Hesitation and Mis-delivery: Queerness in Contemporary Japanese Theatre

Beri Juraic

Hesitation and Mis-delivery: Queerness in Contemporary Japanese Theatre

Beri Juraic

School of Film, Music and Theatre

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper

Abstract

While there is a long history of queerness in traditional Japanese theatre, queerness in public and independent theatres in Japan is still nascent. I explore how queerness is emerging in Japanese theatre through collaborations with artists across Asia and beyond and in the creative processes. Through dramaturgical analyses of the works of dumb type in the 1990s to current works by y/n performance unit and director/playwright Ichihara Satoko, I focus on the ideas of hesitation and mis-delivery. Drawing on (auto)ethnographic methods and engagement with artists, I examine infrastructures that make queerness (in)visible. Were and how does queerness appear not as identity or theme but as process and relation? How might queer performance challenge institutional conditions in Japan? And how do forms of queerness “leak” through collaboration, touring, and translation?

Part of unpanel Queer Asia’s Leakages - An ‘Unpanel’ Proposal for SPILL
with Dr Ian Rafael Ramirez and Dr Allen Baylosis

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 4 Jul 2026
Event	SPILL: Queer Performance's Messy Leakages : The Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama, and Performance Studies The Gender and Sexuality Werking Group's Symposium - The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Duration: 4 Jul 2026 → 5 Jul 2026 https://events.humanitix.com/spill-queer-symposium

Conference

Conference	SPILL: Queer Performance's Messy Leakages
Country/Territory	Australia
City	Melbourne
Period	4/07/26 → 5/07/26
Internet address	https://events.humanitix.com/spill-queer-symposium

Cite this

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title = "Hesitation and Mis-delivery: Queerness in Contemporary Japanese Theatre",

abstract = "While there is a long history of queerness in traditional Japanese theatre, queerness in public and independent theatres in Japan is still nascent. I explore how queerness is emerging in Japanese theatre through collaborations with artists across Asia and beyond and in the creative processes. Through dramaturgical analyses of the works of dumb type in the 1990s to current works by y/n performance unit and director/playwright Ichihara Satoko, I focus on the ideas of hesitation and mis-delivery. Drawing on (auto)ethnographic methods and engagement with artists, I examine infrastructures that make queerness (in)visible. Were and how does queerness appear not as identity or theme but as process and relation? How might queer performance challenge institutional conditions in Japan? And how do forms of queerness {\textquotedblleft}leak{\textquotedblright} through collaboration, touring, and translation? Part of unpanel Queer Asia{\textquoteright}s Leakages - An {\textquoteleft}Unpanel{\textquoteright} Proposal for SPILL with Dr Ian Rafael Ramirez and Dr Allen Baylosis",

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N2 - While there is a long history of queerness in traditional Japanese theatre, queerness in public and independent theatres in Japan is still nascent. I explore how queerness is emerging in Japanese theatre through collaborations with artists across Asia and beyond and in the creative processes. Through dramaturgical analyses of the works of dumb type in the 1990s to current works by y/n performance unit and director/playwright Ichihara Satoko, I focus on the ideas of hesitation and mis-delivery. Drawing on (auto)ethnographic methods and engagement with artists, I examine infrastructures that make queerness (in)visible. Were and how does queerness appear not as identity or theme but as process and relation? How might queer performance challenge institutional conditions in Japan? And how do forms of queerness “leak” through collaboration, touring, and translation? Part of unpanel Queer Asia’s Leakages - An ‘Unpanel’ Proposal for SPILL with Dr Ian Rafael Ramirez and Dr Allen Baylosis

AB - While there is a long history of queerness in traditional Japanese theatre, queerness in public and independent theatres in Japan is still nascent. I explore how queerness is emerging in Japanese theatre through collaborations with artists across Asia and beyond and in the creative processes. Through dramaturgical analyses of the works of dumb type in the 1990s to current works by y/n performance unit and director/playwright Ichihara Satoko, I focus on the ideas of hesitation and mis-delivery. Drawing on (auto)ethnographic methods and engagement with artists, I examine infrastructures that make queerness (in)visible. Were and how does queerness appear not as identity or theme but as process and relation? How might queer performance challenge institutional conditions in Japan? And how do forms of queerness “leak” through collaboration, touring, and translation? Part of unpanel Queer Asia’s Leakages - An ‘Unpanel’ Proposal for SPILL with Dr Ian Rafael Ramirez and Dr Allen Baylosis

M3 - Paper

T2 - SPILL: Queer Performance's Messy Leakages

Y2 - 4 July 2026 through 5 July 2026

ER -

Hesitation and Mis-delivery: Queerness in Contemporary Japanese Theatre

Abstract

Conference

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