Kabuki

It's been a while since we've explored a new style of theatre, but today we began our section of Japanese theatre. We started discussing Kabuki, which started out as an all female cast. This eventually evolved into an all male ensemble style of theatre because women chose other professions. Apparently Kabuki is still popular today, especially in Tokyo, so it is still a viable form of theatre. Kabuki uses elaborate make-up, which is what differentiates it from Noh or Bunraku. Noh and Bunraku tend to be done in historical and traditional styles while Kabuki continues to evolve to this day. Kyogen is the form of comic relief in Noh theatre. This made an interesting parallel to the the Greek comedies and tragedies as our teacher reminded us of the satyr plays. Anyways, back to Kabuki. The onagata is the male actor that plays the female in the piece. He is often the most respected of all the actors because it is so difficult to play a female. Part of the art of kabuki is doing your own make-up. Considering how historical this style of theatre is, putting on Kabuki-style make-up is a highly prized and highly developed skill. In preparation for studying the style more closely, we will be creating a prequel/sequel to a Kabuki piece we read from a class textbook. We will also have the opportunity to do full make-up for the two main characters. There will be pictures to come!