The Ikebukuro Play Festival was started in 1989 with the aim of promoting up-and-coming performers in Ikebukuro, a neighborhood whose abundance of small theaters and ateliers has led to its reputation as a hub for the performing arts, and has long been popular as a community event. In this unique theater festival, 100 judges chosen from the public will appraise and assess the work of local theater companies throughout the month of September, ultimately awarding a grand prize, as well as individual prizes. This year fifty-one groups will compete at fifteen venues in the area around Toshima City for an invitation to perform at Owlspot theater the following year.