Curated and proudced by Akiko Yanagisawa ( Mu Arts), Noh Reimagined brings the ancient art of Japanese Noh theatre into the 21st century. We explore the profound beauty and 650-year history of Noh, presenting both classical masterpieces and bold new works created in collaboration with leading contemporary artists from diverse disciplines. Since 2016, our highly acclaimed Noh Reimagined festival, in partnership with Kings Place, has captivated audiences with sold-out two-day events, fostering cross-cultural dialogues that connect ancient traditions with contemporary artistic practice.
The vision of Noh Reimagined
With a strong background in Japanese and Westernarts and aesthetics, as well as arts management, Akiko curates imaginative cross-cultural and interdisciplinary projects that connect Noh with classical music, contemporary arts, and global influences. Her mission is to unlock the creative potential of Noh—not as a static tradition, but as a living, evolving art form. Noh Reimagined brings together master Noh performers and visionary artists from the UK and beyond, fostering authentic dialogue, dissolving cultural hierarchies, and sparking shared creativity across disciplines. Noh Reimagined resists Orientalist narratives by bridging tradition and contemporary voices. She invites audiences to experience Noh as a vital, living art form—one that doesn’t offer answers, but creates space for empathy, reflection, and transformation.
Authenticity and Excellence: The Best of Classical Noh Performance
We present classical Noh masterpieces such as Sumidagawa, Kinuta, Izutsu, Fuji, and Kurozuka, performed by some of Japan’s finest Noh performers. Our festivals also offer workshops and talks that delve into Noh’s unique aesthetics, philosophy, musical techniques, movement, and dramaturgy, providing deeper insights into this captivating art form.
Inter-Cultural Collaborations: Commissioning Bold New Works Through Collaborations
Noh Reimagined commission and produce interdisciplinary works that unite world-class Noh performers with innovative artists from across the globe. Drawing on over a decade of experience in leading arts festivals and collaborative projects, we have partnered with prestigious arts organizations including Kings Place, Clod Ensemble, Sound and Music, The Place, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and Britten Pears Arts. Our collaborators include visionary artists such as visual artist Cerith Wyn Evans, composers Ben Nobuto and Hollie Harding, musicians Evan Parker and David Toop, and the acclaimed queer dance company Thick & Tight. To date, we have premiered 12 commissioned works at our festivals and events.
Voices from Participants
“The Noh Reimagined Project has been extremely rewarding and transformative for me as an artist. It has allowed me to explore new perspectives and approaches that I would have never attempted before, and has invigorated and energised my creative practice.” – Hollie Harding (Commissioned Composer)
“I cannot praise this two-day festival enough” ★★★★★
Planet Huggil
“Noh Reimagined festival featured extracts from traditional plays, introductory talks and workshops about elements of the artform (varying from a basic demonstration about its movement style to the relationship between neuroscientific research and Noh practice), and contemporary works inspired by Noh. The festival placed these all on one plane, and in so doing emphasises the ambitious and new, while never diminishing the traditional. Each element helped to illuminate every other.”
The Journal of Music
