P6+Theater

=P6 Theater= **The Theater ** Marisa B, Pauline P, and Abigail A Have you ever wondered what makes Noh Theater different from Kabuki? Or what actor’s lives are like off of the stage? Maybe you’re curious about the costumes and makeup that Japanese wear onstage? Read on to find out the answers to these and other questions. Enjoy! The Noh Theatre is very similar to the Kabuki Theatre in relation to the masks and costumes. But, it is different from the Kabuki theatre because while the Kabuki Theatre stage revolves the Noh Theatre is preformed ion a bare stage. Did you know that the Noh Theatre is the oldest from of theatre? Unlike today's times the plays were only put on for upper class people often referred to as Samurai. The plays that are performed at the Noh Theatre are most times legends and folk tales. Most of the plays that you and I see today use props and if we do not then it is very difficult. But, the plays that are preformed inside of the Noh Theatre are on stage with no scenery or props!!! To change the emotions of the actors they change the mask. The qualities of the plays are dreamlike and feature ghosts, spirits, and demons. The average steps of their dance moves are rather slow so most of the cast could follow them. There first Noh Theatre was mad in around the 1900s. Then, in 1932 it was renamed and was then called Kanazawa- Noh- Theatre. Then, 40 years later it was repaired and renamed to Ishikawa- Nohgaku- Bunka- Kainka. Have you ever been to a play that lasted for about 5 hours? Well inside of Japan the Kabuki Theatre is actually known for have dramatic and colorful plays that do last up to 5 hours or longer. The Kabuki is also known for the music and dancing. Unlike the theatre that you and I are used to the audience that go to watch the plays has a huge part in the performance. The people that filled the seats of the kabuki theatre were usually urban people. A job that the audience would do is they would shout the names of the actors in the play. I know that sounds simple but the audience has to yell at just the right time and they MUST get the timing right. So that is how the excitement comes from the audience. The performers are never women because they are not allowed to act. Also, Tokoawna Shogun banished all women from the play well acting in them however, the creator of the theatre was an immortal woman named Omkuni. The Kabuki Theatre puts on plays in a way to express them. Most of the plays are historical dramas or romances and include sword fighting. Like the NOH Theatre the costumes is very elaborate and they have colorful costumes and make up. Unlike most theatres when the scene changes the stage revolves. Like the stage at Disney World in Tomorrow land. The plays are somewhat difficult to understand because the plays were made in the 17th and 18th century. The eighteenth was regarded as the golden age of theatre. The word “bunraku” literally translates to “puppets and storytelling”, which completely summarizes the meaning of the Bonraku Theater, which is famous for its puppet plays. This form of art and entertainment began in the 11th century, but became a well-known art form in the 17th century, six hundred years later. Imagine trying to be a serious Bonraku actor during that time! Aside from puppets, Bonraku also included a form of narrative chanting, another important element in the theater. There are two major groups of puppet plays. One group is known as jidaimono. These plays include historical stories, usually including famous battles and the lives of warriors. Because hearing stories you are already familiar with can be a bit boring, puppets performed impossible acrobatics that kept the audience on their toes. Even with this, however, writers had to be extra sure to make their script interesting and exciting. They had to tell the tale in a new way. The second group of puppet plays is called sewamono. These plays were based on real events that interested the audience. Such plays usually dealt with tragedy and suicide, like one famous play called Sonezaki shinju, or “Love Suicide at Sonezaki”. This play told the tale of a romance between a merchant’s son and an upper-class maiden. Like most sewamono plays, this tale speaks of tragedy and suicide. Other plays in this category deal with social and political conflicts which almost always separate lovers. Although Bonraku Theater involved puppets, we cannot forget about the people behind the curtain, the people who did controlled the puppets. Actors were ranked really low in the social structure. They were excluded from society because they were involved with entertainment, even though Japanese enjoyed being entertained by theater. The only actors that were respected were Noh actors. They acted to entertain only the samurais, who were not allowed to go see Kabuki Theater, for example, when Judge Ooka, had to disguise himself to go see a Kabuki play in “The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn” and these types of actors had a much higher ranking then other actors. By entertaining the samurais, they were rewarded by being respected. Kabuki actors worked to entertain the townspeople, and Bunraku was not played by actors, but life-sized puppets. The actors that controlled Bunraku puppets were the lowest actors in the social structure. They lived out in the streets with no permanent homes, and were even sometimes mistaken as beggars. People would call them hinin, meaning non-human. Unlike the Bunraku actors, Kabuki actors had a better life. Most of them had a shelter in either a restaurant or other places of entertainment. While others would live near the river banks. These people were called kawara-mono, meaning “river-bank folk”. These actors were all mean, because women were not allowed to act. When the story of a play involved a women, a man would dress up as one. Some actors (and play writers) however rose above the rest, and became famous throughout history. Although most actors and writers are looked down upon by most people, there are some that have risen above the rest to go down in history as great people who have had a huge role in the development of Japanese culture. One such person was the Bonraku narrator Takemoto Gidayu, who worked with writer Chikamatsu Monzeamon. These partners worked together to permanently change Bonraku Theater. Gidayu influenced the narrative chanting, creating a style called joruri. This style gave the chanting more “character” and “flare”. Both of these helped Bonraku flourish. An actor and playwright, Kan’ami, began the tradition of Noh Theater with his son, Zaemi, who also became a famous actor and playwright. The father and son partnership led to a tradition of mime and dance in the theater. They were supported by a shogun named Yoshimitsu who provided heavy financial help. A woman named Okuni, who originally was from a women’s traveling performance troupe, is known as the person who created Kabuki. She brought dancing and music to the theater. She acted both comically and dramatically, creating the outline for Kabuki. These people also helped create the elaborate costumes and makeup that heavily defines each theater. Costumes were a big part of the theater because it expressed the characters personality. In Noh, actors wore fancy colorful costumes and masks. The masks were made wood, and in the beginning of Noh, costumes were related to the everyday clothing a samurai would wear. In Kabuki, actors also wore elaborate costumes. In Bunraku, however, they didn’t use actors in costumes, but large wooden puppets. The actors who controlled the puppets would wear black to avoid being noticed by the audience. When a man played a woman, he would wear beautiful silk kimonos like Tomomi did many times in his plays in “The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn”. Theater has always been a big part of Japanese culture. From dancing, to singing, to acting, Japanese theater has always been a variety of action and colors. All Japanese people enjoy a good show, and not only was it popular a long time ago, but it is still popular today.