Aim

Help us bring TSURU: My Crane Wife to Edinburgh Fringe 2026 and share Japanese independent physical theatre with international audiences.

We are Space GIGA Theatre Troupe, an independent theatre company from Japan, and we are bringing TSURU: My Crane Wife to Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026.

TSURU: My Crane Wife is a new physical theatre production inspired by the Japanese folktale The Crane Wife. Through movement, dance, voice, breath, rhythm and sound, we reimagine this old story for today: a world where we meet through screens, live through the mind, and sometimes seem to need the body less and less.

In the story, a crane becomes a woman in order to live with a human. She weaves cloth using her own feathers, but once her feathers are gone, she can no longer return to the sky. For us, this image speaks about transformation, sacrifice, love, and how the body changes through contact with others.

Our director, Erica Yamada, is an award-winning theatre-maker, and the production is performed by acclaimed artists working at the forefront of contemporary physical theatre and dance. Together, we are developing TSURU through our NEW NICHIBU project, which explores new forms of Japanese expression by connecting traditional stories with contemporary performance.

Bringing an independent theatre company from Japan to Edinburgh is a huge challenge. Travel, accommodation, venue costs, production materials, freight, insurance, publicity and basic living costs quickly become far beyond what small companies can manage alone.

For many years, performing at Edinburgh Fringe has been a dream. Last year, we visited Edinburgh to experience the festival in person, moving from show to show from morning until late at night. We were overwhelmed by the scale, diversity and energy of the Fringe, and felt strongly that this was a place where our work should meet the world.

The money we raise will help cover the essential costs of bringing our artists, costumes, props and production materials to Edinburgh. It will also support rehearsal, promotion, documentation and the practical costs that allow us to focus on sharing the best possible work with audiences.

This project is not only about one performance. It is about creating a bridge between Japanese independent theatre and international audiences. It is about giving artists the chance to grow through exchange, and allowing a small company to take a story from Japan onto one of the world’s most exciting stages.

By supporting us, you are helping TSURU (The Crane) fly to Edinburgh.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 20th September 2026 at 12:00pm