Theatre Company KAKUSHINHANUSDC
May 2026 International Shakespeare Festival Headliner

Support Japanese theatre
on the world stage
— with USDC.

Shin Titus, a Japanese reimagining of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus,
travels to the Romanian stage.

Support
Ryunosuke Kimura
Ryunosuke Kimura
Director's Message

From director Ryunosuke Kimura

This is a historic challenge for us.

Hello, I'm Ryunosuke Kimura, the director of Theatre Company KAKUSHINHAN.
Our production Shin Titus has been formally invited to the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova, Romania (May 2026) and chosen as the headliner.

Shin Titus — twice cancelled during the pandemic — weaves Noh's prayer for "peace under heaven" into Shakespeare's revenge tragedy. I want to carry human pain, prayer, and hope to the world. I believe this is a "message of prayer" from Japan to the world.

With inflation, the weak yen, and rising tensions in the Middle East, it has become extremely difficult to cover the full cost on our own.
Even so, we will not give up on this challenge. We launched this crowdfunding campaign to bring this production to Romania together with you.

Past headliners of this festival

  • 2016 — Yukio Ninagawa, Richard II (previous Japanese invitation)
  • Peter Brook
  • Robert Wilson
  • Robert Lepage

And in 2026 — Ryunosuke Kimura, Shin Titus

Artistic Director, Theatre Company KAKUSHINHAN / CEO, TOBE Inc.

The Work

Breaking the cycle of revenge
with prayer.

To Play Shakespeare is To Pray.

Noh × Shakespeare

Built on Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedy Titus Andronicus, this production reframes the work around the Noh prayer for peace under heaven. The cycle of revenge is depicted not as vengeance, but as a quiet ritual of release.

Noh masks and the Okinagamae

Masks crafted by Noh master Hisato Iwasaki are worn by Shakespeare's characters. In the final scene the cast assumes the "Okinagamae" — the foundational prayer-stance of Noh — and a prayer for peace in the world rises on stage.

Why this work, now

The 2023 premiere coincided with the outbreak of conflict in Gaza — a real-world spiral of revenge mirroring Titus's own. Pointing to a path beyond Western-style retribution — that is the message the world needs to hear.

Cast & Company

25 people, one world stage.

The director, cast, and crew — 25 in total — will travel to Craiova, Romania.

Shin Titus cast
Shin Titus cast
Press conference (April 15, 2026)
2026.04.15 Press conference — the full team together
Bridge

Power the stage
with stablecoins.

Even if you've never seen the show, your USDC helps carry this production to the world stage.
Bring a Japanese reimagining of Shakespeare to the global stage with the world's most-used stablecoin.

01

Any amount in USDC, on your terms

Pick a preset or enter a custom amount. Every contribution carries this production a step closer to Romania.

02

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On-chain, fully verifiable

Every transfer is recorded on-chain and publicly verifiable. Contribute 100 USDC or more to be listed in the end credits of the post-tour documentary.

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Support with USDC

Support this production
with USDC.

Your contribution will be used carefully to fund travel for the 25 cast and crew members heading to Craiova, Romania.

  • Support with 100 USDC or more to be listed in the documentary end credits
  • Credit card supporters are also eligible for end-credit listing under the same conditions
  • After sending, an optional registration form opens for your name, email, and message (you may also choose not to be listed)
Before you contribute
  • This is the official Theatre Company KAKUSHINHAN support page for USDC contributions.
  • Your end-credit listing name is optional. You may also choose not to be listed.
  • Rewards listed on Readyfor (theatre invitations, limited goods, invitations to the return performance in Japan, etc.) are not provided through this page. If you'd like reward-based support, please use Readyfor.
  • Support through this page is not a tax-deductible charitable donation.
  • USDC payments require a small Base network gas fee in addition to the support amount.
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* Support with 100 USDC or more to be listed in the documentary end credits. Your listing name is optional — you may also choose not to be listed.

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Budget & Schedule

What this tour really costs.

A €20,000 performance fee from the festival (~$25k) and a Japan Foundation grant of $27k are confirmed. Even so, a substantial portion still has to be raised independently.

25people
Cast & crew traveling
2shows (May 21 & 22)
Performances
$100kapprox.
Total budget
$67kapprox.
Travel costs

How your support is used

  • Travel

    Flights to Europe for 25 cast and crew. Higher than originally planned due to rerouting around the Middle East.

  • Equipment freight

    Shipping the stage set, Noh masks, and costumes.

  • Accommodation

    Lodging and meals during rehearsals and performances.

Production schedule

  1. May 17 (Sun)Departure from Japan
  2. May 18 – 20Rehearsals in Craiova
  3. May 21 (Thu)International Shakespeare Festival / Headliner performance — day 1
  4. May 22 (Fri)Headliner performance — day 2
  5. May 24 (Sun)Return to Japan
Other Way to Support

Prefer perks?
Visit the Readyfor campaign.

This site is dedicated to on-chain contributions in USDC. If you'd like reward-based support (theatre invitations, limited goods, invitations to the return performance in Japan), please visit the Readyfor crowdfunding page.

* Both forms of support fund the same Shin Titus Romania tour travel costs.

Readyfor
Carry the prayer for peace to the world
with Japan's Shin Titus.
Theatre Company KAKUSHINHANVisit Readyfor