Kabuki Theatre

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Kabuki Theatre

• of Japan

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• Shortly after bunraku had become well
  established, a new form of popular theater,
  called kabuki, developed, in the early and middle
  seventeenth century.
• Legend has it that kabuki was originated by an
  actress, Okuni, who lived around the end of the
  sixteenth century.

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• Kabuki drew its material from plays written for
  Noh and bunraku the exaggerated gestures of
  kabuki are often attributed to the fact that in
  its early phases a conscious attempt was made to
  imitate puppets.

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• Despite these exaggerated and stylized gestures,
  though, kabuki was less formal and distant than
  Noh, which remained largely the theater of the
  court and nobility.

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• Kabuki quickly became a tremendously popular form
  of theater, and it remains a favorite of Japanese
  audiences today.

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• Kabuki was performed first by all-female troupes,
  then by boys, and finallybeginning in 1652by
  all-male companies.
• Kabuki actors are trained from childhood in
  singing, dancing, acting, and physical dexterity.
• The actors who play women's parts are
  particularly skillful at suggesting the essence
  of a feminine personality through stylized
  gestures and attitudes.

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• The costumes and makeup are elegant as well as
  colorful.
• Musicianssometimes onstage, sometimes offstage
  generally accompany the stage action.

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• The stage used for kabuki performances underwent
  various changes during the history of the art,
  but the same principles were observed after the
  middle of the eighteenth century.
• The stage is long and has a relatively low
  proscenium.

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• Another device used in kabuki is the hanamichi,
  or "flower way," a raised narrow platform
  connecting the rear of the auditorium with the
  stage.
• Actors often make their entrances on the
  hanamichi and occasionally perform short scenes
  there as well.

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• Kabuki features elaborate and beautiful scenic
  effects, including the revolving stage, which was
  developed in Japan before it was used in the west.

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