Post on 17-Dec-2015
Indian Theater
Sanskrit DramaWritten in Sanskrit, the language of the noble classes and performed in court circles
The Natyasastra as example of Indian theatre
Set and scenery
Costumes
Dance and movement
Characteristics of Sanskrit Drama
They use stories drawn from the great Indian epics
The Mahabharata
The Ramayana
The stages were elaborately decoratedno representational scenery was used
Movements of every part of the body, vocal delivery, and song were all strictly codified
Chinese Theater
Religion, philosophy had large influence on Chinese theater
ConfucianismStresses responsibility of individual to others
TaoismStresses simplicity, patience and nature’s harmony
ShamanismRituals combined costumes, song, dance and gesture
Tang Period (618-906 C.E.)
Court EntertainmentsIncluded skits, pantomimes, juggling, singing and dancing
Pear GardenActor’s training institute
Variety playsTraveling troupes, shadow puppets
Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
Literary intellectuals wrote essays and poetry; snubbed plays and theater
Mongols took power and literari were unemployed
Began writing plays called zajuComposed texts to suit rhythms of popular musicProtagonist sang all the musicHad only a few charactersTopics ranged from love and romance to religion and history, and even bandit heroes
Yuan Dynasty
Mixture of high art and popular theatrical traditions
Compared to Elizabethan England and 5th century Greece
The Orphan of ChaoDeals with vengeance, sacrifice and loyaltyFirst Chinese plays known in the West
The Circle of ChalkLawsuit-and-trial genreBertolt Brecht saw a version and wrote The Caucasian Chalk Circle
Japanese Theater
Japanese followed Shinto and BuddhismThree Types of Theater
NohKyōgen is a comedic form of Noh
BunrakuPuppets
KabukiPopular theater
Noh Theater
Developed in 14th century by Kan’amiSon Zeami Motokiyo took over and improved the form
Noh traditions are passed on from teacher to disciple which continues to this day
Characters based on literary or historical figures familiar to audience
Characteristics of Noh
Major roles are masked
Actors move in a highly stylized fashion
Based on dance and pantomime
Actors alternate between chanting and heightened speech
Poetic, artistic and written to the music
Bunraku
Puppet theater named after a famous puppeteer
Started as a way to illustrate a chanter’s music
Chanted texts called jōruri
Chanters perform all voices in a play, narration and set mood
Kabuki Theater
Combined Noh and Bunraku elements
Movement like puppets
Faces painted like masksBecame more popular than Bunraku
Kabuki and Bunraku less formal than Noh
Noh remained theater of Samurai class
Characteristics of Kabuki
Actors trained from childhoodVocal dexterityDancingActingPhysical versatility
Male actors onlyCostumes and makeup elegant and gorgeousMovements larger than life and theatricalElaborate scenic effects