KABUKI

歌舞伎 kabuki

歌 (sing), 舞 (dance),

伎 (skill)

"the art of singing and dancing"

kabuku● "to lean"● "to be out of the ordinary"

● avant-garde or bizarre theatre

● kabukimono - refers to those who were bizarrely dressed or swaggered on the streets.

Izumo no Okuni

● originator of Kabuki theatre in the 17th century (1603)

● miko of Izumo Taisha● performed a new style of

dance drama in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto

KABUKI

It is traditional Japanese form of theater with roots tracing back to the Edo Period. It is recognized as one of Japan's three major classical theaters along with noh and bunraku, and has been named as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

It involves elaborately designed costumes, eye-catching make-up, outlandish wigs, and most importantly, the exaggerated actions performed by the actors. The highly-stylized movements serve to convey meaning to the audience.

STAGE

● Hanamichi - footbridge/walkway that leads through the audience, allowing for a dramatic entrance or exit.

STAGE● Mawari-butai - revolving stage

STAGE

● Seri - refers to the stage "traps". These traps raise and lower actors or sets to the stage.

● Seridashi or seriage refers to trap(s) moving upward

● Serisage or Serioroshi to traps descending.

STAGE

● Chūnori - riding in mid-air) is a technique by which an actor’s costume is attached to wires and he is made to “fly” over the stage and/or certain parts of the auditorium.

● Ambiance is aided with live music performed using traditional instruments.

PERFORMANCE

● Jidaimono - history plays (samurai class)● Sewamono - domestic plays (commoners-

townspeople/ peasants)

● Mie - actor holds a pose to establish his character

● Kesho - kabuki make-up● Oshiroi - base for the characteristic stage

make-up which is made from RICE POWDER

PERFORMANCE● KUMADORI - enhances or exaggerates

facial lines to produce dramatic animal or supernatural masks.

COLORS:● RED - used to indicate passion, heroism,

righteousness, and other positive traits● BLUE or BLACK - villainy, jealousy, and

other negative traits● GREEN - the supernatural● PURPLE - nobility

PLAY STRUCTURE

● jo-ha-kyū

-states that dramatic pacing should start slow, speed up, and end quickly.

● like other traditional forms of drama in Japan and other cultures, kabuki was (and sometimes still is) performed in full-day programs.

FAMOUS PLAYS

● Kanadehon Chūshingura (Treasury of Loyal Retainers) is the famous story of the Forty-seven Ronin, led by Oishi Kuranosuke, who track down their enemy and exact revenge upon him before committing seppuku as required by their code of honor upon the death of their lord, Lord Takuminokami of the Asano clan.

FAMOUS PLAYS

● Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees) follows Minamoto no Yoshitsune as he flees from agents of his brother Yoritomo. Three Taira clan generals supposed killed in the Genpei War figure prominently, as their deaths ensure a complete end to the war and the arrival of peace, as does a kitsune named Genkurō.[

FAMOUS PLAYS

● Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy) is based on the life of famed scholar Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), who is exiled from Kyoto, and upon his death causes a number of calamities in the capital. He is then deified, as Tenjin, kami (divine spirit) of scholarship, and worshipped in order to propitiate his angry spirit.

KABUKI THEATRES

● A day's performance is usually divided into two or three segments (one in the early afternoon and one towards the evening), and each segment is further divided into acts.

● Tickets are usually sold per segment, although in some cases they are also available per act. They typically cost around 2,000 yen for a single act or between 3,000 and 25,000 yen for an entire segment depending on the seat quality.

Kabukiza Theatre● located at Tokyo's Ginza district● staging plays almost everyday and offering single-act

tickets and English headsets.

National Theatre (Tokyo)

● Programs vary monthly, and include kabuki or bunraku performances, as well as kabuki appreciation workshops for beginners. English headsets are available for rental.

Minamiza Theater (Osaka)

● About two runs of three weeks per year, usually one during spring and the other during autumn, are performed.

Shochikuza Theater (Kyoto)

● Three to five runs per year, each lasting between three to four weeks. English headsets are unavailable, but an English program book can be purchased at the information counter.

Hakataza Theater (Fukuoka)

● Two runs per year, one in February and one in June, are usually performed at this theater.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlTQUzPZU8Y