Kan Fukuhara is an actor who plays leading roles in various theater companies in Japan. In addition, he has been involved in creative activities with his own theater unit, "SANPIN," which he founded in 2015. Since 2016, he has been planning and organizing "SESSION UNTITLED," a rehearsal group for actors and dancers that explores the relationship between language and the body. For this 2-month fellowship, Fukuhara will stay in New York with Shumpei Mitsuhashi, a dancer with whom he is planning to co-direct a rehearsal studio. They will participate in workshops, rehearsals, and lessons at theaters, studios, and schools across New York. They aim to explore how rehearsals are conducted in both theater and dance, and to investigate how these rehearsal spaces function within society and their connections to the broader community. Through interactions with actors and dancers from diverse backgrounds, they hope to broaden their perspectives and engage with a variety of values and practices.

Profile

Kan Fukuhara

Fukuhara began his theater activities while studying at the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, School of Arts and Letters at Meiji University. After graduation, he performed with several emerging theater companies, including HANCHU-YUEI, LOLO, Kinoshita Kabuki, Warui Shibai, FUKAIPRODUCE Hagoromo, Baobab, and KUNIO. In 2014, he became a member of HANCHU-YUEI, a company led by Suguru Yamamoto. In 2015, he co-founded the theater unit SANPIN with fellow actors and held its debut performance. Recent works he has appeared in include “Banana no Hana wa Taberareru,” “Kokoro no Koe Nado Kikoeruka,” and “Jazz Daimyo,” as well as dance performances.

Shumpei Mitsuhashi

Mitsuhashi graduated from the Department of Performing Arts, College of Arts, Tamagawa University. While in university, he developed an interest in physical expression, and after graduation, he created solo works and led his own project, Otona Shonen. He has also participated as a dancer in works by various choreographers, contributed to collective theater creations, organized independent rehearsal sessions with actors, and worked on multi-disciplinary collaborative projects. Recent works he has appeared in include “Watashitachi wa Kaeru Tsuchi Sura Motanai”, “#Macbeth,” and “Kikoenai Nami.”