The strongest solo play festival, “INDEPENDENT,” boasting a cumulative total of 708 performances, opens this year on November 20th! Tickets on sale now
Confetti Press release: October 1, 2025 The strongest solo play festival, “INDEPENDENT,” boasting a cumulative total of 708
performances, opens this year on November 20th! Tickets on sale now
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/13972/3321/13972-3321-3a20f6cd839ef4a0c5e064ca74980cd8-2000×920.jpg
https://independent-fes.com/in25.html X:https://x.com/in_fes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/independentfes The ultimate one-man theater festival, going beyond what’s been achieved… “INDEPENDENT: The Ultimate Solo Play Festival” has been held every November since 2001, based at an independent theater that has attracted nationwide attention for its conceptually produced works and aggressive activities. This festival, where actors, playwrights, and directors compete in solo acts spanning a variety of genres and expressive techniques, has presented over 700 works throughout the festival to date, captivating audiences and creative minds alike. Since 2012, it has offered regional, locally-led performances, and in 2018, it has expanded overseas. It has continued to be held without interruption, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, this one-of-a-kind festival will once again be inviting four works from the regional versions of INDEPENDENT, which were held in various regions from spring to summer! From Sapporo, we have “Visiting A-san’s Hometown, Noda Village” by Shibata Tomoyuki, which humorously depicts how his training to obtain a license as an occupational therapist led to his current creative work. From Morioka, we have “Pa’s Dictate” by Watanabe Manami, which explodes with a twisted love for Yamagata’s specialty, “imoni.” From Nagoya, we have “Until the Opening,” a production by three people renowned as the strongest collaboration in Nagoya’s theater world. And finally, we have “Potari Pota Pota,” a collaboration between an actor, writer, and director from Nagasaki and Sapporo, depicting a supporter cheering on the away team alone behind the goal. Among the Kansai participants, Daigo Ueda (Maverick Core / MoreGoofy’s), who has long been active as the mastermind behind various projects and as a scriptwriter/director, will be competing for the first time, teaming up with Shuhei Katsuyama (Suisei Magic), who has a long history with INDEPENDENT. NICO×frogs, who have been showing remarkable success since becoming a theater company, will also be competing with the classic team of Naruse, Takemura, and Uematsu. Furthermore, Tatsuya Ishihata (Anonymous Theater), who presented a new solo play for 12 consecutive months via video streaming last year, will be participating with a polished version of one of those plays, along with his ally Akihiro Osako (Pregra). Also attracting attention is scriptwriter/director Keisuke Fukutani (Anonymous Theater), who submitted two works to the trial, the qualifying round for
INDEPENDENT, and both qualified for the competition. And this year, for the first time, this project will also see a new actor take on a highly acclaimed work that was previously performed at INDEPENDENT. A one-man play is like haute couture for the actor performing it, but a truly excellent work can take on a whole new level of appeal with a direction that suits the actor, even when the actor is changed. The production team, eager to prove this, has been joined by two actors who each had a work they wanted to try. “A Train Runs in a
Four-and-a-Half Tatami Room” (premiered in 2003 with Kadota Tsuyoshi) will be performed by Taniya Shunsuke (Stage Tiger), and “Woman from Yakushima” (premiered in 2005 with Shigeta Megumi) will be performed by Tange Masumi (T-works). The two who wrote and directed the original productions of both works will be recreating them, and it will be a rare opportunity for Suemitsu Kenichi, who is now very active in 2.5-dimensional stage productions, to make his first appearance in a small theater in a long while under the name Peace Pit. Please look forward to it. *The ultimate one-man theater festival, “INDEPENDENT” (R) is a registered trademark of INDEPENDENT Co., Ltd. Performance summary 『INDEPENDENT:25』 Performance period: November 20, 2025 (Thursday) to November 23, 2025 (Sunday/Holiday) Venue: in→dependent theater 2nd (Nihonbashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture) 4-9-5) ■Performers [a] “Drop-drop” Starring: Hiroshi Araki
(Hiroshi-gun Theater Company) × Scriptwriter/director: Ryusei Ueda (Stardust Loneliness) [From Nagasaki with Sapporo] [b] “Blackout” Starring: Tatsuya Ishibata (Anonymous Theater Company) ×
Scriptwriter/director: Akihiro Osako (Pregra) [Osaka with Fukuoka] [c] “23:58:31” Starring and scriptwriter: Ueda Daigo (Maverick Core / MoreGoofy’s) × Director: Katsuyama Shuhei (Comet Magic) [d] “Until the Park Opens” Starring: Masako Oguri (Kuchuu Kuchi) × Screenplay: Yuki Kaname (Aokiri Mikan Theater Company) × Director: Tetsuya Sekido (Kuchuu Kuchi) [from Nagoya] [e] “Visiting Noda Village, Mr. A’s Hometown” Starring, Screenplay, and Director: Tomoyuki Shibata (Atelier Shibatayama) [from Sapporo] [f] “A Train Runs Through a Four-and-a-Half Tatami Room” Starring: Shunsuke Taniya (Stage Tiger) x Scriptwriter/director: Kenshi Nakamura (Sora no Ekisha) [g] “The Woman of Yakushima” Starring: Masumi Tange (T-works) ×
Scriptwriter/director: Kenichi Suemitsu (Peace Pit) [h] “Drop kick to Shabadaba!” Starring: Haruka Naruse (NICO×frogs) × Scriptwriter: Shintaro Takemura (Ichigekiya Theater Company) × Director: Yuki Uematsu (NICO×frogs) [i] “Block the escape route!” Starring: Sakura Mizuno × Scriptwriter/director: Keisuke Fukutani (Anonymous Theater Company) [j] “Pa’s Dialect” Starring: Manami Watanabe (Dorobune) x Script and Direction: Hitomi Saga (One-Eyed Stereoscopic Vision) [from Morioka] [t1] “From the Sandbox” Starring: Itsuki Fukunaga × Scriptwriter/director: Keisuke Fukutani (Anonymous Theater) [t2] “Far Away” Starring: Satomi Haio (PROJECT Obuzake-chan./Demekkin) × Scriptwriter/director: Daisuke Inoue (Ashiichi) ■Staff Stage Director: Yuya Kitamura Lighting: Isao Mizobuchi (campana) Sound: Tadatoshi Sugawa (ALTERNAIT) Video: Yui Aiuchi (at will) Design & DJ: T.A. (at will) Design Cooperation: Shuhei Katsuyama (Comet Magic) Production: Emi Misaka (Booster) Producer: Aiuchi Yuji (INDEPENDENT) Planning, production, and management: INDEPENDENT Co., Ltd. ■Performance schedule 11/20 (Thu) 18:00~[t2] [f] [d]／20:00~[a] [i] [c] 11/21 (Friday) 18:00~[t1] [g] [e]／20:00~[j] [b] [h] 11/22 (Sat) 13:00~[t2] [c] [d] [b]／16:00~[i] [e] [h]／18:30~[a] [j] [f] [g] 11/23 (Sun) 11:00~[t1] [j] [c] [g]／14:00~[e] [i] [b]／16:30~[d] [a] [h] [f] (1) Three to four approximately 30-minute plays will be performed consecutively in each block. There will be a short stage change between each play. Please remain seated during this time. (2) There will be an interval of approximately 30 minutes to one hour between each block. Please relax during DJ time in the theater or in the lobby. Guests with a one-day pass may exit and re-enter the theater. (3) The above are the start times for each block. For the first performance of each day, registration begins 45 minutes before the start of the show, and doors open 30 minutes before. After that, you may enter at any time. However, as a general rule, entry during the performance is not permitted. ■Ticket Prices One-day pass: ¥4,800 (tax included, all reserved seats) Thursday and Friday tickets: 4,200 yen (tax included, all reserved seats)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/13972/3321/13972-3321-300083329531571e4a8381b538a97f08-1183×525.jpg Ticket site “Confetti” Ticket purchase process and Confetti member benefits https://service.confetti-web.com
