Call for Participants
Asian Performing Arts Farm 2019: APAF Lab.
■ Outline of APAF Lab.
What is “APAF Lab.”?
APAF-Asian Performing Arts Farm, formerly the Asian Performing Art Festival which was launched in 2002 and now is one of the sectors within the Tokyo Art Festival, is a platform to seek mutual understanding and to encourage collaborations among young performing artists in Asian countries.
In this APAF Lab. program, participants from different countries and background who are active in the field of performing arts will stay in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and Tokyo, Japan for about one week each, to deepen their understanding of their mutual awareness of issues and approach to creating performative works through theater, lectures, visitation of art spaces, workshops and discussions.
Co-organized by the Japan Foundation Asia Center, we seek for participants from Southeast Asia, with a wide range of talents to as a place to tryout international collaboration and to build a network of young performing artists within Asia.
APAF Website: https://butai.asia/en/
■ From the organizers
This year’s APAF Lab will be held in the two countries of Indonesia and Japan, in recognition that behaviors and attitudes change with the environment; through various interactions with participating members from other Asian countries, this event aims to cultivate the ability to stand up everywhere, literally, as artists in the emergent performing arts scene in Asia engaged with transborder and transcultural issues. As captains, we welcome the two members of the orangcosong collective, who are active in this field in Asia, and we look forward to meeting young artists with adventurous minds who seek to stand up in an environment different from the usual, a harsh environment, and who can also overcome any difficulties in doing so.
APAF Director: Junnosuke Tada
This lab may be an entrance or exit to a new world for you, and for me too. I was the captain at the Art Camp of APAF 2015, but in these four years, the situation has changed dramatically. I no longer intend to act like a teacher or a mentor. I just want to find friends who can walk together in this changing world. Whether he or she is an artist, a producer, a dramaturg, or in any other position, I need a person who has the ambition to stand alone in this unknown world, and who is able to accept the solitude and connect with others. There is only one requirement to participate in this lab. Look at your own theme and bring it here. Let’s share and exchange among the participants, and explore our common language. For the time being we will use English, but we don’t need fluent English. No one can use a “perfect language.” I hope we can start from this chaotic field.
Captain: Chikara Fujiwara (orangcosong)
I have been working in various parts of Asia for this last year. Living between different cultures sometimes makes me feel hurt or angry. Sometimes it’s difficult, but when that happens, I try to convey my feelings and opinions using my broken English or the local language. I feel my awareness has changed from such experiences. In Japan, people tend to have an unconscious spirit of “Harmony is to be valued,” but I think there is no “harmony” at the beginning. Let’s confront each other. Let’s discuss and talk with each other. Then “harmony” may occur as a result. In this opportunity to meet with other artists gathering from different environments, I will struggle together with you.
Captain: Minori Sumiyoshiyama (orangcosong)
■APAF 2019
Period of stay in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
September 26 to October 4, 2019 (8 nights, 9 days)
Period of stay in Tokyo, Japan
October 20 to 28, 2019 (8 nights, 9 days)
Schedule
| September | 26 | Departure to Yogyakarta, Indonesia | |||
| 27-Oct. 3 | APAF Lab. in Yogyakarta | ||||
| October | 4 | Departure from Yogyakarta | |||
| 20 | Arrival at Tokyo, Japan | ||||
| 21-27 | APAF Lab. in Tokyo | ||||
| 27 | Final presentation | ||||
| 28 | Departure from Tokyo |
■Terms of Application and Conditions
Qualification and requirements
- Young artists based in Thailand with some skills and experience in theater. (Those involved in the creation of a theatrical production including actors, dancers, musicians, traditional performance actors and puppeteers.)
- Those in theater with a clear willingness and motivation to challenge new grounds and work collaboratively in unfamiliar environments with foreign cultures; those interested in stepping out of their comfort zones.
- Those who can participate fully in the two programs from September 26 to October 4 in Yogyakarta and October 20 to 28 in Tokyo respectively.
- Those who can process all necessary documents, including visas, by their travel date. (The organizers will prepare necessary documents for visas.)
- In principal, extension of the stay is not accepted.
Number of Openings
Approximately eight in total (three from Southeast Asia, and five from Japan and East Asia)
Benefits
- International Airfare: A round-trip air tickets between the nearest airport from your residence and Yogyakarta airport and between the nearest airport from your residence and Tokyo Airport (Narita or Haneda) will be provided.
- Domestic travel: Domestic travel cost in Yogyakarta and Tokyo will be provided.
- Accommodation: Reserved and paid by the organizers during the term of invitation.
- Insurance: Traveler’s insurance during the term of invitation and performance insurance on the performance day will be purchased by the organizers.
- Per diem: 44,000 JPY (estimate)
- Honorarium for the Wrap-up presentation: 30,000 JPY
* A 20.42% tax deduction at source may apply.
- Ticket and entrance fee: The ticket and entrance fee during the program will be paid by the organizers.
- Interpreter:
When the organizers recognize its necessity, interpreters will be provided during the activities related to the workshops and productions; otherwise the main language of communication among participants will be English.
- Prop production fee: Expense to produce prop for the final presentation. Maximum 5,000 JPY
■How to Apply
Complete the application form provided, attach a head shot photo and a CV or profile of your past works and specialties, and send all 3 documents by email to the email address below by Wednesday June 26, 2019.
Send to:
Ms. Shoko Sato
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok
Email: sato@ba.jpf.go.jp
* The selection results will be notified by the end of July.
* Correspondence and notification of selection results will be done by email, so please make sure you can be contacted by email.
* We will not return submitted documents. Organizers will take strict precautions to control and handle personal data and will not use it for any other purposes other than getting in contact for this project.
■Inquiry
Ms. Shoko Sato
The Japan Foundation, Bangkok
02-260-8560-4 (10.00 – 17.00 hrs)