDEPENDENT Osaka Main Competition from 2021 to 2025 will be staged! A variety that will overturn your image of solo performances can be seen.

[ a ] 'Hagu'

Performance: Noriko Inukai (Shibaiya Inukai) x Script & Direction: Akihiko Osako (Playground)

First performed in 2023 / Main venue: Okinawa with Fukuoka

[ b ] 'Before the Park Opens' Performance: Masako Oguri (Sora-chu Kuchi) x Script: Yuki Kaname (Aokiri Mikan Theater Company) x Direction: Tetsuya Sekido (Sora-chu Kuchi) First performed in 2025 / Main venue: Nagoya

[ c ] 'A State Without a Name' Performance & Choreography: Natsuko Ozawa x Script & Direction: Shuhei Katsuyama (Suisei Magic) First performed in 2022 / Main venue: Osaka

[ d ] 'Too Late To Die' Performance: Takaya Kameyama x Script & Direction: Jiro Matsuda (Kayoko's Big Invention) First performed in 2023 / Main venue: Osaka

[ e ] 'Kenji and Toshi' Performance: Rie Sawai (EVKK) x Script & Direction: Yuriko Tosaka (Theater Little★Star team Spica / Lily Airline) First performed in 2024 / Main venue: Osaka

[ f ] 'Visiting A-san's Hometown, Noda Village' Performance, Script & Direction: Tomoyuki Shibata (Atelier Shibayama) First performed in 2025 / Main venue: Sapporo

[ g ] 'The Woman of Yakushima' Performance: Masumi Tange (T-works) x Script & Direction: Kenichi Suemitsu (Peace Pit) First performed in 2025 / Main venue: Osaka with Tokyo

[ h ] 'Maigo (Lost Child)' Performance: Megumi Fukuda (Aoyama Theater) x Dokusai Switch Planning (Aoyama Theater) x Akio Osawa (Aoyama Theater / Neutral) First performed in 2022 / Main venue: Osaka with Tokyo

[ i ] 'Yoake no Michi (The Road to Dawn)' Performance, Script & Direction: Mizuki Fujiwara (Chijiri Theater Company) First performed in 2021 / Main venue: Morioka

[ j ] 'Mushi (Insects)' Performance: Mushio Yamada (Totsugeki Kingyo) x Script & Direction: SalingROCK (Totsugeki Kingyo) x Original: Edogawa Ranpo First performed in 2021 / Main venue: Osaka

Performance Overview

'INDEPENDENT:5SS Osaka'

Dates: July 16 (Thu), 2026 - July 20 (Mon, Holiday), 2026

Venue: in→dependent theatre 2nd (4-9-5 Nipponbashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Independent Theatre 2nd)

Also, performances will be held in 7 cities nationwide until September 13, 2026. Tour details here > https://independent-fes.com/5ss/index.html

Staff Organizer, Planner, Producer, Operator: INDEPENDENT Inc.

Supported by the Arts and Culture Promotion Fund

Supported by Osaka City

Stage Manager: Yuya Kitamura / Lighting: Isao Mizobuchi (campana) / Sound: Tadatoshi Sugawa (ALTERNAIT) / Video: Tadashi Aiai (at will) / Publicity Design: T.A. (at will) / Publicity Design Cooperation: Shuhei Katsuyama (Suisei Magic) / Production: Megumi Misaka (Booster) / Producer: Tadashi Aiai (INDEPENDENT)

Cooperation: Shibaiya Inukai, Playground, Sora-chu Kuchi, Aokiri Mikan Theater Company, Suisei Magic, Kayoko's Big Invention, EVKK, Theater Little★Star team Spica, Lily Airline, Atelier Shibayama, T-works, Peace Pit, Aoyama Theater, Neutral, Chijiri Theater Company, Totsugeki Kingyo, Tokumei Gekidan, Campana Inc., ALTERNAIT, at will, Booster, Light Eye

* The strongest solo performance festival "INDEPENDENT" is a registered trademark of INDEPENDENT Inc. (Registration No. 5608177).

Performance Schedule 7/16 (Thu) 18:30- [ d ][ c ] / 20:00- [ h ][ f ][ b ]

7/17 (Fri) 18:30- [ a ][ j ] / 20:00- [ e ][ i ][ g ]

7/18 (Sat) 14:00- [ c ][ f ][ e ] / 16:30- [ g ][ j ][ b ] / 19:00- [ a ][ i ][ h ][ d ]

7/19 (Sun) 13:00- [ b ][ j ][ e ] / 15:30- [ a ][ d ][ h ] / 18:00- [ c ][ i ][ g ][ f ]

7/20 (Mon, Holiday) 11:00- [ h ][ i ][ g ] / 13:30- [ b ][ f ][ c ] / 16:00- [ d ][ e ][ j ][ a ]

* Doors open 30 minutes before the performance.

* Performance duration: 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes per block.

Ticket Prices Thu/Fri Pass: 4,500 yen (tax included)

1-Day Pass: 5,000 yen (tax included)

Click here to purchase the Thu/Fri Pass

Click here to purchase the 1-Day Pass

Ticket Site "Confetti"

Ticket Purchase Flow & Confetti Member Benefits https://service.confetti-web.com