Chinese and Japanese Theatre

Chinese Theatre  Mongols invaded in 1280 A.D.  Influced Chinese theatre by adding:  Action  Acrobatics  Songs  Dance

Chinese Theatre  1949!  Communist Party changed Chinese theatre to promote government policy!

VOCABULARY  PEKING OPERA  Chinese drama that features chanting, singing, and music.  Most acting was done by men (men played women)  Props, Costumes, Movements, and Makeup all have a SYMBOLIC meaning.

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JAPANESE THEATRE IN JAPAN THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF THEATRE: *KABUKI *BUNRAKU *NOH

ANCIENT NOH ONLY attended by people of a higher social class and the samurai The satisfaction of the audience was all that mattered to the Noh actors. Honor was a BIG DEAL. If the audience was satisfied, it was a GREAT HONOR to the actors.

NOH  Costumes were/are very expressive.  The audience would have disapproved if they hadn’t known the reason behind the costume.  Actors had no scenery or props, so costumes were IMPORTANT  Actors wanted the focus on their clothing and facial expressions.

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KABUKI  BEGAN in the 1600s.  Kabuki derived from a word meaning eccentric.  Targeted merchants and lower class people as its audience  Shouting from the audience is involved  Performed on a rotating stage!

Kabuki  Originally Kabuki theatre had an all female cast!  Today, the actors in Kabuki theatre are all male!  The males that play the female roles are called the Onnagata. Jc

KABUKI  How did the males, the onnagata, begin to take over the females’ role in Kabuki theatre?  THE GOVERNMENT BANNED FEMALES FROM PERFORMING!!