Noh Theatre

I was really excited to see that we were going to be reading/discussing a Noh play. I learned about it a few years ago in Theatre History but haven't had much to do with it since. I am intrigued by the discipline of Noh and by how long it takes to be trained to do a specific part for it. I love to watch the actors glide across the stage nearly effortlessly all while the body and head never seem to move. I remember learning that you had to begin training at a very young age and were beaten with a stick by your instructor, usally the veteran of the theatre, until you had the right kind of posture for the specific role you were playing. Everything about Noh seems so delicate and precise, which I look at as comforting as an actor. You usually tend to avoid playing "emotions" but in the Noh, an expression of emotion can be the critical point in a scene. I would love to experience more with this kind of Theatre because I don't think you can get the full effect of it unless you see it live.

Spooky Stuff

Noh Theatre-
As I watched the video and read on the Noh Theatre, I found it to be kinda eerie! Don't get me wrong I found it very, very interesting but it left me with chills. The video more than the play. I paid close attention to the smallest detail to their movements and how much discipline it must have taken. Had I not read the play I wouldv'e really been lost. The video just expounded on my knowledge of the Noh theatre and visually I see now what the actors have to do. It's been said that they all have been taught since childhood and are not even considered a real NOH theatre actor persay until they are around 40. I was not surprised that the men play all the parts, but I would have really liked to have seen how the women move as opposed to the men. Would it have been the same or would there be suttle differences. All in all, the Noh theatre is very interesting and is filled with beautiful movements and stylized dancing and siniging, which is in still spooky to me but at the same time intriguing.

Don't Say Noh to Noh Plays

I, too, was puzzled and intrigued as we watched the Noh play in class on Monday. However, this experience did remind me of these plays' connection with Zen Buddhism. It is important for us to remember that one of Buddhism's key teachings is that only through the limitation of the emotions and self-control over pleasure can one reach enlightenment. This is why many Asian Buddhist cultures have such amazing craftsmanship ability; their worship involves self-discipline-a self-discipline that will produce excellence and ultimately harmony with the universe.

Zen Buddhism also emphasizes meditation as part of religious practice, and many Buddhist rituals are intended to evoke altered states of consciousness in the participants. Maybe that is the best way to view these plays. They are not necessarily intended to be representational of actual events or characters, although that may be part of it, but they are intended to evoke a new or heightened way of perception. Western minds have a hard time grasping this idea, because we are mostly unaware of when our consciousness is altered, but even in the West, we begin to grasp such ideas through yoga and similar practices.

So, let's be open-minded about the Noh plays, because they require an open mind in order to enlighten us.

Confusion

Okay I really had no idea what was going on in this play and I'm so glad I wasn't the only one. But I don’t think it was the translation I just couldn’t get the story line. I've just one question, was the movie suppose to help clear things up? At all? Because for me if it wasn't for the subtitles and the overview by Amy I would not have been able to partially keep up. I can understand the actors wanting to symbolize important parts of the play but I never got how the princess was in a jealous frenzy, until I was told about it. First of all she was just standing there, Second even if she were walking slowly maybe a bit more gesture would have helped, just a little, she was so still. However I do think that the rhythmic walking was cool, and because the music was so repetitive it must have helped out with staying in step. Crossing the bridge was suppose to indicate distance right or was it the walking very slowly and sedately the way how?


I read Meredith's post and some of the same questions she asked I thought up myself, but the main one that kept recurring to me was what happened to the sick princess/lady Aoi? The entire play was about the princess and her jealousy, what about the person who was affected by it. Did she die? Get better, become an invalid, did she get better and try to get revenge on Rokujo? What happened to this woman, it seems like she was a driving figure in the plot considering she was the cause of the princess's jealousy.

This is my first time actually reading The Colored Museum. Before the reading, I had only seen parts of episodes of the play from the made-for-tv version. I am really moved by the beginning episode entitled, "Git on Board" simply because the playwright invites the audience to become active spectators. The play gives voice to the stories that may have been heard but not given attention to. I believe this play is timeless and makes a statement to the audience,"We are here. This is our history, and you will know it.

Alright, I know that I sound like the total dunce in the class but Aoi No Uye was so confusing to me. It was short and sweet but I when I was done I just found myself confused. I wasn't completely sure who was who and if the princess ever was cured...or if she had died and if she was the ghost. I was completely lost.

I'm curious about how much the translation is to blame for my confusion. If you all recall, I was also completely oblivious when we read The Trojan Women, which was also a translation. This seems to be a common theme with me. I'd be interested in knowing how everyone else overcomes this or if I'm the only one that is having a consistent problem.

Episodic Theatre

In reading The Colored Museum, I am forced to reconsider a preconception that I've held regarding what I consider strong theatre. I've always been a bit prejudiced (maybe the wrong term to use in discussion of this play) against episodic theatre - I don't like Spoon River, or Galileo because these plays are basically chopped up into little vignettes. I prefer one story, even if it's complicated, to a series of chopped up events.

I am, however, beginning to see the value of this type of theatre. It certainly has a long history; one might even argue that The Trojan Woman is episodic theatre. I think that this style is especially useful to the playwright trying to make an activist point. Often, when we as playwrights get into a storyline, we lose our way in regard to overall theme. In those cases, and often powerfully, the story resonates more than the point we are trying to make. If, however, we desire to use theatre as a tool for social or cultural change, it might be important to simply craft smaller scenes that offer less complication and confusion to the viewer regarding our driving point.