Kusunoki Tsubame  Production Design & Direction

Vice President of UNIMA JAPAN. Puppet actor and director.

He performs and directs puppet shows, as well as plans and produces overseas theater companies' performances in Japan.

Currently performing nationwide as ‘Puppet show Tsubameya’ with solo puppet shows.

Meanwhile, he directs productions for various puppet theater companies.

He won the Grand Prix at the Czech International Puppet Theater Festival Matézinka with his production “TEATER TRIANGLE”.

Furthermore, his works, including directing a joint production between Japan and Poland, have garnered high acclaim both domestically and internationally.

Shinozaki Aki  Cast

Member of the Puppet Theater Hitomiza

Traveled to the United States as a Cultural Affairs Agency Overseas Training Fellow in fiscal year 2002.

She met Lorraine Gilman while pursuing her master's degree in the Puppetry Department at the University of Connecticut.

She studied Eric Bass's puppetry method at Sandglass Theatre with Lorraine.

With Mr. Kusunoki, nonverbal works include “HAKO/BOXES A music box of grandpa” (Deaf Puppet Theater Hitomi) and “Animals of Maple Farm” (Hitomiza).

Lorraine Gilman  Cast

Residing in the United States. Currently active with a background in puppetry and clowning.

She has been involved in the creation, design, and performance of puppets for over 15 years.

She earned a master's degree in puppetry from the University of Connecticut and further studied puppetry at Sandglass Theatre's Puppetry Institute.

She graduated from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.

She creates works incorporating humor, physical expression, and a playful spirit.

Yanase Keiko  Composition & Cast

From Aichi Prefecture

After graduating from the Music Department of Nagoya University of Arts, she worked as a music instructor at a school for the deaf before joining the founding of Deaf Puppet Theater Hitomi in 1980.

Since then, she has been active in all productions of Deaf Puppet Theater Hitomi as a puppeteer, composer, and performer.

She actively conducts workshops where participants experience sound with their entire bodies, using ethnic instruments from Asia, Africa, and other regions, as well as original instruments.

Morishita Katsushi  Cast

From Gifu Prefecture

He joined the Puppet Theater Hitomiza in 2005.

When he was pursuing a career in theater, he encountered Hitomiza, where members handled everything from acting to stage design, lighting, and sound, and he joined that troupe.

The puppet shows he appeared in include ‘FAIR,Then Partly PIGGY’, ‘The Great Adventure of September 0’, ‘Schremihr and the Little Submarine’, and others. 

Adachi Saki  Stage Design & Puppet Design & Costume Design

Enrolled at Tama Art University in 2015, she studied theater art design.

She subsequently traveled to Germany alone and based herself in Berlin, devoting herself to her creative work.

After joining Hitomiza in 2021, she has presented numerous minimalist puppet plays through her own independent projects.

Currently active in multiple roles including art direction, production, acting, and lighting design.