Camden People’s Theatre’s SPRINT Festival returns with a packed programme throughout March. London’s “best-established carnival of new and unusual theatre” features artists with bold ideas, artists who don’t play by the rules, and artists, in many instances, making their first professional work.
This is the twelfth of a series of interviews highlighting artists and work within the Festival, as I chat with actor, playwright and producer Yuya Sato about his show, Net Cafe Refugee 2.0.
A young man drifts through Tokyo unseen—living in a net café, speaking only to the void online.
Keita once believed that effort would save him: the elite family, the exam wars, the dream of becoming someone useful. But failure, silence, and the fear of burdening others slowly pushed him out of society’s frame. By the time he arrives at a net café, he has learned to survive by disappearing—anonymous, invisible, untouched.
Inside this fluorescent refuge, life hums on: manga, games, the soft noise of strangers behind thin walls. A place where no one asks questions. A place where “alone” feels safer than saying “SOS.”
Venue: Camden People’s Theatre
Dates: 21 Mar 2026, 6.45pm
Ticket link: https://cptheatre.co.uk/whatson/Net-Cafe-Refugee-20
Your show Net Cafe Refugee 2.0 is on at Sprint. Tell me about the show and how it has evolved?
The story is set in an internet cafe in Tokyo, where you can not only read comics and browse the web, but also take showers and borrow blankets to stay overnight in small private booths.
In reality, some people live there without fixed addresses. They were named “Net Cafe Refugees” by Japanese media in 2007.
In this story, you first meet Keita (played by me, Yuya Sato), who lives in an internet cafe, speaking only into the void online while disappearing from the outside world. He feels comfortable being alone in his small booth.
However, his safe bubble begins to be pierced by two other characters. Alan (played by Set Myint) comes to Japan seeking a safer and better life after fleeing danger in his home country.
But the Japanese immigration system does not allow him to settle. He drifts into the internet cafe and asks Keita for help before being kicked out by the staff.
Keita has long been a big fan of a live streamer, Noa (played by Mia Sumida), who ran away from her mother. She also uses the internet cafe, but Keita discovers the dark secret behind her bright smile.
Through his interaction with them, Keita begins to question whether he truly wants to be alone — or whether he doesn’t want to disappear. The story explores the tension between solitude and connection.
Unboxing Theatre performed the original Net Cafe Refugee as part of Camden Fringe Festival in 2025 at Camden People’s Theatre. It received a great deal of positive feedback, including 5* from The Upcoming, for which I am deeply grateful.
The reason we added “2.0” this time is because I significantly reworked the characters and script to explore more deeply the social loneliness that Keita faces.
I have been developing the new version with an incredible dramaturg, Yojiro Ichikawa, and new creative members (Associate Producer: Yurika Oka, Scenographer: Shunsuke Imai).
I feel very honoured to collaborate with them. At the same time, I deeply appreciate the original members from the previous production (Director: Ami Nagano, Associate Director: Hana Tamaru, Composer & Sound Designer: Lian Dyogi, Voice Coach: Zoe Zimin Ho), because this evolution was only possible thanks to what we achieved together last year.
The internet plays a big part in your show. How did the story develop and what might audiences expect from it?
Yes, the internet plays a significant role in the show. Especially for Keita, it is the only place where he can talk comfortably. For Noa as well, the internet becomes another reality — a space where she can present an ideal version of herself.
However, the central focus of the story is the internet cafe itself — a place where you can shut yourself away from society, yet still remain physically close to others. It exists somewhere between isolation and connection in real life.
When I began writing this play, I returned to Japan and stayed in several internet cafes over two weeks. Through interviews with people living there and my own research, I began to see the space as a microcosm of our society — a place where people try to avoid others, yet also try not to be completely alone at the same time.
During the pandemic, when I was isolated in my apartment, I sometimes felt as if no one else existed outside my room. It was too quiet.
But when I heard noise from a neighbour, it strangely gave me a sense of relief, even though it would normally have felt irritating. I experienced a similar feeling while staying in the small booths of internet cafes.
Some people living there — or even those just temporarily staying — experience that same kind of social loneliness. In 2021, a man who attempted to murder random passengers on a train and set it on fire had also reportedly been suffering from severe social isolation. Incidents like that made me feel an urgency to explore this issue and ask how we might begin to address it.
I believe social isolation is not only a Japanese issue but a global one, and I hope audiences will recognise parts of themselves in the characters. All three characters confront their own loneliness in different ways. I hope that, for those going through difficult times, the story might gently hold their hearts.
How did you make a start in the business?
I started my acting career in Japan and came to the UK in 2020. I graduated from Guildford School of Acting in 2021, and since then I have been working as an actor based in London.
Net Cafe Refugee is the first play I have written. Although I had written screenplays before, writing for the theatre is a completely different process and style.
After conducting interviews and research in Japan, I returned to the UK, but I still couldn’t begin writing. I felt stuck. In 2023, I went through a severe period of depression for the first time in my life.
I was living alone in a studio flat and had almost no interaction with anyone for three months. I completely shut myself away. (Later, I found out that it was also linked to a lack of Vitamin D. Very England!)
In 2023, I went to Toronto, Canada, to expand my footprint as an actor. That was a real turning point. What was waiting for me there were passionate, open-minded, collaborative communities (and sunshine!). Their creativity reignited mine.
I began sitting down with my laptop and finally started writing the play. I even joined writers’ workshops, which helped me build confidence in my voice.
When I returned to the UK, I reconnected with two Japanese theatre creators, Nagano and Tamaru. I shared my idea and script with them, and they were excited to collaborate. I truly couldn’t have brought this play to life without them, as I had no experience in theatre-making at the time.
Together, we made our debut production of Net Cafe Refugee as part of Camden Fringe 2025. And now we’re back! I’m grateful to Camden People’s Theatre for welcoming us again.
What is the main message you would like people to take away from the show?
This story is about social isolation. About people who want to be alone, yet fear the silence that comes with it. Many people suffer from social loneliness, while others genuinely enjoy solitude.
But sometimes, the pain of isolation can lead to tragic consequences, such as the man who attempted murder and arson on the Keio train in Japan in 2021.
I have often wondered how we can begin to address our loneliness. What was it that finally brought me out of my flat when I had shut myself away? At the time, I didn’t talk to anyone about what I was going through.
Maybe it was ego, maybe fear, maybe not wanting to bother others. I’m still not sure. I just felt that I had to sort everything out by myself.
Then one day, one of my best friends — my former flatmate when I first moved to the UK — sent me a very casual message: “How are you doing?” Normally, I would reply, “I’m great.” But that time, for the first time, I showed my vulnerability. “I’ve been depressed for a while. I don’t know how to get out of it.”
He suggested we meet for coffee once a week. We called it our “Motivation Catch-up.” That simple routine gently pulled me back outside. From there, I gradually rebuilt my social connections.
For some people like me, it is incredibly hard to say “help.” Some might think asking for help makes you weak. Some people say, “It’s not just you. Pull yourself together.”
I think I had internalised that mindset from school and from working in Japan. But sometimes, that small yet enormous act of courage: admitting you’re struggling can be the first step out of loneliness.
In this show, there are three characters, each facing social isolation in their own way. I hope audiences can witness how they confront their solitude, and perhaps recognise themselves in one of them.
And what’s next after SPRINT?
We will continue developing Net Cafe Refugee to turn it into a long-running production. It would also be incredible to bring the show back to Japan in the future.
As Unboxing Theatre, we are currently developing several new projects as well. Some of these will be presented at scratch nights later this year, with full productions premiering next year.