Early Asian Theatres
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The development of theatre began in India over 2,000 years ago, and theatre
later became well established in China while formal theatre was dying in the
west. Theatre in Japan followed not long after. These traditions of Asian theatre,
established centuries ago continue to the present day.
The people who created theatre in Asia knew nothing of the theatres of Greece
or Rome.
Each of the Asian theatres is unique, but these theatres also have aspects in
common that set them apart from western theatre.
o Ex: They rely much more on dance than western theatre does
o They emphasize symbolism.
We will focus on three Asian traditions – Indian, Chinese, and Japanese
Indian Theatre
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Indian history has been characterized as a succession of immigrations into the
Indian subcontinent.
Early traces of civilization there go back to 3000 B.C.
The Aryans, who came into southern India 1,000 years later, left behind works in
Sanskrit that constitutes the basis of the great Indian literacy traditions.
Sanskrit Dramas
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What remains from the tradition of the Indian golden age is a group of plays
that were written in Sanskrit, the language of the noble classes, to be
performed in various court circles.
There are between fifty and sixty plays that can be reliably assigned to this
period, and the greatest of them are among the finest works of classical
Indian literature.
The Natyasastra – translated as The Study of Theatre or The Art of Theatre
o an ancient Indian treatise on the performing arts,
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encompassing theatre, dance and music. It was written during the period
between 200 BCE and 200 CE in classical India and is traditionally attributed to
the Sage Bharata.
The Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope. While it primarily deals with
stagecraft, it has come to influence music, classical Indian dance,
and literature as well. It coversstage design, music, dance, makeup, and virtually
every other aspect of stagecraft. It is very important to the history of Indian
classical music because it is the only text which gives such detail about the
music and instruments of the period. Thus, an argument can be made that
the Natya Shastra is the foundation of the fine arts in India.
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The typical theatre in which Sanskrit drama was performed was 96 feet long
and 48 feet wide, divided equally into stage and auditorium, and its seating
capacity was probably between 200 and 500.
o There were four pillars in the auditorium colored white, yellow, red, or
blue – indicating where members of different castes were to sit.
o A curtain divided the stage into two parts: one part for the action, and
the other for dressing rooms and a behind-the-scenes area.
o The few records available from the later period of Sanskrit drama
indicate that most performances were given by troupes invited to the
courts of the nobility, and performing spaces were arranged in
courtyards and similar areas.
o Scenery was evidently not used, although elaborate costumes
probably were.
o Dance, symbolic gestures, and music played an important part in the
productions; but again, we have no specific information about
performance practices.
o The plays often make use of fixed characters, such as a narrator and a
clown; once again, there are no details concerning how these
performers appeared onstage.
From what we know, the most productive playwright of classical India was
Bhasa, who may have lived around 400 A.D.
o Thirteen surviving plays have been attributed to him, but it is not
certain they are all his.
o Among the best-known plays of this general era is The Little Clay Cart,
attributed to King Sudraka, although his identity and dates have not
been clearly established.
 The Little Clay Cart concerns the love between a ruined
merchant and a courtesan.
 Its syle is enlivened and enriched by politics and humor.
The most famous Sanskrit play, however, comes from the fourth or fifth
century: Shakuntala, which is usually considered the finest classical Indian
drama and whose author, Kalidasa, is the greatest of the playwrights from the
classic period.
Later Indian Drama
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Sanskrit drama – both the plays themselves and dramatic criticism – had faded
by the end of the 9th century. By the 12th century, the Arabs had begun to invade
India, and in 1206 they established the sultanate of Delhi.
o With this series of invasions, the Hindu Sanskrit tradition disappeared.
o Under Islamic rule, theatrical activities were not encouraged and the old
ways of performing were no longer maintained among educated people.
Chinese Theatre
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The early development of theatre in China – as with many other forms of Chinese
art – was linked to the patronage of the imperial court. Popular forms of theatre
may also have flourished, of course, through no records of early folk
performances survive.
o Records of court entertainments go back as far as the fifth century B.C.,
and such diverse activities as skits, pantomimes, juggling, singing, and
dancing are frequently mentioned in ancient chronicles.
The court of the emperors during the Tang period (618-906 A.D.) was one of the
high points of human culture.
o At this time there was a kind of actors’ training institute in the capital; it
was called the Pear Garden and had been founded in 714.
 Details of activities and performances at the Pear Garden have not
been preserved, but it firmly established a tradition of training
theatrical performers.
In the Song dynasty (960-1279), which preceded the coming of the Mongols,
various court entertainments contributed to the development of what are known
as variety plays.
o In addition to court records, there are other documents recording the
existence of traveling theatrical troupes, some permanent playhouses, and
theatrical activity that involved not only actors, dancers, and singers but
also shadow puppets and marionettes.
o Low comedy was popular as well, and its effect must have been
something like our vaudeville.
A form that emerged in the province of Zhejiang, possibly in the early 12 th
century, was called nanxi, which means “southern drama,” after the region where
it developed.
o Indications are that at this time, four types of characters were predominant
in Chinese theatre: the sheng, or male character; the dan, or female
character; the jing, or painted face; and the chou, or clown.
o These were to remain staples of Chinese theatre in subsequent works.
A significant synthesis of art and popular tradition was to come in the dramas of
the Yuan dynasty.
o The Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) was well known in the west through the
writings of the Italian explorer Marco Polo.
o The form of drama perfected in the Yuan dynasty, often referred to as
zaju, usually had four acts or – perhaps more accurately, since these
plays used a great deal of music – four song sequences.
o Rather than writing specifically for the dramas, playwrights composed their
texts to suit the rhythms and meters of popular music already known to the
audience.
o Usually the protagonist sang all the music in any act.
o Unfortunately, none of the music has survived.
o Accounts from the Yuan period tell us that topics chosen by the
playwrights ranged from love and romance to religion and history,
domestic and social themes, crimes and lawsuits, and bandit heroes like
the western Robin Hood.
Theatre Production in the Yan Period
 Despite the fact that many Yuan texts survive and have been admired
down to the present day, relatively little is known about how they were
performed.
 In recent years scholars have managed to piece together a certain amount
of information on theater presentations.
o Professional actors and actresses performed in Yuan dramas, and
both would on occasion play male and female roles.
o Some of the actresses performed for private entertainments at the
palace, and stories of their affairs in high society were as eagerly
sought out as stories about the activities of today’s film and
television stars.
o The performers were organized into troupes, some of which were
run by women.
 Only meager information remains about the theatres used for these
performances.
o Evidently, there was a barge stage with two doors on each side at
the rear, and a painted cloth hanging between the doors.
o Most stages seem to have been built for outdoor use and were not
roofed over.
o Curtains and such properties as swords and fans were used, but
there is no evidence of any scenery.
o Much of the color of performances came from elaborate costumes.
 Some of the stylized robes, which are illustrated in artworks
of the time, resemble those in modern Beijing opera.
o Makeup was also important and was evidently applied heavily, in a
stylized manner.
Theatre in the Ming Dynasty
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By the end of the Yuan period, the level of accomplishment in theatre was
very high and drama had become firmly established as a respectable art
form.
With the overthrow of the Mongols, however, and the establishment of the
Ming dynasty (1368-1644), a Chinese emperor was restored to the throne.
At this point the traditional patterns of social behavior were restored;
highly educated scholars were still able to write plays, but they tended to
confine their efforts more and more to dramas that would please the elite.
The theatre, because of its very legitimacy, tended to become ornate and
artificial; it lost contact with the broad mass of the public, which had
originally supported it.
What had been an active theatre in the Yuan dynasty, responsive to
general audiences, now became a kind of “literary drama” which
emphasized poetry and was averse to sustained or powerful dramatic
action.
The structure of Ming plays often became far more complex than that of
Yuan plays.
Also, only one actor had sung in each act of a Yuan play, but several
actors were now permitted to sing during an act, and the instrumental
accompaniments became very elaborate.
One of the earliest and best plays written in this expanded form is Lute
Song by Gao Ming (c. 1301-1370), dealing with the questions of family
loyalty in a woman whose husband has abandoned her for political
reasons.
o Contains strong characterizations and beautiful poetry and has
been popular ever since its composition.
o This story of a faithful wife even reached Broadway in a musical
theatre version written for Mary Martin in 1946.
Attempts to create drama of distinction during this dynasty culminated in
the works of Li Yu (1611-1685), a scholar who failed his examinations and
became instead a playwright, theatre critic, and impresario.
o China’s first important drama critic.
o Believed that a playwright should write clearly, with a mass
audience in mind, and should be well versed in practical stage
knowledge.
o His writings on theatre – in which he dealt with such matters as plot
construction, dialogue, music, and versification – are among the
most important in the history of Chinese dramatic criticism.
o To support his forty wives and his numerous concubines and
children, he and his company of singing girl actresses traveled
around the country, seeking the patronage of local mandarins.
Because of the beauty and skill of his young actresses, his troupe
was often charged with corrupting the morals of young men.
o As a playwright, Li Yu was criticized by contemporary Chinese
literary figures for his dramatic style. He wrote his plays for
entertainment and placed little emphasis on the poetic songs that
other playwrights favored. Instead, he developed well-made
situation comedies with intricate plots and sophisticated dialogue.
o Li created original plots based on the lives of common people.
o Most of his notable plays, including Ordained by Heaven, Be
Circumspect in Conjugal Relationships, and The Error of the Kite,
revolve around romantic themes.
Japanese Theatre
Slide 1
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Types of Theatre
o Bunraku: Traditional Japanese puppet theatre founded in Osaka in 1684
o Kabuki: Classical Japanese dance-drama. It’s known for the stylization of
its own drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its
performers
o Noh: Major form of classical Japanese musical drama
o Kyogen: Traditional Japanese comic theatre
o Flowerway: the way they enter the stage
Slide 2
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Music and Performances
o Performers play ghosts, samurai, fair maidens and demons
o Everything is detailed
o Ex: Actors act different depending on if they drink hot or cold fluids or even
what cup they drink it from.
o Themes
 Common themes include loyalty, love, honor and revenge
Slide 3
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Bunkaru: Puppets
o Bunkaru puppets are half life size and operated by three performers
o Puppeteers are in all black because they are supposed to be invisible
o Omozukai (head puppeteer) wears colorful clothing while everyone else
wears black
o Chanter and Shamisen add music
o The story is told by one person and speaks the voice of all puppets
Slide 4
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Video
o Chushingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers
Slide 5
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Playwrights
o Chikamatsu Monzaemon
 1653-1725
 Wrote more than 100 plays
 Born into the samurai
 “Japanese Shakespeare”
 Wrote a lot of famous Kabuki plays
Slide 6
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Noh
o All performers were male
Slide 7
o Stock Duties
 Waki: Supporting Actor
 Hayashi: The musicians
 Jiutai: The Chorus
 Koken: Stage attendents
 Kokat: Child characters
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o Masks
 Usually only Shite wear masks
 Shite are the leading characters
 They tell the audience what kind of character it is
 The masks are carved out of Japanese cypress
 Sometimes, tsure, the accompany character, also wear a mask
Slide 9
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Costumes
o Usually of great elegance
Theatres
o There is a bridge which leads from the actors’ room offstage to the stage.
 The bridge is normally about 20 feet long
o The main playing space which it leads to is about 18 sq ft., it is roofed, and
has a ceremonial pine tree painted on the rear wall
o At the back of the playing space is a narrow section for four musicians
who accompany the play on flute, small hand drum, large hand drum, and
stick drum.
o No theatres were originally outdoors, and the audience san on three sides
of the stage.
Slide 10
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Zeami
o Greatest playwright and theorist
o Followed in his father (Kanami’s) footsteps
o Incorporated myth, legend, and literary allusion
o Banished to an island at age 70
o His plays live on today
Slide 16
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Kabuki 1603
o Well-known all over the world
o Real swords/ wild costumes
o Intense make-up
 Kumadori Make-Up
 There are several mask styles and colors such as
o Red- good & used to express virtue, passion, or
superhuman power
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o Blue – Bad, this color expresses negative traits such
as jealousy or fear
Emotion is also expressed through colors
o Red – anger
o Brown – selfishness
Kabuki performers don’t wear masks, they cover their faces,
necks, hands and white paint with red around their eyes and
lips