The meaning of yakusha Theatre can actually be derived from the kanji characters that form its Chinese name, 役者和戲. While the Japanese word yakusha (役者) simply refers to a person whose job is to take on and carry different roles on stage, deeper meaning can be sought within the characters 和戲.“和” not only symbolises Japan, but can also connote peace and harmony. Similarly while “戲” translates literally to Theatre, it holds the exact same pronunciation to the Chinese character “氣” thereby forming the cantonese term “和氣” meaning friendliness in English. Through its name, Yakusha Theatre hopes to show its audience the power of theatre in bringing about unity, love, and harmony to people around the world.
 
Yakusha Theatre was established in March of 2013, with founder and Artistic Director Anson Lam having lived in Tokyo, Japan for 9 years prior. There, he graduated as valedictorian from Nihon University, College of Art with a degree in Theatre Acting BA(1st Hons). After graduation, Lam went on to work as a resident actor for Theatre Project Tokyo and Tokyo Theatre Kaze while at the same time working in Theatre education. All this time, Lam has strived for intercultural relations between Japan and Hong Kong through theatre and performing art cultural exchange
events, introducing and translating numerous Japanese plays to a Hong Kong audience while also creating his own. Through this, Lam hopes not only to promote artistic, theatrical, and cultural exchange, but also believes his actions could serve to close the distance between the two countries, thus creating an example of how it might be possible to one day unite a now fractured world and achieve world peace.
Yakusha Theatre has brought about a number of Japanese theatrical works to Hong Kong whilst at the same time promoting and encouraging cultural exchange of the performing arts between the regions. In May of 2014, Yakusha Theatre supported and collaborated with HK Repertory Theatre and Bkyuyugekitai theatre company in Nagoya to create the Chinese and Japanese version of "Shed Skin". A year later, Yakusha Theatre produced its first play based on the classic Japanese play "In the womb". A collaboration between Japanese Director Maiko Tanaka, Sound
Director Kazuki Kunihiro and Hong Kong top actors Poon Chan Leung and Louisa So Yuk Wa, the show ran for 19 performances at the Cattle Depot Theatre HK. In July of 2018, Yakusha Theatre collaborated with On & On Theatre Workshop to produce acclaimed Japanese play “The attic”, with Lam acting as translator, director and actor. Running for two weeks and having 8 performances at the Cattle Depot Theatre HK, the play was critically acclaimed by the performing arts world and its audience.
 
Website: www.yakushatheatre.com
Facebook: yakushatheatre
Contact: Anson Lam( Artistic director)
Tel: 66214806
Email: anson@yakushatheatre.com