Profile

Akira Takayama

Born in 1969. From 1994 Takakama was living in Europe, where he – while gaining theatre experience as an assistant director for many drama and opera productions – started to work on his own plays and staging’s. After his return to Japan, Takayama formed Port B., a group especially aiming at the collaboration with persons / artists, who exhibit forms of expression apart from the theatre genre. By this, Port B. has been continuously presenting innovative works, that go far beyond the scope of conventional theatre.
One of the main locations of Takayama’s / Port B.’s recent works is the Ikebukuro / Sugamo area close to their workbase, the Nishi-Sugamo Arts Factory. With their trilogy centering around the “Sunshine 60” building in Ikebukuro, one of the main symbols of Japan’s postwar history, consisting of the stage work “Clouds. Home.”, the tour performance “Sunshine 62” and the theatrical installation “Arechi”, they have attracted attention not only among theatre spectators but also in the world of contemporary art.
Port B.’s technique of rearranging media extracts, memories and sceneries from urban spaces and contemporary society, they explore the possibilities of contemporary theatre in permanent search for the ‘things to come’. Takayama’s work is shown currently shown at festivals and exhibitions in Japan and abroad and raising many expectations for the future.