Ikuta Adaptation How to write a Noh Play Theater Production Mrs. Abbott

Or a stage play that has been re-worked for a modern audience. Adaptation What is an adaptation? A stage play that has been adapted from a written work, typically a story or novel. Or a stage play that has been re-worked for a modern audience.

What is a Noh play? Noh: accomplishment, perfected art, talent, ability (Sometimes spelled No.)

Common Themes in Noh Plays Noh focuses mainly on Buddhist themes: worldly emotions (love, jealousy, revenge) holding one back from the spiritual world.

Characteristics of Noh Plays Noh is a combination of song, dance, and drama. Performances made up of 3 to 5 Noh plays plus comedic interludes known as kyogen. The stories come from history, myth, and legend. Plays follow Buddhist themes – the satisfying of individual worldly wants and desires must be overcome. The plays have changed little over the centuries. Were meant to be performed for the samurai and nobility. The plays contain elements of the supernatural. The dialogue is divided between verse, propose, and song. The storytelling and acting is highly stylized and symbolic. The acting is not realistic.

Characteristics of Noh Plays Very slow pace, a focus on the grandeur. The movement is more important than the dialogue. Actors learn a set of highly stylized gestures. Due to the slow grandiose pace, performances could take all day. Traditionally, actors rehearse together only once before a performance. Everyone practices individually, they learn their parts from childhood in specific schools. The form uses poetry, music, and dance to convey emotion. All roles played by males. Masks worn by the main characters. Elaborate costume and masks but no set, little-to-no props. Everything about Noh is a combination of grandeur and simplicity.

The Structure of a Noh Play The No play. The construction of the No play is always the same. It begins with the appearance of a traveler, perhaps a priest, who announces his name and purpose of journeying to such-and-such a battle-ground, temple, or other time-honored place. While he is crossing the stage, the chorus recites the beauties of the scenery or describes the emotions of the traveler. At the appointed spot a ghost appears, eagerly seeking an opportunity to tell of the sufferings to which it is condemned. This ghost is the Spirit of the Place. The second part consists of the unfolding of the ancient legend which has sanctified the ground. The story is revealed partly by dialogue, partly by the chorus. At its close the priest prays for the repose of the Spirit whose mysterious history has just been disclosed, and the play ends with a song in praise of the ruling sovereign.

Your Play You are going to write a modern adaptation of the Ikuta play. Rubric: Must be 1.5 pages in length typed (times new roman, 12 font, one inch margins), 2 pages neatly written out. Written out neatly or typed. Must include modern language, not the language of the play. You must have the same story line (the same general story must happen).