P2+Theater

=P2 Theater=

Japanese Theater Ellie J, Katie B, Damon B  Kabuki, Noh, and Bunraku are types of theater. Bunraku and kabuki are forms of entertainment for merchants and peasants, but noh is the only one considered honorable for higher class people to watch. Kabuki is loud and action-packed. Bunraku uses puppets instead of actors and is a musical art geared toward adults. Noh is a type of theater that focuses on the actors and their masks and costumes. Just a twitch of a sleeve could mean someone is falling in love. Each theater is different, but they all work together to enrich the Japanese culture.

 Kabuki is probably the most popular theatre**//.//** Kabuki Theater has a revolving stage and well-dressed actors. Kabuki actors travel all the time; they stop at cities and teahouses to perform plays and then they are off again to another city. These actors often get food this way; they will go to a food stand and offer to perform for food. Developed in the 1600’s by Okuni, these plays were not good enough for samurai, but they were meant for merchants, peasants, and artisans. Kabuki is a colorful costume and make-up theatre. It is not unusual to see an actor with bright masks, costumes, and headdresses on. In a kabuki theatre there is many dancing and singing. The plays were action-packed and with dancing and striding in exaggerated movements; the actors often turned into dragons, and other fantastical creatures. But the Tokugawa Shoguns thought that the Kabuki was a curse and banned women from acting, they also tried banning the theatre itself, but the public made such a riot that the Shogun abandoned the idea. But the kabuki theatre survived and lived to put on another play.

 Bunraku is similar to kabuki, but uses wooden and hand puppets instead. Bunraku is a musical theater for adults, and the only one of the three theaters that isn’t meant for all ages. Bunraku uses lifelike and large, almost life-sized wooden puppets as actors. It takes 3 puppeteers to control one puppet. One controls the body and right arm, one controls the left arm, and one controls the legs. The puppeteers dress in black to blend in with the background as they control the puppets on the small stage. A person called the tayu narrates and speaks the lines for the puppets on stage. Noh is another type of theater. No scenery or props are involved in these types of plays. The actors wear detailed masks and costumes as they dance slowly and silently to the music of flutes, drums, and chanted poetry. Little movements like a twitch can mean things like the character is falling in love. Noh plays involve humans and other creatures like ghosts, spirits, and demons. Noh is the only type of theater honorable enough for a samurai to watch. Noh plays are based on ancient legends.

 Each type of theater had different rules about the actors that can participate. Women are forbidden from appearing on the stages of kabuki and noh plays, but a women named Okuni invented the kabuki style of theater. The actors in noh plays are all male samurai, and the puppets of Bunraku wear beautifully detailed costumes on their stages.

 The Samurai and other nobles were not allowed into Kabuki and Bunraku theaters because it would hurt their honor. A samurai's honor was very important. Some samurai still loved the plays and theatres so much that they would dress as peasants to sneak in and watch the shows in peace. The Shoguns were forbidden to see the plays as a form of entertainment, but sometimes the actors were invited to the Shogun’s palace to perform. This was a great honor for the actors; if the Shogun liked the play that was performed the actors would become rich and famous. But if the Shogun did not like the play then the actors could possibly lose their heads. Samurai were pushing their honor limits by doing this. The samurai loved the theatres, the only problem is, it’s against the law. These are the types of theaters that make Japanese culture so unique. media type="custom" key="8456862"

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