What is Street Theatre?

Imagine a play with actors lying on the grass in a park performing before a backdrop of spring green or a parade of dancers in a shopping street with audiences invited to join. Even sudden raindrops and winds can become stage effects in "Street theatre." "Strange Seed Shizuoka" started in 2016 as a unique street theatre festival found nowhere else and has been the producer of such situations in the city of Shizuoka. In other words, it is a project to develop new narratives and scenes through the power of performing arts to uncover the inherent charm of the city. But what is street theatre? In Japan, very few can discuss this still unfamiliar genre.

Street Theatre Festival Incorporating Everything in the City

Strange Seed Shizuoka, now in its 8th year, goes back to its origin and asks the city of Shizuoka and itself, "What is street theatre?" Artists from various fields such as theatre, dance, music, and cross-genre expression will incorporate not only the landscape of the city of Shizuoka but also the sounds, wind, and audience around them into their performances. They will create experiences that can only happen in a particular moment and a place. Strange Seed Shizuoka 2023 will offer three programs for the audience to savor such productions unique to street theatres in deeper and greater ways than before.

Three Programs of Strange Seed Shizuoka 2023

● Core Program

This program is at the very core of the festival. It includes a piece produced by Strange Seed Shizuoka.

● Official Program

In this program, artists teamed up with Strange Seed Shizuoka will perform pieces that enhance the at tractiveness of street theatre at maximum.

● Open Call Program

The "Official Program" and "Core Program" will be the answers to the question of "What is street theatre?" from the Strange Seed Shizuoka team. Yet those are only a few aspects.

Look at the parks with lush greenery, a city hall with stone pavement, bustling shopping streets, a human-made pond, historic buildings…, etc. Any place in the city has the potential to be a theatre means an infinite number of possibilities lie there for different expressions to be born. "Open Call Program" is looking for artists willing to take challenges to open up these new possibilities with the team. Once you experience street theatre, your everyday life will shine, full of surprise and discovery. Even your routine walk to school or work could appear completely different. We invite you to witness the moment when a new genre, "street theatre," is born.

Strange Seed Shizuoka 2023 is about to begin.