Asian Theatre

By MW2022
  • 1767 BCE

    Chinese Theatre

    Chinese Theatre
    "Chinese theatre can be traced back to 1767 B.C. By 200 B.C. emperors were keeping thousands of entertainers at court who play the "the hundred play" because of the diversity of the entertainments. Schools were established to train performers" (Brockett, et al. 313). "During the Ming Dynasty works could have had as many as fifty acts, the acts would have had their own titles" (Brockett, et al. 313).
  • 1101

    Wayang Kulit

    Wayang Kulit
    Wayang Kulit is Asian theatre performed with puppets. "It was first mentioned in a Japanese poem from the 12th century, but it is presumably older than that and emerged in connection with other similar Asian forms of theatre" (asianartnewspaper). " Puppets are made from leather and are cut and perforated to create patterns with light and shadow when the puppets images are cast onto the screen" (Brockett, et al. 316).
  • 1375

    Noh Theatre

    Noh Theatre
    The Shogun that was in control of Japan at this time gave two men, Kiyotsugu Kan'ami and Zeami Motokiyo, "under his patronage and granted them samurai status in his court. Working within this refined atmosphere, these two men gave Noh its characteristic form" (Brockett, et al.304). Zeami created at least 50 of the 250 plays that are in the Noh repertory. "Every Noh play is set to a specific season and the scenery and mood must match the season the play is set in"(Brockett, et al. 307).

  • The Peony Pavilion

    The Peony Pavilion
    "The Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu, is probably the most admired play from the Ming Dynasty. It is fifty-five acts about a girl who pines her life away for a lover she has only seen in a dream. When he appears at her grave, the girl is resurrected. The paly was presented in its entirety, for the first time anywhere, at Lincoln Center in New York in 1999. Long plays like The Peony Pavilion, were more popular with readers" (Brockett, et al. 313).

  • Kabuki

    Kabuki
    "Kabuki, "the art of singing and dancing", is the principal form of Janapese theatre, orginating during the Edo Period. As indicated , kabuki performances are extremely dynamic: trapdoors allow sudden changes of scene, making actors disappear; while a live orchestra plays, accompanying the action with traditional instruments. Plots revolve around historical events, love, conspiracy,moral conflicts, ect. What is being shown is just part of the entire story" (Carol, Asia Highlights).

  • Chikamatsu Monzaemon

    Chikamatsu Monzaemon
    "Chikamatsu Monzaemon is often considered Japan's greatest playwright. He is best known for his five act history plays and his three act plays on comtemporary life. He was admired above all for his plays about the double suicides of lovers, his sensitive characterization, and beautiful language" (Brockett, et al. 309). Chikamatsu wrote "plays for both Bunraku and Kabuki" (Brockett, et al. 309).

  • Beijing Opera

    Beijing Opera
    "It was not until the 19th century that what we know as Beijing Opera emerged as a dominant and trult theatrical form. Beijing Opera is a hybrid that eveloved from other regional forms brought to Beijing in 1790 to celebrate the emperor's 18th birthday. Beijing Opera is theatrical rather than a literary form. An evening's performance is usally made up of selections from longer works. These are intermingled with acrobatic displays" (Brockett, et al. 313).

  • Gao Xingjian

    Gao Xingjian
    "Gao Xingjian (1940-) won acclaim in China and then internationally. He writes more in the vein of absurdism and the avant-garde, traits seen in works such as Bus Stop (1983) and The Other Shore (1986); the latter was highly critical of the Communist government and let to Xingjian emigrating to France where he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000" (Brockett, et al. 315). Based on what was justed cited, Xingjian was not liked by the Chinese government for writing what he thinks.

  • Sankai Juku

    Sankai Juku
    "Sankai Juku founded in 1975 by Amagatsu Ushio, has had resounding international fame. The all male company of performers, often dressed in only robes or sarong -like garments, uses white rice powder to cover their shaven heads and near nude bodies. Performances use slow repitive movement patterns, and selective isolations of body parts. The movements can be so slow that, at times, it seems af if the actors are statues" (Brockett, et al. 312).

  • Theatres in Asia

    Theatres in Asia
    "The Grand Theatre in Shanghai cost about $150 million and includes a main auditorium seating 1,800 and two smaller halls. It is one of Asia's most advanced theatrical structures. In the large auditorium, tha main stage, rear stage, and two side stages can be rotated, raised, or lowered; its orchestra pit accomodates 120 instrumentalists. Another great theatrical structure is the Grand National Theatre in Beijing. It cost over $400 million it create" (Brockett, et al. 315).