Announcement of Hiromi Maruoka's Retirement as YPAM Director

Hiromi Maruoka, who has served as the director of the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting (YPAM, formerly Tokyo Performing Arts Market / International Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama / TPAM) since 2005, retired on March 31. Going forward, YPAM will be operated by the existing team, taking on a new structure that includes directorial functions.

Message from YPAM Director Hiromi Maruoka on her Retirement

I have been involved with YPAM since its inception as the "Performing Arts Market (TPAM)" in Tokyo in 1995, marking 30 years. I have served as director since 2005, which means another 20 years have passed. As an international platform for performing arts professionals, unparalleled in this country, we moved our venue to Yokohama in 2011 and have come a long way, overcoming various difficulties and gradually evolving our content in response to changes and demands of the times. I am convinced that the continuation of a place where people involved in performing arts from around the world can gather regularly has been possible through close collaboration with everyone involved in performing arts and with our audiences. I am most proud of what we have achieved together. As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic brought significant changes to the world. Despite such circumstances, new staff members joined, and the existing members who had supported this initiative came together, leading this team to guide YPAM to its next stage. In light of this, I have decided to retire as director. Moving forward, YPAM, under its new structure, will be even more dedicated to the development and international exchange of performing arts. I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again to everyone who has supported YPAM. Thank you very much.

Hiromi Maruoka

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. From 1989 to 1998, worked as a producer and actor for the theater company Kaitai-sha. Joined the NPO International Performing Arts Exchange Center in 1991 and became its director in 2011. From 2003 to 2004, she studied in New York under the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists. She served as staff from the first edition of the Performing Arts Market (TPAM), the predecessor of YPAM, in 1995, and became TPAM Director in 2005. She is also the Vice Chair of the NPO Open Network for Performing Arts Producers (ON-PAM). Other projects she has handled include the Post Mainstream Performing Arts Festival, IETM Asia Satellite Meeting, and Sound Live Tokyo. She received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award (75th edition) for the Reiwa 6 fiscal year.

■ YPAM Staff

Katsuhiro Ohira (Secretary-General)

Tomoyuki Arai (Senior Program Officer)

Ryo Tanaka (Program Officer)

Hayato Okada (Program Officer)

Shiro Amemiya (Public Relations)

Zhiying Zhao (Public Relations)

Kimiko Arai (Operations & System Management)

■ YPAM 2027 Dates

February 5, 2027 (Friday) - February 14, 2027 (Sunday)

About YPAM

YPAM (Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting) is a platform where performing arts professionals from Japan and abroad interact through performance programs and meetings, gaining information, inspiration, and networks for the creation, dissemination, and revitalization of performing arts. It began in Tokyo in 1995 as TPAM (Performing Arts Market / Tokyo Performing Arts Market) and moved to Yokohama, a "Creative City," in 2011. With 30 years of history, it is internationally recognized as one of Asia's most influential performing arts platforms.