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AsianTheater2.pptxMatzukaze
Who are Kan’ami and Zeami?
What did you notice about Matzukaze? How is it a classical example of Noh theater?
What are some of the major themes in the play?
What are some of the major images in the play?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o--VbWf6M0c&feature=related
Asian Theater
China, India, Japan (and more)
Quiz 3
Open book/notes:
List five things that Japanese Doll theater has in common with Ancient Greek theater.
Theater in India
Just as drama developed from story-telling in ancient Greece so too did it in India.
The word Katha means story-telling in Sanskrit
Two of the more well-known Indian stories are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana which date from approximately 1000 BC
Our understanding of Sanskrit drama comes from the Natyasatra (2nd Century) written by the playwright Bharata
Drama as described in the Natyasastra likely developed between 500 and 200 BCE
The Natyasastra
According to the Natyasastra there are eight basic rasas or moods that a play should strive to produce – erotic, comic, pathetic, furious, heroic, terrible, odious and marvelous
These rasas should be balanced as well as the bhavas (the emotions displayed by the characters) to produce harmony
Relationship with society
Plays were performed on a variety of occasions in ancient India: festivals, weddings, coronations, and at other public events
As was the case with Ancient Greek drama, Sanskrit drama derives from ritual, tradition and religion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPRm-shYguc
China
Dance, music and ritual were an important part of Chinese life after 1500 BC when the Shang Dynasty emerged
After 1000 BC entertainers performed at court
Under the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 221 AD) the first great period of art and literature emerged and the arts were actively encouraged – these groupings of performances were called the “hundred plays”
Shadow puppets also emerged about 121 BC
China Contd.
In 714 Emperor Xuan Zong established a school to train singers, dancers and other court entertainers
During 960-1279 storytelling and shadow puppetry gained a new popularity AND a fully developed drama began to emerge and theaters were established
When did the form we now know Beijing Opera to be begin to form?
Japan
Who are the shoguns and samurai and what is their relationship to Noh theater?
http://sciencestage.com/v/41998/tedxtokyo-naohiko-umewaka-05/15/10-(english).html
Zen Buddhism (from zen-buddhism.net)
Soon after its arrival in Japan, Zen Buddhism began to have a strong influence on the development of Japanese culture, and it eventually became part of Japan's spiritual and aesthetic foundation.
Through the practice of various Japanese arts, many of the moral and spiritual values of Zen were taught and transmitted in Japan.
During Japan's long periods of self-imposed isolation, art forms developed in ways that were specifically Japanese, and many of these art forms were strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism.
Zen Buddhism contd.
The teaching of Zen with respect to the arts focuses on the importance of mind/body unity, which is essential for the mastery of every art. While practicing art with a Zen attitude, the mind remains in the now, being fully aware of the illusory nature of material life.
It is probably accurate to say that without Zen, Japan would likely have never reached its high level of refinement and cultivation in the arts.
Zen contd.
Even if Zen was originally imported from China, its sense of aesthetics is strongly distinct from Chinese ideas of beauty. Zen has a unique aesthetic, which includes a great appreciation for moderation, asymmetry, imperfection, rusticity, and naturalness.
This Zen aesthetic concept is called Wabi-sabi, and it sees beauty in things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. In art, Wabi-sabi is manifested in modest, humble, unpretentious and earthly art works. Wabi-Sabi is genuine, unpretentious, and is deeply associated with love for nature. The Wabi-Sabi values of rusticity, elegance, quiet taste, and refined beauty have been inspiring Japanese artists for centuries, and artists continue to be inspired by these values to this day.
Noh
When was Noh theater formed? Noh theater developed in the 14th Century. Noh theater emerged from Dengaku and Sarugaku. Dengaku-no was initially associated with the Shinto religion and was exuberant with dancing and acrobats. Sarugaku-no was meant to teach the lessons of Zen Buddhism and was performed in the temples for lower ranking priests.
Noh theater became the official art form of the Samurai/Shogun in large part because of the art form’s associations with Zen Buddhism. The audience for Noh, initially, were the ELITE of Japan.
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Noh, contd.
What are the five types of Noh theater? : God; man; woman; mad woman; demon.
Who was the typical audience of Noh theater? (The elite/shogun/samurai).
What was its intended impact on the audience? To create a space of religious contemplation.
Was it a popular form? (NOH!).
What did the stages look like? (Look at the examples in the readings).
How does THIS relate to Buddhism?
Doll Theater
What is the origin of Doll theater? Doll theater emerged from Buddhist priests trying to teach a wider audience about Buddhism (NON SECULAR). Emerging from puppet shows and storytelling to music (known as Jururi). And when did doll theater emerge? 16th Century.
How did doll theater influence Kabuki theater and theater around the world?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV938f46Wpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-bgSFJiKc
Kabuki
What are the origins of Kabuki theater? Legend has it, Kabuki began in 1603 when Okuni, who claimed to be a priestess began dancing in a riverbed and invented a new form. Her performing group was comprised of women and eventually there were a number of groups, that sometimes included prostitutes (comic roles were always performed by men).
Describe Kabuki theater (what is its aesthetics) … What are the differences between Kabuki and Noh theater? Kabuki theater is very lively! There are two types of Kabuki – domestic and historical/legendary.
Kabuki responded to current events by talking about “past events” – we will see this throughout time!
Performances last all day long! People eat and drink and talk during the performances!
Kabuki and Prostitution
What was the relationship between Kabuki theater and prostitution in Japan? Why is this significant (think about other countries and time periods).
The first Kabuki performers were female prostitutes who danced and enacted satirical playlets and bawdy sideshows. Young male prostitutes also formed performance troupes.
In 1629 women were banned from the stage.
By1652 the Samurai banned performances involving boys as well and only adult males were allowed to perform.
Kabuki and Prostitution Contd.
In their skits, the Kabuki performers often made fun of the samurai culture. (Remember that Noh performance was set “aside” for the samurai and shogun and the “common” people were not allowed to watch).
The samurai did not want to completely ban Kabuki because they thought that would cause worse problems so they put limitations on it.
Actors
Why is Kabuki theater called “the actor’s theater”? Kabuki involves a GREAT deal of skill (physical, facial, etc). A role will often be passed down between family members (from father to son). The dramas were created AROUND the skills of the actors.
What are the types of roles they play? Tachiyaku – leading man. Katakiyaku – villainous man. Wakashugata – young men and boys. Dokekata – comic roles and Onnagata – women’s roles.
What kind of training do they go through? Intense training from the time they are quite little, usually.
Actors specialize in a mie. What is a mie? A type of pose that the actors take their time getting to – it includes an exaggerated facial and physical expression. Actors are famous for their own unique mie.
Staging
What is the staging/scenery like in Kabuki theater? Staging is elaborate. Unlike Noh theater it is not austere and simplistic.
What is the hanamichi? The hanamachi is a bridge that extends from the back of the theater to the stage. Performances often take place here which puts the action in the “middle” of the audience – literally!
Samurai Regulations
Three major regulations against Kabuki (after 1670):
1) Theatre people were separated from the rest of society. Actors could live in only certain districts and were not allowed to perform in certain parts of town
2) Kabuki performers were banned from wearing clothing that would elevate their status on stage. (What does this tell us about society and theater?).
3) Plays could not criticize the present samurai regime.
Women and Kabuki
Women were banned from the theater from 1629 through 1891
Onnagata or Oyama are men who portrayed women. Not just women, they portrayed an “ideal” woman and women in the brothels began to imitate the male actor’s portrayals of women.
In 1868 a new political regime took over in Japan and a period of “state-building and nation-building commenced, the gates were opened to Western influence, and women [re]entered the theater as part of that process” (Kano 5/6).
4. The man who tries to kill Kampei in act three is actually:
A ghost
A demon
Her father
Her brother
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Quiz 4
Describe the “stage directions” in this play. Name at least TWO elements of the production that the stage directions describe.
CHUSHINGURA: the forty-seven samurai (original from 1748)
Premiered in 1748 in the joruri (puppet) theatre. Originally a full-day performance.
Quickly became a standard part of the Kabuki repertoire in a shortened version and full length.
Our version is an abridged version, prepared by a Kabuki actor Nakamura Matagoro II.
First Kabuki play to be performed after end of occupation censorship in 1948.
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The Samurai
The Ronin
Expected to behave according to strict code of honor.
Loyal to the shogun and fellow caste members
“men adrift”
Dishonored Samurai who have become outcasts from breaking their code of honor
Forty Seven Samurai
What event is the play based on? Why is this significant in terms of thinking about Kabuki theater (historical plays)?
How is the play an example of a “classic” kabuki performance?
How are women portrayed in the play?
MORONAO taunts both WAKASANOSUKE and HANGAN to the point of violence, but both men are restrained by their code of honor.
What does this tell us about the relationship between individual honor and the societal code of behavior/authority?
Japanese Suicide
Japan has one of the highest suicide rates among rich countries in the world.
Buddhism unlike other religions that condemn suicide is neutral about suicide.
In the samurai’s traditions, suicide was seen as noble.
Seppuku is the Japanese word for ritual suicide. Hara-kiri is the word for the stomach-cutting. These acts could be self-imposed or “ordered.” The ritual was meant to be performed calmly and without “drama”.
The kaishaku (kie-shah-kuu), or assistant, who was responsible for cutting off the victim's head after he had sliced his abdomen open
