Chapter 10: Asian and African Theatre

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1 Chapter 10: Asian and African Theatre Theatre varies widely from one culture and location to another This chapter examines theatrical practices in: Asia: Japan, China, Indonesia Africa: Nigeria, South Africa, North Africa

2 Theatre In Japan During the time of the religious cycle plays in Europe, a very different kind of theatre existed in Japan Noh Theatre Significant developments began around 1375 Kiyotsuga Kan ami and his son Zeami Motokiyo as primary figures associated with Noh

3 Noh Theatre Zeami = Greatest of Noh dramatists; wrote more than 100 of the 250 plays that still make up active Noh repertory Defined Noh s goals and conventions Plays still performed today, much as they were when written Noh Theatre as a product of the 14 th through 16 th centuries

4 Noh Theatre Noh s development influenced by Zen Buddhist beliefs: Ultimate peace comes through union with all being Individual desire must be overcome Nothing in earthly life is permanent Plays categorized by principal character into 5 types: 1. God plays 2. Warrior plays 3. Women plays 4. Madness plays 5. Demon plays

5 Noh Theatre Scripts: Length = short (often shorter than a Western one-act play) Do not emphasize storytelling Dialogue functions to outline circumstances that lead up to and culminate in final dance Musical dance-drama; most lines sung or intoned Performers: 3 groups: actors, chorus, musicians Train from childhood; devote 20+ years to perfecting craft 5 hereditary schools since 15 th century; family business Musical dance-drama; most lines sung or intoned All performers are male

6 Noh Theatre Characters: Shite = main character Waki = secondary character Kyogen = commoners, peasants, narrators Kokata = child actors who play children or minor roles Chorus: 6-10 members Sit at one side of stage throughout performance Sing or recite many of the shite s lines Narrate events

7 Noh Theatre Musicians: 2-3 drummers + 1 flute player Drummers also vocalize Stage Attendants: 2 Stage Assistants 1 assists musicians 1 assists actors with costume changes and props Costumes and Masks: Shite and companions wear masks of painted wood Costumes based on dress of 14 th -15 th centuries

8 Noh Theatre Stage: Roofed, raised stage 2 main areas: Stage proper = butai Bridge = hashigakari 4 columns support the roof of the butai Bridge used for most entrances/exits Miscellaneous: Essentially no scenery used Few properties used; usually miniature and manipulated by stage attendant Audience views action from 2 sides

9 The Shrine in the Fields (Nonomiya) Attributed to Zeami 3 rd category: Woman play Each Noh play set in a specific season: late autumn Climactic moment expressed in dance Stylized language Strives to capture a mood

10 Noh Theatre Take a look at the complete text for The Shrine in the Fields, translated into English. These illustrations and animations show how Noh actors communicate emotion using masks.

11 Other Japanese Forms Bunraku Puppets: 3-4 ft. in height Puppeteers: 3 per puppet, visible to audience 1. Manipulates the head and right arm 2. Manipulates the left arm 3. Manipulates the feet Narrator: Tells the story Speaks all dialogue Expresses emotion of characters Musician: Samisen = 3-stringed instrument, struck and plucked Music accompanies narration

12 Kabuki Other Japanese Forms Most popular traditional form Origins in 17 th century Stage = proscenium, 90 ft. wide x 20 ft. high Hanamichi = raised gangway that connects stage to back of auditorium Mixture of representational and symbolic scenery

13 Kabuki Other Japanese Forms Plays divided into several acts of loosely connected episodes Mie = stylized pose struck and held by the principal character for dramatic effect Song and narration used; musical ensemble and chorus Acting combines stylized speech and dancing

14 Kabuki Other Japanese Forms All performers are male Males who specialize in playing female roles = onnagata Requires many years of training, often a hereditary profession No masks, but some bold makeup

15 Theatre In China Performance in China dates back to 1767 BC Fully-developed drama began to emerge about 1000 AD The most complex literary plays were written during the Ming Dynasty ( ) Plays with 50 or more acts Many plot strands The Peony Pavilion, by Tang Xiansu as most admired play

16 Theatre In China Beijing Opera Hybrid form, evolved from several regions Brought to Beijing in 1790 to celebrate emperor s 80th birthday Theatrical rather than literary form Performances made up of series of selections from longer works Emphasis on acrobatic displays

17 Traditional Stage Open platform Almost square Covered by roof Carpeted floor Two doors in rear wall Props/Scenery Wooden table Several chairs Hand props such as a whip Theatre In China

18 Theatre In China Conventions Onstage assistants to help performers with costumes, props Audience is expected to ignore the assistants Musicians in full view of audience Music plays important part in performance Costumes Lavish and colorful 300 standard costume items Performance Style Speech, singing, movement based on rigid conventions Codified gestures Acrobatics

19 Wayang Kulit Indonesian Shadow Puppetry Puppets Flat puppets, ranging from 6 inches to 3 feet in size Made of leather Cut and perforated to create intricate patterns of light and shadow on screen Performances Enact sections of great Hindu epics Single Dalang (puppeteer) manipulates all puppets as well as voicing dialogue and singing Gamelan (gong-chime music ensemble) accompanies Last from 8:30 pm until sunrise

20 Theatre In Africa African performance traditions through the centuries have been numerous and varied: religious rituals, festivals, ceremonies, storytelling, celebrations Europeans and Americans remained ignorant of African performance traditions until the 20 th century When Europeans took control of most of the African continent, they brought their own ideas about theatre and tried to establish them colonialist heritage + indigenous forms = wide spectrum of performance

21 Indigenous Performance Theatre In Africa Words are often the least important element Primary languages of performance = drumming and dance Use of visual imagery, symbolism, gesture, mask, costume Direct audience participation expected: clapping in rhythm, singing refrains, repeating phrases, making comments

22 Performance In Nigeria Nigeria: Over 250 different ethnic groups Most populous = Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani egungen Yoruba festival Sacrifices offered and petitions for blessings addressed to the dead A carrier gathers the accumulated evil of the community and carries it away in a canoe

23 Performance In Nigeria Yoruba opera/ Yoruba Traveling Theatre Most popular contemporary theatrical form Developed primarily by Hubert Ogunde, who established professional company in 1946 Structure of opera: Opening glee = rousing musical number Topical and satirical story with dialogue, songs, dances Another glee

24 Performance In Nigeria Yoruba opera Emphasis on entertainment Clear moral message By 1981 = 120 Yoruba opera companies Decline in form due to television, film, video English-language plays Became popular around 1900 Flourished after 1960, when Nigeria was granted independence

25 Performance In Nigeria Wole Soyinka Dominant playwright since 1986 Won Nobel Prize for Literature The Strong Breed

26 South Africa Indigenous peoples include: Khoisans, Zulus, Basutos, Xhosas, and others Europeans began to immigrate to South Africa during the 17th century, and went on to try to control the area Apartheid = law requiring separate white and nonwhite residential areas Most famous playwright = Athol Fugard Master Harold and the Boys

27 North Africa Well-known as active area for theatrical entertainments in Hellenistic and Roman eras After 1870, European-style productions with singing and dancing began, with all roles played by men Tawfig as-hakim ( ) one of the most important Egyptian dramatists of early 20th century Sleepers in the Cave

Chapter 10: Asian and African Theatre

Chapter 10: Asian and African Theatre Theatre varies widely from one culture and location to another This chapter examines theatrical practices in: Asia: Japan, China, Indonesia Africa: Nigeria, South