CHARACTERS
Hitomi - A samurai- the hero
Heromi - Akatsura - The Villain
Hentai - An onnagata - the heroine
Priest - Priest
Chanters [narrators]
Musician [drum]
Story
Hentai is sitting in her garden painting her new fan. She is at peace and delicately gets up to go and
change the water for her brushes.
As she is getting fresh water Akatsura stumbles into her garden. He sees her. He stops. He looks. Then he
hears someone approaching.
The priest enters the garden and goes to speak to Hentai.. He has news. He whispers to her through her
fan - a secret - that her love Hitomi is back from war and will come to see her soon.
Hentai is very happy to hear this and as she giggles with delight at this news, she covers her face with her
fan to keep her priest from seeing her.
Heromi, hears what the priest has to say and is not happy. He is the arch enemy of Hitomi. He thinks. He
makes a plan. He makes a plan to make Hentei think He is Hitomi.
He comes out from the bushes and makes his entrance in the garden, He calls to Hentai.. Hentai turns to
him,her eye line just above the fan. She sees ‘Hitomi’ in his armour. He tells her his face is cut and ugly
from injury at war. He comes closer to her. She is unsure of him, something's not right.
He gets closer and as he does the real Hitomi enters the garden, He is fast to act. He draws his sword.
Hentai runs to safety to the other side of the garden. She covers her eye with her fan as she cannot look.
Hitomi kills Hirome with his sword.
Hitomi goes to comfort Hentai.
END SCENE
Performance Elements
➔ Each character must present in MEI- A held
pose as they enter the scene so the audience
knows which character is entering
➔ Samurai - wide sweeping movements; angular
head movements; feet always pointed out
➔ Onnagata - small, quick steps to create a glide.
All movement of arms comes from elbow height.
Use of fan to hide emotion and present
pureness. All moves are effortless
➔ Priest - parallel walking with feet in straight
lines. Curl the toe to help maintain. Hands lay
on the thighs with elbows tucked in.
➔ Use a large area of stage
Technical Elements
➔ narration must be clear
➔ narration must follow the punctuation pattern
➔ narrator must allow time for the performers to
complete the movements and gestures
➔ drummer must follow rhythm of the punctuation
➔ drummer must be precise when a key event
happens in the story
➔ both must be on one side of the stage at all
times