The Deed Is Done

The Kabuki performance went relatively smoothly, save some mistakes here and there. As I predicted, our scene was not received as well as the other group's that I had mentioned in my last entry. Our music element was something that I as a theatre practitioner had found particularly interesting and innovative about our scene, but it did not translate as well as I hoped it would for the student audience. I feel that in order for one to appreciate Kabuki, one must have some sort of background or knowledge in the theatrical tradition. Otherwise the poses and the gestures are completely lost on the individual. And so, the audience responded much more vociferously to the humor and word play of the other group's performance. The humor was more blatant, something one could see happening on Saturday Night Live. Though the humor made the performance enjoyable and easy to relate to, I felt that it almost demeaned Kabuki in a sense. I am not saying in any means that my group's performance was completely true to the style of Kabuki, but we attempted to stay as close to the theatrical tradition as possible whereas the other group had thrown caution to the wind. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but it was a learning experience nonetheless. I guess it's just part of the process.