Science 7 - LAND and SEA BREEZE and its Characteristics
Asian and Medieval Theater Traditions
1. ASIAN AND
MEDIEVAL THEATER
Asia
Background: Asian Theater
Theater in India
Theater in China
Theater in Japan
Living History: Sotoba Komachi
Play Synopsis: Sotoba Komachi
The Middle Ages
Theater and Culture in the
Middle Ages
Medieval Drama: Mystery,
Miracle, and Morality Plays
Living History: Noak’s Ark
Medieval Theater Production
2. 3 Great Asian traditions
INDIAN CHINESE JAPANESE
○ Forms of theater- acting, mime, dancing,
music and text.
4. Indian Theater
● Sanskrit Drama
○ Written in Sanskrit,the
language of the noble
classes and performed in
court circles.
○ The Natyasastra (200
B.C- A.D 200)
■ The best known work
of criticism
5. Later Indian Drama
○ Kathakali
■ Dramatic form found in
Southwestern India
■ Stories of strong
passions, the furies of
gods, extraordinary
human beings
■ Clashes between good
and evil, good always
6.
7. ● TANG PERIOD (A.D. 618-906)
○ Court Entertainment
■ Such as skits, pantomimes, juggling, singing and
dancing
○ Pear Garden
■ Actor’s training institute
○ Variety Plays
■ Traveling troupes, shadow puppets
Chinese Theater
8. Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
● Well known in the west through Marco Polo
● Mongol, Kublai Khan took power
● Began writing plays called Zaju
○ Composed texts suit rhythms of popular music
○ Protagonist sang all the music
○ Topics chosen ranged from love and romance to
religion, history, and even crimes and lawsuits.
● The Romance of the Western Chamber by Wang Shifu
○ The most famous of the plays(survived)
○ Dramas chronicle the trials of 2 lovers
9. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
● Chinese emperor
○ Writing only for the
elite
● Lute Song by Gao Ming
○ One of the best-known
plays
Peking (Beijing Opera)
● Developed in China in the 9th century
● Popular entertainment filled
with song,dance and acrobatics.
10. Peking Opera
● Also called by Chinese names,
jingju and xiqu.
● Theater Space
○ Modern dinner theater
● Stresses Symbolism
The character Sun Wukong at
the Peking opera from Journey
to the West
12. Japanese Theater (15th Century AC)
● Developed a religion called Shinto (“Way of the
Gods”)
○ Bound to nature and spirit worship
● Shinto and Buddhism had a strong influence
Noh Drama
● A stylized theater for the upper classes
● Directed by actor Kan’ami (1333-1384)
○ Whose son Zeami Motokiyo
■ Seen by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
● Based from literary or historical sources.
○ A famous novel, Lady Murasaki’s The tale of Genji
13. Noh Drama
● SOTOBA KOMACHI
○ Based on a fable
○ Written by Kan’ami and
revised by his son Zeami
○ “Sotoba on the Stupa”
○ The stage has a bridge, called
a hashigakari
● Mystical: demons and ghosts
14. Bunraku: Puppet Theater
● Popular form in Japan in the 1600s
● Featuring musicians and chanter
○ Who tells the story and creates
the voices of all the characters
● ⅔ of human size and always dressed
in black who move the puppet’s head,
arms, and body.
● Puppeteer’s black outfit is a convention
● CHIKAMATSU MONZAEMON
○ The best of the writers for Bunraku
● Historical plays and domestic dramas
Dealing with life in his own day
15. Kabuki
● According to Legend, Japanese
kabuki was developed around
1600 by a woman named Okuni.
● Today, all roles are performed by
men
● Costumes,makeup and stage
gestures
○ Elegant
○ colorful
16. SOTOBA KOMACHI (14th century)
● Based on a fable
● A man named Shii-no-Shosho falls deeply in love
with Ono-no-Komachi who was once a famous
courtesan
● Stage movements are formal and ritualistic, such as
ballet.
18. 3 types of Plays
● Mystery or Cycle Plays
○ Dramatized a series of
biblical events
● Miracle Plays
○ Dramatized the lives of
the saints
● Morality Plays
○ Plays such as Everyman
○ Used religious characters
and religious themes to teach
a moral lesson
19. The Second Shepherd’s Play
● The best-known mystery play produced in
England (14th Century)
2 Major Dramatic structures of Western
Theater
● Climactic
● Episodic
21. Medieval Theater Production
● Pageant Wagons
○ Could be rolled into a town or field
nearby
○ The wagon-served as a stage, contained
scenery, and had a backstage area
○ At the top is a model of a pageant
wagon in a town square.
○ Only men performed in England
22. OUTDOOR STAGES AT VALENCIENNES
A popular form of medieval staging, esp on
the European continent.
