Course description

This will be a survey course on Japanese theater emphasizing traditional theater forms (Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki and Bunraku puppet theater), but with some attention to 20th-century forms such as Shinpa, Post-Shingeki Theater, and Butoh. There will be equal emphasis on understanding these theatrical forms in performance, and on understanding the texts in their historical context.

Objectives

Upon completion of this class you should be able to identify the main forms of traditional Japanese theater, as well as several forms of modern theater. Familiarity with each form will include both its dramatic presentation (costuming, props, make-up, music, dance, etc.) and poetics (narrative structures, rhetoric etc.). You should also be able to historically contextualize each genre.