21 June - 30 June 2020: 4 performances in the Opera Palace

This festive work by Wagner is a grand portrayal of the full spectrum of human desires and artistic ideals. This international joint production by the NNTT, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Salzburg Easter Festival and Semperoper Dresden is conducted by Artistic Director of Opera ONO Kazushi, directed by the spirited German director Jens-Daniel HERZOG, and features top-class singers from around the world.

The NNTT has been holding an opera appreciation programme every year since 1998 so as to give young people the opportunity to experience world-class opera productions. The programme for 2020 is "Yuzuru", a folklore-based masterpiece by KINOSHITA Junji with music by DAN Ikuma. It is an outstanding work in the history of Japanese opera. High school students will appreciate this opera with its beautiful melodies that ride the rhythms of the Japanese language.

11 July - 12 July 2020: 2 performances in the Playhouse

In 2020, we invite you to enjoy the "Princess KAGUYA", an opera produced by the Biwako Hall Centre for the Performing Arts, Shiga. The music is composed by Biwako Hall Artistic Director and conductor NUMAJIRI Ryusuke, who also conducts the work, and it is directed by KURIYAMA Masayoshi. We present a stage brimming with the beauty of Japan's oldest legend.

22 August - 23 August 2020: 2 performances in the Opera Palace

A new opera with a futuristic message, portraying the drama of friendship between children and an android. Artistic Director of Opera ONO Kazushi commissioned SHIMADA Masahiko to write the libretto and SHIBUYA Keiichiro to compose the music, with direction by Artistic Director of Drama OGAWA Eriko. Dancers of the National Ballet of Japan also perform in this work, making it the first to feature collaboration across all genres since the NNTT began. Alter 3, an android with artificial life will play the main character in this new opera. Hear what Japan has to say to the world in an opera that those of all ages will enjoy.

5 June -14 June 2020: 9 performances in the Opera Palace

Based on the famous work by Lewis CARROLL and choreographed by Christopher WHEELDON, preeminent in the world of ballet, this piece is a favourite all around the world. The National Ballet of Japan is the only company in Asia with the performance rights for this work. We opened our 2018/2019 season in collaboration with the Australian Ballet. Blending entertainment and artistry, this work is a masterpiece.

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25 July - 28 July 2020: 8 performances in the Opera Palace

This is a ballet for children, and a new work by the National Ballet of Japan in collaboration with MORIYAMA Kaiji, who continues to mesmerize audiences with a diverse range of creations. Based on a fairy tale from the well-known story of Urashima Taro, it depicts a dreamlike world beneath the sea and the changing images of the beautiful four seasons of Japan.

20 June - 28 June 2020: 5 performances in the Pit

ONODERA Shuji has gained popularity with audiences of all ages for his unique productions based on mime. Imaginations are fired as the story unfolds with wry humour against a simple stage setting and the movements of the dancers. This dance piece will be enjoyed by adults and children alike.

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9 July - 26 July 2020: 20 performances in the Pit

This is the first instalment of a series of plays to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Originally a book written by Michael ENDE, one of the world's best-known children's writers, "The Night of Wishes or the Satanarchaeolidealcohellish Notion Potion" was made into a play by ENDE himself and is still frequently performed in Germany. Directed by KOYAMA Yuna in her NNTT debut, this thrilling fantasy with a satirical bite will be performed in Japan for the first time.

5 Aug. - 16 Aug., 2020 15 performances in the Playhouse

The second instalment of a series of plays to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. Following on from "In the Silence" and "Kagami no Kanata wa Tanaka no Nakani", this new work written for the NNTT by NAGATSUKA Keishi will be performed in the Playhouse. KONDO Ryohei, SHUTO Yasuyuki and MATSU Takako appear at the Playhouse, along with other performers, to bring you this powerful performance.

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9 Aug. - 10 Aug 2020 in the Pit

NNT Opera Studio will present excerpts of some pieces from operas that embody the idea of "harmony", performed on the piano.

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20 August - 23 August 2020: 4 performances in the Pit

Captain Ozma of the World Children's Federation resolves a succession of predicaments for the sake of world peace. The science fiction graphic novel masterpiece by TEZUKA Osamu is performed in two parts comprising Drama Reading(director: TANAKA Maiko) and Dance Performance (director/choreographer: SUZUKI Takuro).

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12 September - 13 September 2020: 2 performances in the Opera Palace

In 2020 we will present Ballet Asteras Special, gala performance by dancers from prominent ballet schools around the world and internationally active Japanese dancers.