Asian Theater (800 B.C.E. - 1801)

Indian Theatre

800 BCE

Indian Theatre is the oldest of Asian Theatre and marks the beginning of Asian theatre (Britannica). The dance and drama of Indian Theatre was developed by 8th century B.C.E. and is based off of Hindu religion (Britannica). In Hinduism the god Brahma had other god's to reenact the battle between the god's and the demons for entertainment, where demons would be defeated once again by being beaten with a flagstaff (Britannica).

Wayang Kulit

930

Wayang Kulit, shadow puppets of Indonesia, has a long history in Java that dates back to 930 A.D and holds cultural significance in India (Beatch 7). Wayang (shadow) Kulit (skin) are shadow puppets made from buffalo hide and are used to relay stories that portray good and evil, duty and loyalty, as well a the importance of respect (Beatch 7). Shows start at 8:30pm, darkness is necessary to cast shadows, and run for eight to nine hours (Brockett 316).

"The First Major Period of Chinese Drama"

1279

The major period of Chinese drama really began during the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) (Brockett 313). It was during this time when several Yuan plays were written and there are about 700 of them that have survived (Brockett 313). Next came the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and plays written during this time were more complex being made up of fifty or more acts (Brockett 313). This shows the transformation of theater in Asian culture (Brockett 313).

Noh Theater

1375

Noh Theatre began to develop around 1375, took its influence from Zen Buddhism, and began to show the integration of religion into theatre (Brockett 304). It had acquired its form from Kan'ami and his son Zeami (Brockett 304). Zeami is considered the greatest Noh dramatist, as he wrote 50 of the 250 plays (Brockett 304). Many of the plays that were written 400 years ago are still used in Noh Theatre today (Brockett 304)!

The Shrine in the Fields (Nonomiya)

1400

Attributed to Zeami, The Shrine in the Fields (Nonomiya) belongs to the third category called woman play and is based off of The Tale of Genji (Brockett 307). It attempts to portray the strong emotions that are experienced in the world by human kind (Brockett 308). In The Tale of Genji, Lord Genji is the lover of Lady Rokujo (Brockett 307). While attending a festival Lord Genji's wife has Lady Rokujo humiliated to which she moves to The Shrine in The Fields (Brockett 307).

The Peony Pavilion

1600

The Peony Pavilion, shows the transformation of plays being written to great lengths at a number of fifty five acts and was written by Tang Xianzu in 1600 (Brockett 313). The play is about a girl who dreams of a lover that she has only seen in her dreams, and the girl becomes sad throughout her life that she cannot be with him (Brockett 313). Until one day when her lover arrives at her grave and she is risen from the dead and comes back to life(Brockett 313).

Bunraku - Japanese Theatre

1601

Bunraku is considered "the most complex puppet performance in the world" and shows the change in artistic theatre (Brockett 308). It came into existence in the 17th century and was known for the doll like puppets that were used to imitate the characters in a play (Brockett 308). It takes three people to operate the puppets. One man operates the head and the right arm, where as the second operates the left arm, and a third operates the legs (Brockett 309).

Kabuki

1601

Kabuki shows the further transformation of Asian theatre and is the most popular of the traditional theatre forms (Brockett 309). Kabuki originated in the 17th century and took much of its plays and conventions from Noh and Bunraku theatre (Brockett 309). Kabuki theatre is composed of several acts that are driven by emotional incidents (Brockett 310). All roles of the plays are performed by men (Brockett 310).

Chūshingura

1748

Chūshingura is one of the most famous Kabuki plays that was written by Takeda Izumo in 1748 (Brockett 310). The original drama is composed of eleven acts that take an entire day to perform (Brockett 310). Chūshingura is a play that tells the story of fourty-seven samurai with a moral about seeking honor and revenge for the wrong that had been done to their master (Brockett 310).

Beijing Opera

1801

At the beginning of the nineteenth Beijing Opera had emerged and quickly became to dominant form of theatre (Brockett 313). It transformed the way that culture was relayed and is considered a hybrid of other forms of art that were brought to Beijing in 1790 (Brockett 313). A show is composed from selections of several longer works and end happily (Brockett 313). These shows also include acrobatics, stylized movements, and intricate costumes (Brockett 314).