3. WHAT IS DRAMA?
• The abridged Oxford Dictionary defines drama as a composition in prose or in
verse, adapted to be acted and is represented with accompanying gesture,
costume, and scenery, as in real life.
• Drama is a social encounter in a special place and in a special time. The actors
and the spectators move between real time and imaginary time, from existential
reality to dramatic reality.
4. TYPES OF DEVELOPMENTAL DRAMA:
1. Ancient Drama
2. Medieval Drama
3. Renaissance Drama
4. Drama of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries
5. Modern Drama
5. TYPES OF ASIAN DRAMAS:
•The PHILIPPINE DRAMA
•The JAPANESE DRAMA
•The CHINESE DRAMA
7. JAPANESE DRAMA
• It refers to television series produced in Japan for domestic viewership. These dramas cover
many genres, including romance, comedy, mystery, historical, fantasy, and more. They
usually consist of multiple episodes, often following a storyline that develops over time.
• Japanese dramas showcase diverse themes and cultural aspects, reflecting Japan's society,
traditions, and modern life. They're known for their unique storytelling, compelling
characters, and ability to resonate with audiences in Japan and internationally.
• Japanese television dramas also called dorama or J-drama, are television programs that are
a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan
produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror,
jidaigeki, thriller, and many others.
9. NOH PLAYS
• These are the oldest of the three traditional forms of Japanese drama. They developed
during the 1300s from the dances performed at religious shrines. The Noh theater reached
its present form in the 1600s and has remained practically unchanged.
• Noh plays are poetic treatments of history, love stories, war stories, and legends,
influenced by the religious beliefs of Buddhism and Shintoism. Many of these plays are
shorter than the Western one-act plays, and they may seem undramatic. Like the ancient
Greek tragedy, Noh drama is performed by masked actors and is usually accompanied by
music, dance, and choral speaking. It may be further classified into those with one or two
acts according to the structure, and into dramatic Noh and dream Noh according to the
plot.
10. NOH PLAYS
• The most common is the "dream" Noh in two acts. According to critics, this is the most
advanced form of Noh, rich in poetic and symbolic beauty.
• In a two-act "dream" Noh, the main character is the ghost of some dead person. The
ghost, who will become the protagonist in the second act, must present himself disguised
as a common villager in the first act. The protagonist, in both parts, is the same ghost-
person, although appearing in different guises in the two acts.
• The first Filipino Noh entitled "Ang Paglalakbay ni Sisa: Noh sa Laguna" was the
brainchild of Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio. It was presented at the Bulwagang Gantimpala,
Cultural Center of the Philippines, August, 1981.
13. JORURI PLAY
• It is a puppet drama. It enjoyed great popularity between 1650-1730 but is now restricted
to the Bunraku Theater, Osaka where scenes from famous plays are performed in drama.
This drama involves puppet manipulation to a higher level involving complicated skills. It
arose from the collaboration of puppeteers attached to the shrines where they performed
scenes from Buddha and Shinto legends, with performers who chanted the verses to the
accompaniment of the shamisen. The puppets about three feet tall are each manipulated
by as many as three men. Movements of tongue, finger, joints, and eyelids are possible.
15. KABUKI DRAMA
• It is the most popular form of Japanese drama. It originated at the end of the 16th
century. Although it incorporates some of the highly stylized dances and the stationary
unrealistic poses of the Noh theater, Kabuki developed a much freer, more extravagant
type of entertainment.
• In the Kabuki, settings and costumes are lavish, acting is extremely, broad and
exaggerated, and heavy make-up is used instead of masks. Although music is important,
Kabuki is most famous for its spectacular visual effects. These include scenic effects
like storms and falling cherry blossoms, ferocious duels and bloody suicides, and the use
of mechanical devices such as trapdoors.
16. KABUKI DRAMA
• The plots of Kabuki plays are generally based either on historical or legendary events or on
scenes from everyday domestic life. The historical plays and legendary events are mostly about
the loyalty of the warriors to their lords and usually include duels and suicide scenes. Domestic
plays are based on the moral and emotional conflicts of ordinary people and are often about
impossible romances that end in double coincidences or suicides. Kabuki actors are among the best.
• famous play "Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees" (Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura)