Married to one of the country’s leading directors, Akio has been granted rare and privileged access ‘behind the scenes’ of this dramatic form, allowing the viewer to glimpse the centuries-old traditions and inherited rituals as the actors prepare themselves for the stage. Her work focuses in particular on the important Nakamura family of actors, eighteenth and nineteenth generations of one of the most celebrated lines of kabuki performers, whose legacy continues with the success of their contemporary kabuki company Heisei Nakamura-za.