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Early Asian Theater

Early Asian Theater. From India, China, and Japan. Indian Theater. Sanskrit Drama Written 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.

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Early Asian Theater

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  1. Early Asian Theater From India, China, and Japan

  2. Indian Theater • Sanskrit Drama • Written 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

  3. Characteristics of Sanskrit Drama • They use stories drawn from the great Indian epics • The Mahabharata • The Ramayana • The stages were elaborately decorated • no representational scenery was used • Movements of every part of the body, vocal delivery, and song were all strictly codified

  4. Chinese Theater • Religion, philosophy had large influence on Chinese theater • Confucianism • Stresses responsibility of individual to others • Taoism • Stresses simplicity, patience and nature’s harmony • Shamanism • Rituals combined costumes, song, dance and gesture

  5. Tang Period (618-906 C.E.) • Court Entertainments • Included skits, pantomimes, juggling, singing and dancing • Pear Garden • Actor’s training institute • Variety plays • Traveling troupes, shadow puppets

  6. 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 zaju • Composed texts to suit rhythms of popular music • Protagonist sang all the music • Had only a few characters • Topics ranged from love and romance to religion and history, and even bandit heroes

  7. Yuan Dynasty • Mixture of high art and popular theatrical traditions • Compared to Elizabethan England and 5th century Greece • The Orphan of Chao • Deals with vengeance, sacrifice and loyalty • First Chinese plays known in the West • The Circle of Chalk • Lawsuit-and-trial genre • Bertolt Brecht saw a version and wrote The Caucasian Chalk Circle

  8. Japanese Theater • Japanese followed Shinto and Buddhism • Three Types of Theater • Noh • Kyōgen is a comedic form of Noh • Bunraku • Puppets • Kabuki • Popular theater

  9. Noh Theater • Developed in 14th century by Kan’ami • Son 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. Puppets • Manipulated by 3 people • Legs • Left arm • Head and right arm • Puppets are 3 feet tall

  13. Kabuki Theater • Combined Noh and Bunraku elements • Movement like puppets • Faces painted like masks • Became more popular than Bunraku • Kabuki and Bunraku less formal than Noh • Noh remained theater of Samurai class

  14. Characteristics of Kabuki • Actors trained from childhood • Vocal dexterity • Dancing • Acting • Physical versatility • Male actors only • Costumes and makeup elegant and gorgeous • Movements larger than life and theatrical • Elaborate scenic effects

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