The Art of Onnagata

http://books.google.ca/books?id=Fiv-lTVZV10C&pg=PA193&lpg=PA193&dq=onnagata+specialists&source=bl&ots=ZOR-owQqsd&sig=6G_iNIFJFQpcPOg1RseLs_Ylk8c&hl=en&sa=X&ei=i9ZXT_GCNcKZiQKOo_WpCw&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=onnagata%20specialists&f=false

This website is an academic essay written by Katherine Mezur (starting on page 193).  The essay examines the history and elements of the Onnagata performers- male actors portraying female roles in Kabuki theatre.  It examines the speciality of the Onnagata through costuming, suggesting that costumes are a major, if not the most important element of playing a female role. 

Mezur explores the history of Onnagata to give insight to how this method developed.  History tells us that the government banned overt sexuality on stage, and in so doing the male actors had to develop new ways of depicting women.  Mezur explores what developed over time to create the outcome of the Onnagata; due to the government bans on overt sexuality, men began to create a “hidden text” of stylized movements.  The stylized movements continued to develop, and with it costuming, to produce what is now performed and preserved today. 
Costuming is described as an “act” in Mezur’s essay- an act just as dialogue and gestures are an act.  The element of costuming is heavily weighted in this essay as necessary to embody a female role.

Though it is a long and thorough essay, it is worth it to read even the first three pages.  It delves deeper into the intrigue of the Onnagata than you may have previously read in textbooks and provides insight into this unique method of acting.  Below is a clip of a contemporary Onnagata performer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7q-mmTwcSg

A Feature Film

Yes it's true, there was, in fact a film entitled Bunraku. It featured Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, and Woody Harrelson, amoung others, and was released in 2010.

Aside from the title, it had absolutely nothing to do with Japanese Bunraku theatre, though it did take a lot of its inspiration from Japanese Shadow Plays. Basically, they named it Bunraku because it sounds cool and because it takes place in Japan.

But that is beside the point. The point is: Bunraku theatre is fascinating. Has anyone ever seen such convincing puppetry outside of this art form? I didn't think so. In general, I find puppetry rather creepy, but this style has the ability to be moving, funny, and strangely realistic. Don't knock it till you try it!


Learn more about Bunraku theatre here

Say Yes to Noh!

In a world of modern, contemporary productions such as Wicked and television entertainment such as Glee, many have forgotten about the routes of theatre, or more specifically asian theatre. Noh theatre is an ancient art involving intricate movements,

chanting, brilliant costumes, and a theatre experience unlike any other.

The National Noh Theatre located in Tokyo, Japan is a beautifully designed location with some of the best actors of the art the country has to offer. Located on 4-18-1, Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051,  w come visit the ancient art of Asian Theatre and be swept away by the beauty that helped found live entertainment in Asia.

Click here for more information.

Thank you for your time, and we hope to see you here with us soon.

Japanese Theatre - Masks, Puppets, and So Much More!

Japanese Traditional Theatre.  What is it?  Why should we care?  What's with all the questions Theo?  Well I'm here to tell you all that Japanese theatre is amazing in so very many ways.  For this post, however, lets get multi-class topical and talk about masks!

The following link leads to a page from the Arly Masks website, which is the online presence of a woman named Wendy Soroka - a mask improv teacher, actor, and the principal Mask Designer for Arlecchina's Masks located in Los Angeles.  This page takes you through a very interesting and in depth timeline of Japanese Theatre, and contains many visuals of costumes, masks, stages, puppets, drawings, actors - anything you could possibly want to know about regarding Japanese Theatre, all condensed into one, very aesthetically pleasing, page!

Japanese History Timeline

Another simple but extremely interesting website regarding masks from the Noh tradition specifically is here: Noh Masks & Facial Expression Perception.  Make sure to check out the animation at the bottom of the page.  It shows the expression changes that occur in a Noh mask based on the angle from which the mask is seen.

Hey! Listen!

This is NOT a time to listen later! Below, I have provided an example of Kabuki theatre performed by Bandō Tamasaburō, who is the most celebrated and widely known Kabuki actor of modern times. He is an onnagata, a man specializing in female roles, which if you watch the clip, you may not believe it (I didn’t realize he was a man until about half way through the video and I saw the comment on YouTube.)

Also, it is narrated in English, so you know exactly what’s going on in the story.

Enjoy!

Tamasaburo Kabuki Dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABV86sCZ0FQ&feature=related

BONUS CLIP – ‘KABUKI’ THEATRE ON SCRUBS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL4Mp53GOdg

Shadow Plays

Though I was looking for a website on ancient shadow plays, I stumbled across this one instead.

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200403/13/eng20040313_137374.shtml 

The website not only has interesting historical facts on ancient shadow plays, it also explains how and when it died out, as well as how it’s “on a path towards revival.”

Shadow Play are, what the name says, plays which were told through puppets. The Puppets were made of either hard paper or leather, and were projected onto a white screen by lamp light. Performers would move the characters behind the screen while singing the story, which was accompanied by music.

These plays spread very quickly throughout Asia during the 13^th century, and by the 17^th century, found its way to Europe. It’s only been till about two decades ago, that Shadow Play has been the only entertainment in Chinese villages. There are very few troupes, who have continued to perform such plays, one of them being a troupe called Shanhua (Founded in 1933.)

Here is a very long, better very interesting video of a Shadow Play performed in our modern day. 

Decoration, Costume, and Symbolic Design in Chinese Theatre

Hello,

So I researched Asian Theatre and found this site:

http://www.theatrehistory.com/asian/chinese002.html
(Can't figure out how to make it a link, so just copy paste it into a new tab)

It takes a closer look at Decoration, Costume, and Symbolic Design in Chinese Theatre. I chose this site because I have always been a big fan of the detail in both Chinese costuming and make-up but didn't know too much about it. Here they also describe the reasoning behind minimal, if any, scenery in Chinese theatre; they examine symbols embraced in the Chinese culture that are used in stage productions to convey meanings, mood, location, etc. They also discuss techniques used to convey scene changes with the absence of a set.

So, yeah.

Blog 2: Asian Theatre

Asian Theatre Part 1: FIND A SITE...WIN A PRIZE! 

When we study a period of Theatre History we examine a number of areas. First we look at the cultural and historical setting of the period to help us understand the theatre and drama in context. Some of the other areas we examine are: 

• Who were the actors? 
• How were they organized and trained? 
• Were they men or women? 
• Who wrote the plays and what were the plays like? 
• What did they value? 
• When and how were plays produced? 
• Were they part of a festival? Stand-alone? 
• Who attended? Who was in the audience? 
• Who controlled theatre? State? Religion? 
• What did the theatre buildings look like? 
• What costumes did they wear? 
• What technical effects were used? 

In our class we also have a specific interest in tracking the inclusion of movement, music, and singing in each age. 


TOPIC: To explore Asian Theatre, find a website that gives interesting information on one of these topics. It should help you understand historical Sanskrit, Chinese, or Japanese theatre. The information should enhance (not just repeat) what is in the text book. Everyone must find different material. This is a two part exercise.

Part 1: POST
Find a website on Asian Theatre that you find interesting and informative and post the link (make sure it works).  Provide a "Sales Pitch" which entices the reader to visit your site. The pitch will provide a summary of what you found in a manner that sells the rest of the class on visiting your site. Blend sales with information.

The deadline for posting your site is March 7th.

Part 2: Find Blog 3 (posted soon).  There are prizes!

Bursting the Grape- Modern versus classical

In reading the article on Bursting the Grape, I found myself most interested in the ideas behind the play. More specifically, why someone would decide to write an entirely new play, and combine modern aspects, as well as those we typically associate with Greek theatre. I have to say, I didn't think it was the best idea anyone had ever come up with, simply because I felt that some things are meant to stay in the past. The reason theatre has evolved so much over time is because people were no longer interested in the previous methods. As a modern society, I feel that we are far less inclined to see a bunch of grown men dancing around in body suits with fake penises attached to their costumes than they did in the times of Greek theatre . That sort of thing had a designated place and time, and that time has now passed.

I also found it extremely interesting that it was described as "a ritual for Eden," because of the play's roots in Greek mythology. It seems strange that they would think to combine the biblical term Eden with a play using themes that are undoubtedly from Greek mythology. This term may simply have been used because of the name of the Biome, being The Eden Project, but it seemed that whoever said that meant more than simply referring to the name of a place.

Upon further investigation of both Didaskalia and Perseus, I realized that there is no reference to "Eden" in any other context than that of Bursting the Grape. This, I feel leads me to the conclusion that perhaps the sources used weren't as advised in their knowledge of mythology as they thought they were. Then of course, as I did say before, there is a chance that the blending of these two worlds, these two philosophies was completely unintentional, and in which case, forgivable.

A photograph of the inside of the Biome, The Eden Project, just for curiosity's sake. It kind of reminds me of the Calgary Zoo's Rainforest exhibit, if anyone has been there.

Bursting the Grape - The Chorus

While reading Elizabeth Stewart's review of Bursting the Grape, I was reminded of the idea of the creation of a strong company. Dominic Knutton "encouraged the actors to work daily on giving and receiving impulses" which implies that he wanted the company to appear as a singular unit. Almost as though there would be no lead performers, and everyone had an equal part in telling this story. This is proven in the review. Stewarts says that "vocally, too, the chorus was strong. They varied between speaking simultaneously and bouncing sentences rapidly off each other." Because of the ability to work as a cohesive unit, this production was successful.


This reminded me of the professional theatre companies that operate in a manner where they don't create new ensembles for each production. Certain companies base their work off of a group of performers who use a similar method (eg. the Suzuki method) and create work/choose productions based on the performers they have. As an example, the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago or the SITI Company (Saratoga International Theater Institute). I was also reminded of this type of theatre company because Knutton "ployed the techniques of Jacques LeCoq, identifying a 'major', or leader, for movement and impulses who remains invisible to the audience and who can change throughout the performance."


The concept of the creation as a unified company really stuck out to me and it made me wonder if it was similar when it came to Greek Theatre. I know that there are different tribes that are represented at some of the festivals, but I wondered - did one group of performers do all 3 tragedies and then the satyr? Or did they have multiple groups of choruses (one for each play)? Also, did the already established choruses always start from scratch or did they try to get as many plays out of the same group of chorus members? Also, was there a standard way for the chorus to rehearse so they could operate as a mass? And so, I went to research.


Unfortunately, I was unable to find the answer to my question. Which leads me to believe that the Greeks did not operate in a manner similar to an ensemble-based theatre company. One of the main points that lead me to believe this is that 24 out of the existing 43 greek tragedies and comedies demand a female chorus. The reasoning behind this was because the chorus, in the orchestra area, would witness terrible acts of violence and would not do anything about it. When the chorus is men, the audience would be taken away from the story by noting how no one is doing anything to stop the violence. However, when the chorus was comprised of females, no one expected them to stop the violence as no one expected them to do anything. Though sexist, this made me think about my original question. It would be impossible for one chorus do to multiple shows without changing genders, and though this is possible with costuming, a 40-year-old chorus member would not be able to be portrayed as a woman. Only young (17-22 year olds) could potentially do it. 


Also, unfortunately, no one seemed to note how the chorus rehearsed and how they were staged. I assume that the staging for a chorus was very much along the lines that they moved as a mass. It is unfortunate to note that people only seem to be interested in how the chorus changed in numbers over time and not about how they rehearsed. I did however find an article on Didaskalia that discussed a university class in Illinois and their attempt to discover how the Greek's actually put on these plays and without having to modernize it. Which I found really interesting and I agree with the concept behind this experimental class - theatre majors as a whole study Greek theatre as an academic and the fact that they actually performed/rehearsed is semi-overlooked. Students don't really associate what we learn in out Greek theatre courses with the practical modern systems of acting and production that we learn.  I also like that in this article it says that they choreographed the chorus mostly based off of the vases/artwork that depict the Greek chorus and what the movement appears to be. It is a real shame that no one bothered to record how they chorus learnt their staging. 


For more fun articles - The use of a female chorus is discussed here. An interesting article about Suzuki performing Greek theatre can be found here.