Photograph by Lai Tzeyu

“No generation is interested in art in quite the same way as any other; each generation, like each individual, brings to the contemplation of art its own categories of appreciation, makes its own demands upon art, and has its own uses for art.”

– T.S Eliot, The Use of Poetry and the use of Criticism.

About CITA

CITA/International Centre for Theatre Arts is an international theatre company, and a multicultural research and production agency led by Artistic Director James Sutherland. After eleven years of travel, performance, teaching and research, CITA was officially founded in Tokyo in 2012 and continues to be based there.
The acronym CITA properly refers to the organizational umbrella for research work conducted in Tokyo and overseas by James with an international group of artists. It is at once a place where different cultures and disciplines can converge and also nomadic, moving itself. A place where work can be constantly put to the test and constantly refreshed. CITA should be most usefully perceived as a loose alliance of actual and potential collaborators which we aim to become long standing.

CITA is built upon the foundation of curiosity, a basic human emotion that is universal to all human beings from infancy to adulthood. Curiosity expresses itself in many ways and is less fixed and has more flexibility than an instinct. It’s therefore a seed, a starting point for much of our work.
CITA continues to develop devising processes that change depending on the stories being told. Processes move between long intense periods of experimentation, discovery, failure, and include improvisation, choreography, writing, storyboarding and reflection. Every stage includes technical development alongside workshopping and rehearsing. The creative process can last six months to over two years and a show will continue to develop whilst on tour.

Photography by Lai Tzeyu

CITA works across diverse age groups, nationalities and forms. The company continues to develop strong partnerships around the world. Alongside its creative activities, CITA aims to encourage and nurture other artists in the community with regular workshops and mentoring programs. Please check our creative learning page for regular updates.
CITA is an artist-led organisation and the creation of artistic product drives all conversations from education to marketing. The creative process is incredibly rigorous and aims to ensure the high quality demanded by CITA.
CITA has taught and performed in over eight countries across five continents including England, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Japan, Iran, South Korea and Colombia.

Quality

We are completely committed to our pursuit of making excellent work. We strongly believe we have a responsibility to our audiences, to produce the most exciting, powerful, challenging work possible – A responsibility we take very seriously.