Chiten, the esteemed theatre company led by Motoki Miura, was founded in Tokyo but relocated to Kyoto in 2005. Then, in 2013, they opened an atelier named Under-throw as their base of operations there. Subsequently, they have continued to present a wide range of works in their unique “Chiten style”, establishing themselves as a unique kind of theatrical collective not only in Kansai, but also nationally and internationally.
Often deconstructing and reworking original plays or novels, Chiten has consistently opened audiences’ eyes by proposing fresh perspectives on source material. The company has toured internationally since its early days, performing in France (where Miura studied for two years from 1999), Russia, and across Europe. In 2012, at the invitation of London’s Globe Theatre, they performed “Coriolanus” as part of the World Shakespeare Festival, which gathered Shakespearean productions from around the globe. Their staging, which met rapturous applause, humorously depicted the general Coriolanus — armed not with a sword for killing people, but with a baguette at his waist – spinning his wheels in vain before being abandoned by the populace.
In recent years, live performances by the rock band Kūkan Gendai, featuring their ever-evolving, unconventional music, have frequently been incorporated into Chiten’s works. Now, with the company entering a period of consolidation as an increasingly outstanding entity, jstages.com spoke with its representative, Motoki Miura, about its 20 years of activity in Kyoto, as well as the situation regarding new works announced in quick succession for 2025, and also the upcoming third run of performances in London scheduled for February 2026.
We spoke together in early October 2025 at the Under-throw atelier ahead of the company’s production of “The Master and Margarita”, which is based on an eponymous novel written in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Bulgakov between 1928 and 1940.
With “Macbeth” (May-June), “The Master and Margarita” (Sept.–Oct.) and “The Threepenny Opera: Kabukichō’s Gallows” (Dec.), major new Chiten productions have been coming thick and fast lately. It feels like you’ve been energetically releasing new works after a temporary hiatus due to Covid.
Naturally, we experienced various impacts during the pandemic, but the activities of Chiten themselves continued within the scope possible at this Kyoto atelier (theatre). We were also steadily progressing with overseas expansion, so although it was low-key work, we kept moving forward with our planned activities throughout the pandemic period.
Nevertheless, the period did afford time to read for new works, and it is true that among these were “Macbeth” and “The Master and Margarita”, which went on to be staged. We also still have several candidates we intend to develop from next year onwards. I always keep three or four works in mind as potential productions, thinking that if the timing is right, I’ll pursue them. I organise my annual schedule by preparing several pieces simultaneously, including commissions from overseas, such as this recent “The Threepenny Opera: Kabukichō’s Gallows”, and other external invitations.
“Macbeth” stage photo
“The Master and Margarita” stage photo
How does the process work when you select a subject (the source book) and develop it into a stage production?
I always have about 10 candidates on hand that I say “I’d like to do someday” but haven’t yet realised. As a rough plan for the next three years or so, I’ve decided on the kind of projects I want to tackle, so about 10 works sit on my bookshelf like homework assignments. When it comes to actually executing one next year, we then properly develop the plan and proceed with script readings and so forth. Regarding subject selection, the candidates are essentially works that come up in conversation among scholars I’ve worked with before: producers, or overseas theatre people. Cases where I personally propose “I absolutely want to do this” are almost nonexistent, except for works by Osamu Dazai*.
Working overseas, I’ve noticed that the repertoire pieces staged at foreign theatres often tend to be rather similar. Seeing many productions of Shakespeare and classical plays, which I regard as my own form of research, likely influences my subject selection.
*Adaptations of Dazai Osamu’s novels include: “Otogizōshi ” (2010, 2012); “Toka TonTon to” (2012, 2013); ” Kakekomi Uttae” (2013); and “Good-bye” (2018, 2020, 2021, 2024).
“Good-bye” at the Coronet Theatre in London stage photo
Is there a particular reason why so many of these adaptations are based on Russian literature?
Originally, I gained recognition as a director through Chekhov, so in that sense I have been working with Russian material for some time. Having staged “The Master and Margarita” this time, I feel Russian literature has such depth that it lends itself well to theatre. In that respect, perhaps there is more material suitable for plays than in other European countries
Indeed, beyond Chekhov, many novels by Dostoevsky have been adapted for the stage, and works by Tolstoy, Bulgakov, and others are constantly performed as theatre productions in Russia. Comparatively, in Europe, Brecht and Jon Fosse are frequently staged.
For instance, in Europe musicians have pieces he/she simply must play — whether one prefers Bach or Beethoven, one ends up performing both. Similarly, in theatre, there naturally exists a list of works one ought to stage.
As a director, before pursuing personal preferences, there are inevitably certain plays one must tackle. Success or failure often stems from how one expresses their artistic vision within this established repertoire. But in my case, the young playwright Shuntaro Matsubara commissioned plays for me as exceptions from that pattern, with the next production, the musical stage adaptation of “The Threepenny Opera: Kabukichō’s Gallows”, also being an exception from my regular works.
** In 2005, Miura received the Toga Director’s Competition Excellence Award for his production of Chekhov’s “The Seagull”. In 2007, he won the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Newcomer Award for Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”.Then in 2011, he staged Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” / “Uncle Vanya” at the Meyerhold Centre in Moscow, Russia.
*** Shuntarō Matsubara’s works include “Michiyuki” (2016), “The Forgetful Japanese” (2017, 2018, 2019), “Mind Your Front” (2018, 2019, 2020), “Yama Yama” (2018), and “Your Garden” (2020).
Among the Shakespeare plays that demand to be performed, you have chosen “Coriolanus” (2012/13/14), “Romeo and Juliet” (2017) and “Macbeth” (2025). Is there anything you bear in mind when reconstructing and staging Shakespeare’s plays in the Chiten style?
We staged Heiner Müller’s “Hamletmachine” in 2019, so we’ve dabbled a little in “Hamlet”. But overall, it’s not much. However, we do plan to continue developing Shakespeare’s works next year and beyond.
For example, “The Master and Margarita” was written about 100 years ago, so it doesn’t feel that different from today, but Shakespeare was written about 400 years ago, so I think it has a higher degree of universality. On the other hand, there are some aspects, such as period dramas, where the values are a little different from today. In that sense, there is a sense of distance for us in terms of language, so it is rewarding work.
Having felt that our recent production of “Macbeth” went well, I’m now inclined to explore Shakespeare a little further.
Regarding my approach to staging Shakespeare, I build from reflecting my personal thoughts, interests, and concerns at the time into the work. Specifically with “Macbeth”, when Alexandru Grecu, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of the Republic of Moldova, approached me about directing for their January 2026 production, we discussed whether it should be something Japanese or a universally recognised classical play. That led us to Shakespeare. When we discussed which one to choose, I instinctively said “Macbeth”. Then Alexandru remarked and said, “It fits the current situation perfectly”.
“Macbeth” is a story about war with England, but as Moldova is a small, newly independent nation from the former Soviet Union I thought we could relate it to ourselves and see “Macbeth” as a very topical story. Even when creating works in Japan, I created with Moldova and the former Soviet Union in mind, alongside the EU and NATO forces. Naturally, I believe these influenced the composition of the performance text.
Since the finished text stems from personal experience and individual perception, it isn’t logically constructed. What emerges sometimes works well, while other times my own feelings might have taken precedence. Regarding “Macbeth”, however, I feel we achieved a good balance.
Shakespeare’s words, penned 400 years ago, resonate with today’s audiences. They possess a universality that makes one think, “Humans haven’t changed that much”, rather than being merely an old tale. Simultaneously, they reveal that people in Shakespeare’s era faced problems very similar to ours, making one realise that, in that sense, modern society hasn’t progressed at all. Audiences watching the play find themselves wondering what decisions they themselves would make in such situations. I believe Shakespeare is a writer with an exceptionally broad scope for such reflection.
“Macbeth”
Regarding “Macbeth”, whilst the story’s relentless succession of plots within rapidly shifting circumstances makes for compelling fiction, one suddenly finds oneself acutely aware that such tyrants exist even now. It is a play that transports you to the Globe Theatre’s audience, as if you’d time-travelled there, feeling your spirits soar whilst watching the performance.
The characters frequently cry out “Heaven!” towards the sky, which may relate to its universality.
Following Chiten’s 2012 production of “Coriolanus” at London’s Globe Theatre in March 2024, Dazai Osamu’s “Good-bye” was staged at London’s Coronet Theatre to great acclaim. How was the local reception?
First, bringing a work featuring live music by Kūkan Gendai was a point of agreement between Anda Winters, the artistic director of Coronet Theatre, and Chiten. The theatre had a desire to stage something with a live feel and a contemporary edge.
Beyond that, there were no specific requests, so we boldly decided on a Japanese literary work: Osamu Dazai’s “Good-bye”. While Dazai’s novels have been translated into English, he isn’t as famous as Yukio Mishima, so we strategised beforehand, including having it introduced at an online talk event organised by the Japan Foundation in London. Then the response was astonishingly huge.
I wondered why, and realised it was thanks to the popularity of the anime “Bungo Stray Dogs”. Young people knew Osamu Dazai from that anime. So young Japanese literature enthusiasts gathered, and the resulting buzz made the post-performance talk a huge success — we were the ones who were surprised. During that talk, we carefully explained the high suicide rate among Japanese writers and the source of Dazai’s complexes, and everyone listened intently.
This time, in February 2026, we will stage Dostoevsky’s “The Gambler” at the same Coronet Theatre.
Following the success of “Good-bye”, we were asked to return, and “The Gambler”, which had been a candidate last time, was chosen. We also felt it would be good to continue with the live music by Kūkan Gendai when deciding the repertoire.
“The Gambler” features quite a few British, French, and other European characters. We performed it in Évreux, France, during our 2022 premiere tour, and it was very well received there too. Dostoevsky is a world-renowned literary giant read by people across the globe; despite his challenging works, he remains widely read. Among Dostoevsky’s works, “The Gambler” is a novella – very accessible and somewhat subcultural. I suspect these qualities allowed European audiences to embrace it with a sense of reassurance, while also enabling them to laugh off the comical portrayal of characters from their own countries, like Britain and France. Having sensed this during the French run, I imagine London audiences will also connect with the characters in ways distinct from Japanese audiences. Consequently, I’m considering how to tweak that aspect, perhaps introducing a little device.
“The Gambler”
“Good-bye”
What are your thoughts on the base of operations for Chiten’s Unders-throw?
As the brain location of Chiten, it serves as a place to disseminate what we create here to the world. Furthermore, I believe it functions as a venue where people come to see long-running productions, not just from Kyoto but from across Japan and the world. So, as a life’s work, I am determined to maintain this place and ensure it doesn’t close.
Furthermore, we operate a café-restaurant adjacent to the Under-throw theatre. The significant advantage is the rich communication we achieve there after performances with diverse people, including audience members.
Kyoto is a student city, so these students casually drop by and become regulars at Tupperway. They connect at Tupperway, then start coming to Under-throw too, and I feel we’re gradually putting down roots locally.
Under-throw/ Tupperway
Please tell us about your latest work, “The Threepenny Opera: Kabukichō’s Gallows”.
I’ve directed opera before, but this is my first time directing a musical where the acting and singing are roughly equal, like this “Threepenny Opera”. I’m really looking forward to it. The cast and crew who’ve come together are all highly skilled, so I think it will be a great stimulus for me personally. The venue is right in the heart of Kabukichō, a place that hosts pro-wrestling events. With Chika Kato’s set design, it promises to be a truly stimulating space. We’re also planning VIP seats with champagne service and genuine hosts providing hospitality, making it a stage perfectly suited to its location in Kabukichō. We’re going all out to create an entertainment spectacle!
The cast of “The Threepenny Opera: Kabukichō’s Gallows”
Please visit here for more information: https://chiten.org/