Ako: Founding Artistic Director [email protected]
Born in Japan and raised in Tokyo, Ako is a former member of the world-famous Takarazuka Theatre Company in Japan.
She has worked in some of America’s leading regional theaters, including Actor's Theatre of Louisville (KY), Williamstown Festival (MA), Arena Stage (DC), Alley Theater (Houston), Papermill Playhouse (NJ), TUTS (Houston and Seattle), ESIPA (Albany), ACT (Seattle), Pittsburgh Public Theater, and the Contemporary American Theater Festival (WV) and O’Neal Playwright Conference.
She was the Oregon Shakespeare Festival acting company member, 2010-2012 season.
New York Off-Broadway productions include GOD SAID THIS (Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play nomination), KENTUCKY, SAYONARA, SONG OF SONG OF SONGS, TAMAR OF THE RIVER, TEA WITH THE HAIKU GEISHA, TWO CITIES, TEA HOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON, A MAJORITY OF ONE, SHOGUN MACBETH, GASHRUM KOTWAL, Velina Hasu Houston’s play TEA and KOKORO .
Ako plays Daiyoin/Iyo no Kata in Disney+/FX/Hulu 'SHOGUN.'
Ako recorded an Original Cast Album for the musical TAMAR OF THE RIVER .
Ako is also well known as a Kabuki choreographer and a Japanese authenticity advisor, and is a Certified teacher of Japanese Kabuki Dance. Her husband Joshua Dachs, principal of Fisher Dachs Associates, a theater planning and design firm. www.ako-actress.com
Kanako Morita : Company Stage Manager/Production Associate
She started her stage-managing career in Japan, and worked with numerous shows including Beauty and the Beast (ASM), The Lion King (ASM), Blue Man Group (PSM, Blue Man Group, Tokyo), Small Mouth Sounds (PSM) at Long Wharf Theatre, CT.
Some of her other SM highlights in New York include “Pacific Overtures” (Supertitle Stage Manager, Avery Fisher Hall and Kennedy Center productions), “Macbeth” (SSM, Brooklyn Academy Music), “Radiant Ruby,” “Cinderella’s Mice,” “The Bully,” “My New York,” (PSM, Vital Theatre Company), “A Soldier’s Play” ( PSM, Diversity Players of Harlem), “A Little Ragtime in Rome” (SM, York Theatre Company).She is also known as an assistant director for the shows.
Some of her highlights as assistant director include “Zerotopia” (Directed by Goro Kishitani), “You are a good man, Charlie Brown”, (Directed by Caori Covayashi), L’ Opera Rock Mozart (Directed by Philip MacKinley), “Rent” (Directed by Michael Graif)
She started her stage-managing career in Japan, and worked with numerous shows including Beauty and the Beast (ASM), The Lion King (ASM), Blue Man Group (PSM, Blue Man Group, Tokyo), Small Mouth Sounds (PSM) at Long Wharf Theatre, CT.
Some of her other SM highlights in New York include “Pacific Overtures” (Supertitle Stage Manager, Avery Fisher Hall and Kennedy Center productions), “Macbeth” (SSM, Brooklyn Academy Music), “Radiant Ruby,” “Cinderella’s Mice,” “The Bully,” “My New York,” (PSM, Vital Theatre Company), “A Soldier’s Play” ( PSM, Diversity Players of Harlem), “A Little Ragtime in Rome” (SM, York Theatre Company).She is also known as an assistant director for the shows.
Some of her highlights as assistant director include “Zerotopia” (Directed by Goro Kishitani), “You are a good man, Charlie Brown”, (Directed by Caori Covayashi), L’ Opera Rock Mozart (Directed by Philip MacKinley), “Rent” (Directed by Michael Graif)
Asuka Morinaga: Company Member/Outreach Program Coordinator
Asuka Morinaga is from Hiroshima, graduated from the Toho Gakuen drama department and was a member of the Haiyuza Theater Company in Tokyo. Japan credits include: Seagull (Nina) at Haiyuza Theater, Chidori(Chidori) at Kinokuniya Southern Theater, Ino Tadaka Story (Ino Shino) at the New National Theater in Tokyo and others as well as voice over works at NHK, and Play Station games. She was a
regular/semi-regular cast member in MITO-KOMON and OOKA-ECHIZEN at TBS in Tokyo. She was trained at HB Studio as a scholarship student from the Japanese Government. NYC : She has performed in plays, readings, at HERE, Flea Theater,Theater@DNA and others. Voiceover work at FCI and USN. She has been a resident teaching artist at Ping Chong + Company in NYC since 2020 (Mr. Ping Chong has received a national medal of the arts from President Onama) and she has also been working to develop a theater education program between NYC and Japan.
Asuka Morinaga is from Hiroshima, graduated from the Toho Gakuen drama department and was a member of the Haiyuza Theater Company in Tokyo. Japan credits include: Seagull (Nina) at Haiyuza Theater, Chidori(Chidori) at Kinokuniya Southern Theater, Ino Tadaka Story (Ino Shino) at the New National Theater in Tokyo and others as well as voice over works at NHK, and Play Station games. She was a
regular/semi-regular cast member in MITO-KOMON and OOKA-ECHIZEN at TBS in Tokyo. She was trained at HB Studio as a scholarship student from the Japanese Government. NYC : She has performed in plays, readings, at HERE, Flea Theater,Theater@DNA and others. Voiceover work at FCI and USN. She has been a resident teaching artist at Ping Chong + Company in NYC since 2020 (Mr. Ping Chong has received a national medal of the arts from President Onama) and she has also been working to develop a theater education program between NYC and Japan.
Hiroko Yonekura: Company Member
Hiroko is from Fukuoka, Japan.
She performed in one of Japan’s most prestigious theatrical companies, The Shiki Theatrical Company. After moving to New York, Hiroko studied at Black Nexxus (Susan Batson Studio) with Roberta Wallach, and at HB Studio. Her theatrical credits include: Avenue Q (Christmas Eve, Park Playhouse, NY), The King and I, Monty Python’s Spamalot (Lyceum Theatre, MO), The Lion King (in Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, Japan), Tokijiro (Okinu/ Silk, Flea Theatre, NY, Kagoshima, Japan)
Hiroko is from Fukuoka, Japan.
She performed in one of Japan’s most prestigious theatrical companies, The Shiki Theatrical Company. After moving to New York, Hiroko studied at Black Nexxus (Susan Batson Studio) with Roberta Wallach, and at HB Studio. Her theatrical credits include: Avenue Q (Christmas Eve, Park Playhouse, NY), The King and I, Monty Python’s Spamalot (Lyceum Theatre, MO), The Lion King (in Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, Japan), Tokijiro (Okinu/ Silk, Flea Theatre, NY, Kagoshima, Japan)
Koji Ono: Company Member
Koji Ono is originally from Japan and has been performing as a professional musical actor for 11 years in Shiki Theatre Company which is most famous musical company in Japan. Koji has performed with such shows as A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Aida, Lion King, Evita, Pippin, King & I, and so many other musicals both Japan and US. He played Tominomori Sukeemon in “Chushingura" produced by Amaterasu Za in NY 2022.
Koji Ono is originally from Japan and has been performing as a professional musical actor for 11 years in Shiki Theatre Company which is most famous musical company in Japan. Koji has performed with such shows as A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Aida, Lion King, Evita, Pippin, King & I, and so many other musicals both Japan and US. He played Tominomori Sukeemon in “Chushingura" produced by Amaterasu Za in NY 2022.
Akiko Hiroshima: Company Member
Akiko Hiroshima was born and raised in Japan, and moved to America when she was a teenager. After finishing college at West Virginia University, where she was a select member of University Choir, she moved to New York City to pursue her singing and acting career. Akiko’s first singing gig was in the chorus for a concert version of La Bohème. Since then, she has played Kim in Miss Saigon, Apostle in Jesus Christ Superstar, Pamina in the Japanese version of The Magic Flute, Sieh King King in Fred Ho’s Warrior Sisters, Teruko in Tea, Aiko in Fishing for Wives (Off Broadway), among others, and has sung and danced (and puppeteered!) in many musicals, experimental and avant-garde theatres and operas. Akiko has also been a member of a Japanese ‘chindon’ band named happyfunsmile, singing Japanese retro-pop, traditional, and folk songs at bars, clubs, and various cherry blossom festivals in Brooklyn and Washington DC, plus Obon festivals in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland, OR. Akiko is also a member of a family band, Elena Moon Park and Friends, singing East Asian songs from Japan, China, Taiwan, Tibet and Korea at New York venues like Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, 92nd St Y, and BAM Cafe.
Akiko Hiroshima was born and raised in Japan, and moved to America when she was a teenager. After finishing college at West Virginia University, where she was a select member of University Choir, she moved to New York City to pursue her singing and acting career. Akiko’s first singing gig was in the chorus for a concert version of La Bohème. Since then, she has played Kim in Miss Saigon, Apostle in Jesus Christ Superstar, Pamina in the Japanese version of The Magic Flute, Sieh King King in Fred Ho’s Warrior Sisters, Teruko in Tea, Aiko in Fishing for Wives (Off Broadway), among others, and has sung and danced (and puppeteered!) in many musicals, experimental and avant-garde theatres and operas. Akiko has also been a member of a Japanese ‘chindon’ band named happyfunsmile, singing Japanese retro-pop, traditional, and folk songs at bars, clubs, and various cherry blossom festivals in Brooklyn and Washington DC, plus Obon festivals in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland, OR. Akiko is also a member of a family band, Elena Moon Park and Friends, singing East Asian songs from Japan, China, Taiwan, Tibet and Korea at New York venues like Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, 92nd St Y, and BAM Cafe.
Eddy Toru Ohno: Company Member
Eddy is a NY base actor who has appeared on major films/televisions, Iron Fist, Gotham, Pan Am, 13, Pistol Whipped , Bashira(2020) and performed in numerous theatre productions like A Midsummer Night’s Dream at BAM, Twelves Night at Brooklyn Band Shell, HIROSHIMA(music by Yoko Ono) at TNC, Japanese Kabuki Theater Heisei Nakamuraza’s Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami at Lincoln Center, NY Premiere Yuko Mishima’s Lady Aoi at TSS, Hilex(Stage Reading) at The Symphony Space and Fool For Love in Tokyo. Eddy is also a very dedicated martial artist, who has been training over 25 years and teaches kids traditional Karate at World Seido Karate Organization. Eddy wrote/directed/produced Tokyo Desert(2017) as the launch of his life project.
Eddy is a NY base actor who has appeared on major films/televisions, Iron Fist, Gotham, Pan Am, 13, Pistol Whipped , Bashira(2020) and performed in numerous theatre productions like A Midsummer Night’s Dream at BAM, Twelves Night at Brooklyn Band Shell, HIROSHIMA(music by Yoko Ono) at TNC, Japanese Kabuki Theater Heisei Nakamuraza’s Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami at Lincoln Center, NY Premiere Yuko Mishima’s Lady Aoi at TSS, Hilex(Stage Reading) at The Symphony Space and Fool For Love in Tokyo. Eddy is also a very dedicated martial artist, who has been training over 25 years and teaches kids traditional Karate at World Seido Karate Organization. Eddy wrote/directed/produced Tokyo Desert(2017) as the launch of his life project.