Don't forget we will have a Theatre History Quiz next class! Review your notes!
In the comments of THIS POST:
- REACTION: What did you think about Kabuki Theatre? What stood out to you? What did you appreciate about the theatre tradition?
- RESEARCH QUESTIONS: Based on your perfunctory knowledge of the theatre tradition, identify 2-3 possible topics for you to research. Pay attention that these must be performance based. You must be able to demonstrate something for the audience.
- SOURCES: Identify 3 new possible sources of information & include a evaluation of the source. What are the strengths of using this source? Areas for concern? (Check the blog that your sources haven’t already been used!)
What stood out to me was the cadences in the way which they spoke. It was very different from how we speak, and unlike any performance I've witnessed. Additionally, I thought it was interesting how the narrator compared the stylized movements drawing attention to a certain expression like a close up in film. The analogy helped me understand the intention of having such specific movements and how it focuses the audiences attention. With these two interests in mind, I can think of two research questions. 1)What is the significance in cadence of voice in Kabuki theater? Do a certain variety of pitches compose an archetype? 2)How do the stylized movements in Kabuki focus the audience's attention? Why does the audience's focus need to be on this element? Lastly, in order to research these questions I might use 3 different sources. 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDHM608wpU0 This source explains the use of voice in Kabuki. It is a video distributed by Contemporary Arts Media - Artfilms( a service which filters arts related videos and context from academic libraries) and shows a professor from Pomona College explains the techniques/reasoning. It seems very reliable. 2)A Kabuki Reader: History and Performance By Samuel L. Leiter. He has written 26 books on Japanese theater. By having so much experience with the topic, I would think the author is very knowledgable and has valuable information about Kabuki. 3)Stylized movement in interpreters theatre by Adeline Hirschfeld‐Medalia. This source is not exclusively about Kabuki and therefore it might not go extremely in depth about the art form as a whole. However, the theme is very specific, so it might go more into depth about the movement itself and the effect which it has.
ReplyDeleteREACTION:
ReplyDeleteThe most impressive parts for me were the visual arts of Kabuki ;make up techniques, costume designs and the stage designs. I thought the way of acting in Kabuki is already very unique and colorful itself, but the other parts rather than the actual performance also makes it even more interesting.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
1) From where and how did the extreme/exaggerated style of movements appear in Kabuki?
2) What are their point of view/aim of having that kind of vocalization?
3)What are the general messages they include in the Kabuki Play?
SOURCES: 1) http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/Early-Cultures-Asia/Kabuki-Makeup.html - This article explains the significance of makeup in Kabuki, as well as the origin
2)http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat20/sub131/item2785.html-This site basically shows the lives of the Kabuki actors with some representatives.
3)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QqwkbLsA8k - This video analysis the acting techniques of Kabuki.
1. As a very big fan of stage and special effects make up the make up was what stood out the most to me. The way how each one of the make ups for each one of the characters signified something and had a purpose was what caught my attention as though Ive been introduced into the world of kabuki before I had never correlated that each color or shape had a purpose and a meaning. Another thing I truly admire from the point of views of make up in this theatre form is the custom that all actors do their own make up. The work, layers, details and meaning all have to be known not only in theory but also in practice, allowing them to become closer to the art form.
ReplyDelete2. the tree conventions I would be interested in exploring are, the use of stock characters, the term of domestic melodramas, and lastly the use of defined pauses and movement based on the music.
3. Stock Characters: https://sites.google.com/site/utnarukami/kabuki-theatre-3/kabuki-acting-traditions-techniques this cite was created by the University of Wisconsin, allowing it to be a very reliable as it was created to educate and inform the public of the theatre tradition. Unfortunately as it is an American university the information will never be as good as a source originating from the same place that the tradition originated from.
Domestic Melodramas: Melodramas and Asian Cinema (ISBN: 0521414652) the book speaks of not only the concept of Melodramas in kabuki theatre but also shows specific and defined examples of said concepts. The downside of said book, is that the text is not solely based on Kabuki but instead various Asian theatre traditions.
The Mie pose: http://goinjapanesque.com/05396/ this cite was designed in Japan by a team of Japanese and American people working together to be able to create an informative cite to educate the public about these traditions. unfortunately it is not affiliated with any scholar or high end organization, therefore making it less reliable.
1: I think Kabuki theater is a very interesting form of art and expression. What stood out is how organic the movements and poses and everything is onstage. I'm very happy this theater tradition is still alive today.
ReplyDelete2: A few things to research:
Kabuki makeup techniques.
What are a few historical plays the actors portray?
What is the context behind Kabuki?
3: Sources to research from:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/an-introduction-to-kabuki-theater
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2090.html
https://www.kabukiweb.net/theatres/kabukiza/information/
1-While watching the video on Kabuki theatre various apsects of the permormance stood out to me, such as: their body movements (which the performers used to capture the audience atention) and their make up, which helps them convey meaning to their performance considering that their make up's color and style have a meaning correlating to the play's concept.
ReplyDelete2-
-Makeup techniques
-How they use exaggerated movement to convey meaning to the play?
-How did the Kabuki theatre first started?
3-This source allowed me have a deeper understanding of Kabuki theatre, as by reading this source I became aware of the context and background of this art form: https://www.britannica.com/art/Kabuki
Other source that aided me to understand how this theatre works was this websitehttp: //thestorybehindthefaces.com/2012/01/20/kumadori-japanese-kabuki-theatre-makeup/. Focusing, primarily in the way the actors style their makeup.
Lastly, this source the performers techniques and how they relate to their traditions: https://sites.google.com/site/utnarukami/kabuki-theatre-3/kabuki-acting-traditions-techniques
Reaction:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this piece of Kabuki theater, especially in the way that they worked with movement and expressions. each of their movements is "stretched out" and their makeup is very exaggerated to demonstrate the types of different characters which I find is really different from western theater, in which we only see the difference in their personalities and clothing style
Research Questions:
1. Why does a type of makeup specifically represent a specific type of character? What makes that makeup characteristic to a certain archetype?
2. What is it about domestic melodramas that make the style so popular in Kabuki?
Sources:
1. https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/jacult.arts.drama.makeup/japanese-culture-kabuki-makeup/#.WajFGZOGN0c This source explains aspects of one of my research questions and is government based, therefore reliable.
2. http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/Early-Cultures-Asia/Kabuki-Makeup.html This source also talks about the importance and meaning in makeup but it's less reliable since it's made as a type of wiki.
3. https://www.artelino.com/articles/kabuki_theater.asp This source talks about the types of Kabuki and some of its historical context but may not be reliable since it's styled similarly to a blog.