During this forum, the moderator and panelists will engage in a dialogue about their recent transnational collaboration, sharing their views, the adjustments that they made, and what they unexpectedly learned. When creators from different cultural backgrounds come together in the same rehearsal space, how can they develop an understanding of one another’s performance vocabulary, working methods, and creative expectations? How can their differences serve to nurture the work? Based on their collaborative experience in the creation of Uneasy, the aim of this forum is to demonstrate that transnational co-productions are not distant or difficult concepts. Rather, they are processes of exchange, observation, compromise, and trust building. It is hoped that during this forum the audience sees possibilities for theater collaborations between Taiwan and Japan and comes to understand how new directions for works can be found between cultures.
Moderator/Interpreter｜Yukio Nitta
Yukio Nitta was born in Tokyo, Japan and studied in the Graduate Institute of Arts Administration and Management at Taipei National University of the Arts. He is active in the performing arts field as an independent producer, dedicated to cross-disciplinary and transnational works, and has long collaborated with Shakespeare's Wild Sisters Group. He has served as a program producer and promoter for the Kuandu Arts Festival, Taipei Fringe Festival, and Taipei Arts Festival, as well as the manager of the Cloud Gate Theater. In 2024, he established a company in Tokyo that focuses on international exchange programs for major arts festivals. He also oversees interpretation in multiple languages for the online theater STAGE BEYOND BORDERS, a collaboration between the Japan Foundation and EPAD. His career has expanded into pop music concert direction and creative direction, as well as large-scale event and awards ceremony consulting. In addition to his daily reflections on the integration of different resources, he has initiated several Taiwan-Japan cultural and information exchange programs and hopes to continue making his voice heard in the world in diverse ways. He also occasionally writes, translates, and dances, insisting on maintaining his own pace while traveling between Tokyo and Taipei. He currently operates and manages his company in Tokyo.
Panelist｜Takuya Kato
Born in Osaka, Japan in 1993.
Playwright/director.
With works across theater and film, Takuya Kato has been involved in scriptwriting and directing and has collaborated with many groups as a playwright and a director. He is a film director, television screenwriter, and theater director. In 2022, he made his feature film directorial debut with Grown-ups (わたし達はおとな). In Japan, he has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards including the 10th Ichikawa Shinichi Script award; 30th Yomiuri Theater Award in the director category; and 67th Kishida Kunio Drama Award. In addition, he wrote and directed the film LA MÉLANCOLIE (ほつれる), a Japanese-French collaboration which received the Distribution Support Award at the 45th Three Continents Festival, and was listed in Forbes Japan 30 Under 30 2023. In 2024, he collaborated with Off West End to present a theatrical production in the UK. Japanese director Hideki Noda has praised his works for their “exquisitely written characters” and “their ability to touch upon the universality of human nature.”
Panelist｜Tora Hsu
Tora Hsu is artistic director of 4 CHAIRS THEATRE. He earned an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in the UK and is currently a lecturer in the Department of Theatre Arts at Taipei National University of the Arts. Hsu served as co-curator for the 2025 Tainan Arts Festival and was named one of Performing Arts Redefined (PAR) magazine’s people of the year in 2021. In 2022, he received a grant through Cloud Gate Foundation’s Art Makers Project. His directed works for the theater have spanned the spectrum from original Taiwanese productions to cultural translation, mass entertainment, and serious issues. His creative principle is “collectivity,” focusing on new realism with the script at the core. Many of his works have been nominated for the Taishin Arts Awards and The Sun received the Best Director Award at the inaugural Taipei Theatre Awards. In 2025, he obtained further support through the Taipei Performing Arts Center’s theater development grant program.
