The word Noh is derived from the Sino-Japanese word for “skill” or “talent”, which is exactly what theatre brings to an audience, whether it is a show off of Broadway that everyone knows and loves, or a local high school production of a new play or a world premiere no one has ever heard of. The Noh plays of Japan have been compared to the greatest of Greek tragedies for their meaningful, powerful poetry and splendidness of emotional intensity. The Noh Theatre is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the mid-14th century. “Stemming from the popular entertainments in Nara during the Heian period (794-1185), in conjunction with various ritual offering dances, Noh was created during the latter half of the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and the early part of the Muromachi period 1336-1573” (Introducing the World of Noh). This old tradition of theatre is still relevant and can still be performed today. But what really brings towards the power amongst the Noh Theatre? Is it the costuming and the masks that the performers would often wear? Is it the design of the set and the plot of the story that makes plays so intriguing? Is it the sounds of the musical instruments played on-stage along with a chorus or underlying vocals to back things up? With all of this power from the Noh theatre, there must be a “key” aspect that keeps everything held together without the famous Japanese theatre from falling apart and what makes the theatre feel so real.
Creativity of this production is the reason for the success. Their expertise in the field proves that they were qualified for this wonderful production. The theater environment of this play was thrust structure, which allows them to innovation stunning method to display all of scenes.
Matsukaze is one of the most popular Noh plays of the third category, originally written by Kan’ami and revised by Zeami Mototkiyo. Matsukaze tells the story of two lingering sister spirits, Matsukaze, which means Pine Wind, and Murasame, which means Autumn Rain. The play begins with a traveling priest asking about the memorial for the girls and we soon learn all about their life story. As with other Ancient Japanese Noh theatre, this play shows us one prevailing emotion throughout the text. The most noticeable emotion found in the text of Matsukaze is the overwhelming sense of melancholy. Through text and Japanese Noh conventions, I can convey the emotion of melancholy in Matsukaze.
The history of theatre in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries is one of the increasing commercialization of the art, accompanied by technological innovations, the introduction of serious critical review, expansion of the subject matters portrayed to include ordinary people, and an emphasis on more natural forms of acting. Theatre, which had been dominated by the church for centuries, and then by the tastes of monarchs for more than 200 years, became accessible to merchants, industrialists, and the less privileged and then the masses.
“Audiences today want a real experience in their live performance, because they can get great script based entertainment at home, through various new media sources. Traditional theatre, which appeals on a mental, and hopefully also emotional level, has not been enough to compete with other media, and audiences have been declining. Physical theatre, by contrast appeals to the audience on a physical and emotional level, providing a much more immediate experience than traditional theatre” ~ (Artmedia Publishing in Zen Zen Zo’s “The Tempest” Teacher’s Notes)
Theatre today as in ancient Greek times is a popular form of entertainment. Today’s theatres share many similarities with the Greek predecessors however they are also very different. There are in fact many differences for example; layout, special effects, seating arrangement, the importance of drama and religion, setting, location and architectural features.
Dramatic arts became an essential and esteemed form of entertainment during the Song Dynasty. The Chinese theater ran the gamut of all possible kinds of play or composition. A testament to the Song’s work toward variety in entertainment “the drama made quite a feature of short farcical scenes, acrobatic turns and satirical
The Greeks were known for giving offerings to their gods. They decided to build a theater where they could give their offerings. Although the main thing that they used it for was giving offerings, it was also used for some other things. This paper will be talking about Greek drama genres, why theater was so important, and how they make their voices heard.
"A Philosophy of Theater « " East of Mina. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2011.
The theatre that you are most familiar with today generally comes via the movie version of an originally staged play. But if we go back further, we find that most of the theatre that is written and performed today can be traced back to Greek origins through various
In Kabuki theatre, everything that is seen on the stage is the result of a meaningful inner dynamic which completes the performance by the coordination of the actors with all the various components of the mise-en-scène and then by the traditions of all the various elements being assembled into an organic whole (Kawatake 1990, 247).
There is no theatre without an audience. The audience is as much a part of the playmaking experience as the artists—so how do we incorporate them more actively into what we do? We must work with them – and I’ve learned, in so doing,
In the words of Gay McAuley, “for an activity to be regarded as a performance, it must involve the live presence of the performers and those witnessing it…” (McAuley, 2009, cited in Schechner, 2013, pp.38). This statement recognises the importance of both the actor and the audience for something to truly function as a performance. In addition, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones highlights the significance of the theatrical space and how it can influence an audience stating that “on entering a theatre of any kind, a spectator walks into a specific space, one that is designed to produce a certain reaction or series of responses” (Llewellyn-Jones, 2002, pp.3). The relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space is no less important today than it was at the time of theatre during the Spanish Golden Age and the creation of Commedia dell’arte in Italy. Despite being very close geographically with theatre thriving for both in the same era, sources that explore the social, cultural and historical context of these countries and the theatre styles will bring to light the similarities and differences. This essay will analyse the staging, the behaviour of the audience as well as the challenges the actors faced, and how this directly influenced the relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space.
I’ve adored theatre for as long as I can remember. From writing plays throughout elementary school, to being involved in Drama Club in middle school, to performing in community theatre in high school, and to visiting the theatre as often as I could from the very beginning, theatre has always been a part of my life. Every aspect of it engages me: the directors working to bring their vision of the show’s scenes, choreography, or music to life, the actors transforming into different characters through their expression of dialogue, song, or dance, the costumers and set-builders transporting the audience into the setting and time period with their artistry, the backstage tech and crew working quickly and precisely to keep the show flowing to curtain call, and the orchestra bringing the show to life through music. There is nothing like the experience of live theatre, both as a member of the audience and as a member of the cast and crew.
Theatre is an art that transcends time and builds a new world for the audience atop the stage. A play is defined as “a dramatic composition” or “the stage representation of an action or story” (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary). This refers to drama being performed live by actors on a stage. Ancient Greece is accredited to inventing theatre and drama. In Greece during that time, at the height of popularity, were the stories of the well known flawed heroes and their journeys.
Lhamo, claimed by many to be the oldest living theatre in the world, for its origin dates back to at least the 8th century AD; it is also one of the least extensively studied forms of theatre. Often a similarity is made between the Athenian theatre festivals and the Tibetan theatre. The analogy between the two is noticeable in the focus being on the poetic and sung parts, the chorus and the structure and the use of space. There are no proven real historical links but the overwhelming resemblance must be acknowledged which is reflected in the relationship between the theatrical event and the spirit of the community. The entire community comes together ( with no distinction made in class and creed) and gathers around the theatre to watch the