Friendly Reminders

1) No Class Meeting on Wednesday(2 April 2014)

2) Test # 2 to be announced later this week (Friday)

Japanese Theater

• Kabuki – Traditional Theater (popular)Exs. Kabuki – YouTube (a good introduction) Centre Stage: Kabuki – YouTube (overview)

• Bunraku – Puppet TheaterEx. YouTube - Bunraku theater in Osaka

• Noh – Traditional Theater (elitist)Ex. Noh Theatre - YouTube

National Bunraku Theater (Osaka)

Bunraku• Oldest theater tradition (roots in Heian period)

• Originates in late 17th century (joins 2 traditions)- traveling story-tellers w/ Biwa accompaniment- traveling puppeteers

• 1st Bunraku theater – 1684 in Osaka

• Plays about “ordinary” people- stories of merchant class (Osaka - merchant city)- stories of Shinju (“love suicides”, often factual)

• Audience – traditionally middle-class

• Life-like puppets and “realistic” stories

Bunraku Music (“Chobo”)

• Visible at side of stage

• Narrator (“Tayu”)- “speaker” in pitched tones

• Shamisen

Bunraku(Japanese Puppet

Theater)

Bunraku Puppets

Bunraku Stage(w/ puppets & puppeters)

Bunraku(w/ multiple puppets and puppeteers)

Bunraku Puppet(w/ puppeteers in traditional black)

Bunraku(w/ master puppeteers [Omozukai] visible)

Bunraku Puppeteers

Bunraku on YouTube

• YouTube - Bunraku - Classical Japanese puppet art - Screener• YouTube - Bunraku Demonstration Male Head• YouTube - Bunraku Demo @ Gion Corner• YouTube - Japanese Bunraku puppets• YouTube - Bunraku theater in Osaka• YouTube - Bunraku at the Gion Corner

Noh

• Most elite and stylized Japanese theater

• Associated primarily w/ Warrior class (samuri)

• Developed c. 1192-1333 (Kamakura period)

• Formalized c. 1300s (Kannami Kiyotsugu)- intended to make popular forms more serious

• Strong Buddhist element- denial of self ends suffering (transcendence)- ritual focuses attention

Noh (2)

• Minimalist aesthetic (less is more)

• Very stylized acting technique- not naturalistic- small motions signify major events

• Use of masks (course web site for examples)

• Music – Hayashi (fixed Noh ensemble)- 3 drums- flute

Kotsuzumi

Otsuzumi

Noh Drum (Taiko)

Nohkan

Noh Theater on YouTube

• Noh - YouTube

• YouTube - Noh Theatre

• YouTube - Noh Play - Osaka, Japan - July 2006

• YouTube - Noh Play "Tamura“

• Atsumori-the dance.mp4 - YouTube