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musical and Asian Theater crash course, Beijing Opera, Indian Kathakali,…
musical and Asian Theater crash course
Beijing Opera
The earliest Chinese performances seems to have been associated w/ religious rituals
When Daoism starts, Wu preiests would stage elaborate seances and some of these get co-opted as court performances where priests zhuzh up the rituals with jokes and special effects
By the 8th century BCE, certain temples become famous for their performers
During the Han Dynasty, in 206 BCE, Performance becomes more widespread, and more secular performers practice tightrope-waking, pole climbing, sword-swallowing, fire-eating, and occasionally slightly less dangerous stuff like juggling
shadow plays start appering
Jingxi or Beijing Opera
all kinds or theaterical styles are bing preformed
in 1790 different troups cam to Beihing to celebrate the 80th birthday of Emperor Qian Long
they combind their reigonal forms into one new style, Jingxi
THERE ARE 2 KINDS OF STORES
Civlil and military
there is lots of overlap
stories are barrowed from History, Legend and other works
They all end happily
are not set text more like bulitpoints
actors are encouraged to make each role their own
the focus is on acting, singing, and dancing
often would just include the high points and enought narrative and acrobatic to hel keel it all together
stories are elaborate
physical staging is minimal
theater consisted of
a raised, roofed platmorm
a 2 foot hisgh wall extending 3 sides
set pieces are a table and 2 chairs
are versatile
silver banner=water
black silk=a storm
a hip=riding horse back
black Gauze= a dream
yellow silk flacgs = a chariot
characters
Dan (Women)
6 types
until the 20th century roles were played by men
in tiny awkard shoes a
When women took over they had to learn how to play them from the men
Jing (Painted face Roles)
DEMON
courtier
god
thief
Sheng (Men)
7 types
Chou (clowns)
expected to improvise jokes
each role had its own pitch and rhythm
each had a bunch of movements associated with characters and moods
lot of the character work is done by costume and maleup
300 types of dress
47 dresses
6 girdles
46 headdresses
costumes are color-coded
red= brides and loyal characters
Yellow= royalty
White= eldery and morunig characters
mekup
most sheng and san characters started with a white base, that offsets darkened brows, read lips, and red outlined eyes
250+ types of makeup
most complicated is for jing characters
pattern and color coded
lot of black=good guy
a lot of purple= outlaw
lot of green= demon
only good characters were mustastches
the more white around the eyes the worse the character
flourishes for about 150 years the communism happens
In the Song Dynasty, people start writing plays
usually began w/ a spoken dialogue, then continue with a mix of dialogue and song
we have fragments of about 150 of these plays
Tow styles of drama developed
Zaju
found in the north
dramas were four acts long
"Romance of the western chamber"
got away with it by saying it was in five parts
acts contained 10-20 songs
songs were selected from 500 pre-existing melodies and accompanied by gong, drum, clapper, flute, and lute
songes were written for a seven-not musicla scale
eact song in the acts has its own vocal timber and rhyme scheme.
only the protagonist sings
preformed by men and women actors
somer were probably prostitutes
there are 170 plays left
Chan-qi
found in the south
have 30-50 acts
dot's have a fixed rhyme scheme per act
songs are written for a pentatonic scale
main instrument was the bamboo flute
most famous
The Peony Pavilion
55 act play
about a girl who falls in love with a man she's only seen in her dreams, she dies but the man comes and resurecs her
plays are lively and eventful
plaus got so long and elabirate
600CE, the Sui Dynasty
emperor Yang-Ti opens his own training school for performers Hots a festival featuring ten of thousands of performers
During the Tang Dynasty, performers start to combine music, dance, and acrobatics in innovative ways, and Emperor Xuanzong opens the pear garden, a training school supposed to help further that innovation.
around 100 CE a lot of poetry starts to develop, and then the novel comes to china
people started to share pices of novels in tea houses
thes preformances are narrative
they are not really acted out
In the late 13th century invading hordes come
the Mongols invade China, brging the Yuan Dynasty, and usher in a golden age of Chines literature
Dram of this period came from history, legend, and novels
Characters emerged from all classes and types. plays ranged over months or years
every plays conveyed a strong moral message, usually emphasizing family and duty
some of the plays might have offered subtle critiques of the political situation
Indian Kathakali
Kathakali
consisto of 8 hr. preformances
performances would last all night and climaxat dawn w/the killing of a demon
followed by a dance thanking the gods and asking for blessingson the audience
the lamp is then put out
fully developed by the 17th century
preformed in the outer courtsyards of temple
anyone could attend eving preformances winterto spring
a square of ground in the courtyeard w/ a satin curtain at the frount
the curten represents worldly illusions
a baraslap infrount
welcomes divine
at dusk a drum is played for gods to take there seats
followed by 2-3 hr. of preliminaries
prayers, warm-up acts, and drumsolos
thousands showed up for popular works
story play
a fusion of music, dancing, acting, and martial arts
barows stories from Hindu epics
Mahabharata
Ramayana
some were barowed from other sacrid texts
Puranas
recently there have been adaptations of Shakespeare and other western dramas
sripts run 30-40 pages
60 plays still preformed today
most written in Malayalam
there are poshions in sanskrit
modern preformances include scenes from three different plays
typicaly were preformed by men
some contemporary troupes include women
three types of preformers
actors dancers
learn highly regimented choreography
500 distinct hand gestures called mudras
gestures and huge range of facial expressions allow them to tellstories w/ just their bodies
reflecting the interstate of each character
9 Bhavas
Angry
Heroic
Pathetic
Fearful
Comic
Repulsive
Wonderous
Peace
Erotic
percussionists
singers
actors were onces drawn from martial artist
vode to preform until they died
have to train for 20 years to be considered a fully trained kata kali performer
Once an actor has become an expert in the role they are encouraged to add some passaged of dance and dialogue they they have created
it is always spoken, never sung
Qudiences expect to see this
it is one of the ways they judge a performance's success
only a wooden stool and weapons' are allowed
Characters
based on archetypes
Heroines
Demons
Demonesses
Gods
Kings
Animals
Priests
each has its own makeup
7 types of charaters
green=gods/ epic heroes
orange red= Ripe (Payuppu
Knife (katn)= the red mustache the evil king wear
faces are green
White Beard= deivine types
black beards=evil schemers
red beards= evil characters who are not schemers
black makeup= demonesses
strap-on face breasts
radian/shining makeup=heroines/ spiritual heroess
specials= for the other 18 characters who don't fit the archetypes
take 2-4 hr. to put on
a seed is placed under the ilids
it eritates to make the eyes red
evil bearded characters have fangs
elaborate headdresses are put on
and long silver nails on the left hand
helps accentuate movments
Kutiyattam
dance worship
both preformed in temples in Kerala
for any gods how happened to be watching
high cast people were allowed to attened
Krishattam
a cycle of 8 dance drama created around 1650 and dedicated to the god Krishna. w/ 1 drama preformed every night for 8 consecutive nights
Japanese Noh
Noh plays
are short
around 10 pages
consists of 2 scenes
most involve, a ghost, demon, or tormented human
is a mix of verse and proses
mostly sung or chanted
always ends in a dance
has at least 3 characters
some have 4 or 5
Shite=Main Character
some times disguised in the 1st scene and reviled in the 2nd
sometimes the Shite plays 2 different characters
only one masked in most plays
monster
god
female
male
agent
Tsure=The Shite's companion
Waki= Witness or Antagonist
a 6-10 person chorus sings, narrates, and take over lines when Shite is dancing
30 min - 2 hr
5 typs of Noh Play
court entertainment includes one of each type
preformances could last 8hr.
Kami Mon
feature the sacred story of a Shinto Shrine
Shura Mono
Feature warriors like Atsumori
Katsura Mono (wig plays)
Featured women played by men
4th type is a "grab bag"
Gendai Mono
Featured naturalistic stories
Kyojo Mono (Madwoman plays)
featured a women who loses a child or lover and then gose insane
Kichiku Mono (Demon plays)
feature supernatural beings
are philisophical and static
heavily influenced by Shinto ideas
connection to nature
also Buddhist ideas
transitory nature of life
and destructiveness of desire
not a lot of action
goal is to convey a good mood
primarily court entertainments
preformed for aristocratic audiences
actors were revered
many performers were able to join the noble cast, the Samurai
Noh stage
Hon-Butai
the main part
roofed like a shrine
held up by 4 pillars
jars are embedded under the stage
helps w/ acoustics
a pine tree is painted on the back wall
Hashigakari
on stage right
a bridge w/ a roof
dotted w/ three pine trees
represents heaven, earth, and man
Main characters enter and exit
no scenery
cators wear beautiful costumes
embordered silk
carry hand props
fan is the most importaint prop
can symbolize
rain
sun
wind
moon
etc.
The Hayshi
a 3 or 4 person ochestra
wear samurai costumes
a flute and 2 or 3 drums
sits at the of the stage
follows actors rhythms and movments
Noh actors train from age 7
Rigorous traing
means the performances must be perfect every time
tradition are still passed down and used today
no directors
no rehersals
Kogen
comedy scenes
were probably usesed as a change of pace
two kinds of Kyogen
Parodies of Noh
are like satyr plays
scenes of everyday life
based around stock characters
resembeled roman comedies
are never vulgar
usually music less
less extravagant language
history
Dengaku
Field music
prosipbly from Korea
associated with spring rice sowing and fall rice harvest festivals
include
comedy
Juggling
dance
Sacred dance was part of Shintoism
Kagura
God misoc
a dance preformed by priestesses
traditional religion of japan
In the 5th Century CE, Bussahism arrived
Japan Adopted additional forms of dance and ritual
"Recors of ancient things" from 712 CE explain these things
1thCentruy Buddhist temples adopted Sarugaku Noh
a claedned- up version of Sarugaku
Kiyotsugu Kan'nami
a famouse Sarugaku Noh preformer
when he arived Japan was a Shogunate
there is an emperor but most ruling is done by the Shogun (highest-ranking general
The Shogun in the late 14thcentury was Ashikaga Yoshimitsu
is a patron to Kan'Amis
uses classical Japanese stories then ties in Buddhism in
Zeami wirtes therorys of the plays and wrote 100 plays
we still have 21
wrote 20 books explaining the philosophy and style of Noh
Yugen
lending embodiment elegance while emphasizing the impermanence of life
Hana "flower"
Endowing the performance w/ spontaneity
Monomane
Identifying w. and embodying the character
used as a teaching tool
782 Nobles stop palace entertainers who were then taken in by Buddhist and Shinto tempels
Sarugaku
Monkey Music
possubly from China
had animal acts and nudity
includes dance theater
the chorus speaks the lines for the main character when the dance became to vigorous
Broadway Book Musicals
music and theater have alaways gone hand in hand
1st modern musical
The black Crook
a theater burns down and Parisian ballet had no were to go, producers parried the dancers with a incomprehensible play and tricked it out with music and song
it lasted 5 hours and made no sense
1st musical comedies
created in 1870s
made by Harrigan and Hart
started with sceckes and then grew into full plays
made fun of the working class
stereotyping was big
songs had nothing to do with the plot
1907, the Folies were born
loosely linked sketches with popular songs, with chorus of Follies girls
scripts were not great
girlie showns that men could perv out to
Florenz Ziegfeld
assembled groups of beautiful chorines
his follies were tame
10907-1931, there was a new follies every year, each leggier and more sumptuous that the last
The book Musical
Jerom Kern
father of book musiclas
started with fixing up british musicals.
music was good
lyrics whre conversational
At the Princess Theater, Kern and the lyricistGuy Bolton started writing charming, low-key musicals, became even better when P.G. Wodenhouse Joined
popular shows included
Oh Boy
Oh Dear
book musicals
characters are recognisable
contemporary situations
plots, lyrics, and style of song went together
by late 1920s the idea that songs should have somthing to do with the plot and the pot could be coherent caught on.
more that 50 revues and musicals crowed Broadway every year
1st modern musical
1927, Show Boat
Written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein
set on a Mississippi showboat
pushed musicals in to a more serious direction
honest examination of racism
It offered rich roles for African-American actors and gave them characters-driven songs like "Old Man River" and "Can't help Lovin' That Man"
servied the great depression and leveled up during WWII
entered a 20 year Golden Age
Defind by
their wit
sophistication
extremely hummable songs
dazzling and often athletic choreography
willingness to allow genuinely complex characters
After Oklahoma! the Golden Age continued untill the early 1960s
Rodgers and Hammerstein followed Oklahomh! with
Carousel
South Pacific
The sound of Music
The king and I
Oklahoma!
written in 1943 by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein
Based on Lynn Riggs's play "Green Grow the Lilaca"
Opened in 1906, when Oklahoma is still a territory
the songs were written first and where written in the voices of the characters
every song and dance number had a purpose
the ballet deam number took the musical to a daring, expressionist place.
The plot
Cowboy Curly starts with "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin" as though chating to the audance
curly and farm girl Laury like each otherbut can seam to get along
Laurey has another suitor: Jud Fry
to make Curly jealous, Laurey agrees to go to the box social with Jud, even though she's kind of afraid of him.
Curly takes the news hard, he goes to see Jud and sings a joke/not joke song suggesting that Jud kill himself, Jud, decides that he's going to marry Laurey- whether she wansts to or not
Laurey is so confused that she buys a magic potion from the Persian peddler Ali Hakim. she takes it ant falls asleep starting a 15min dream ballet
Laurey imagins marrying Curly and Jud murdering Curly.
When she wakes up shes to frightened to reject Jud, so they go to the box social
There's a scuffle between farmers and cowmen,and some comedy subplot.Jud and Curly firght over Laurey.
Curly sells all his things to win her heart. Jud confesses his feelings. Laurey Rejects him and then fires him.
Curly and Laurey are married but drunk Jud shows up and tries to kill curly, they tussle, and Jud falls on his own knife.
Curly and Laurey get to go off on their honeymoons
pioneered the original cast recording
Japanese Kabuki and Bunraku
Kabuki
developed during the Tokugawa Shogunate
military government that ruled from 1603-1868
after several failed civil war, the government achieved peace and prosperity
Onna Kabuki
aroudd 1603
Okuni
She became popular
she began mixing dance with little playlets and occasional cross-dressing
a female dancer from the Kzumo Grand Shrine, began preforming
people started adoping her style
set the preformances tothe music of the shamisen
a 3-stringed lute-like instrument
dance
jokes
sexy costumes
scenes set in bath houses
Women were band from acting in 1629
Kabuki continued
Kabuki moved to Ukiyo
the floating world
roles were played by young boys
they kept prostitution
In 1642, men playing women's roalse were outlawed
in 1648 Homosexuality was outlawed
1652 all young male actors were outlawed
mens Kabuki formed
they shaved their heads and made them selves unattractive to not brake the laws
typical program
lasted 12 hr,
untill 1868 when laws required there to be an 8 hr. maximum
stated with a historical drama
Jiadaimono
battles and samurai
followed by a dance
followed by domestic drama
1 more item...
dance became so important to the form
1 more item...
higly phisical
stage combat and marshal arts
Actors would hold a poise which signaled a hightened moment in the play
Mie
most actors were born in to the profesion
traning from age 6 or 70
not considered a professionally until age 40
soshail outcastsCOULD ONLY MARY OTHER PLAY FAMILIES
had to live near the theater
roles
Onnagata
male actors who played female roles
Tachiyaku
brave hearo types
Katakiyaku
mean villain types
Koyaku
children's roles
stage
wider
exstended the full width of the auditorium
curtain was added
made for speshal efects and quick scene changes
elivator traps
on a turn table
Hannamichi
Flower Way
a run way that came from the back of the theater to the stage
allowed actors to walkthrough the audience
narrator was present on stage
Bunraku
pupets started out as elaborate heads
then hands and feet
then aful body
the good ones had moving eyes and eye brows
three puppeteers handled puppets
one controlled the head and right arm
would have to spend 10 years training on feet, 10 years on the left arm before you could learn how to control the head
one controle the left are
one controlled the feet
by 1730's puppets were about 4ft tall
stages were big
36ft by 23ff
hade elevator traps
anounser hooded in black told the story
Chikamatsu Mozaemon
famous playwrite
called "Japanese Shakespeare
pulled plots form the news papers and dramatize them
loved suicide plays
plays about forbidden love that end in death
eventually his plays were band for being to sensational