It's Kyogen in New York!
A stage for Kyogen performers living in the 21st century
Vol.11 “The Heart Of KYOGEN” in USA
Ozo doctrine (Noh performer Kyogen style Ozo school)
Walk briskly.
He put his hands in his pockets and walked with long strides.
He was walking twice as fast as usual, if not faster. He was a resident of this town, and he walked as if this was an everyday occurrence.
Everyone on the street walks quickly. They cross the street even when the light is red. Cars honk their horns without restraint. The sound echoes clearly between the skyscrapers. There are all kinds of skin and hair colors.
Even walking is hectic. This is New York.
As stores and companies change rapidly with the times, how will New Yorkers view "The Heart of Kyogen," a kyogen performance that carries on a 650-year-old tradition?
During their five-day visit to the US, they gave workshops at educational institutions such as New York University, Princeton University, and Keio Academy of New York, and on the final day they traveled to Washington, D.C., to give workshops at George Washington University. The performance took place at a theater in New York called the Bruno Walter Auditorium.
The contents are as follows.
As the show begins, a Kyogen actor appears, shouting "Hurry, hurry," and begins, "We're hurrying to New York now." Another Kyogen actor appears, also shouting "Hurry, hurry," as the two walk through the streets of New York. Along the way, he introduces famous places, asking questions like "Who's that big woman?" "That's the Statue of Liberty," and "What's this tall tower?" "This is the Empire State Building." In the meantime, he begins with an intro setting the audience as if they've just arrived at the venue, saying, "Before we knew it, we'd arrived at XX (venue name)," "Let's open the doors to the venue," and "Rattle, rattle, rattle~ (sound of the door opening)." Although this is not a production that is performed in Japan, it was specially created for overseas audiences. This alone had the audience laughing and delighted. Of course, it is subtitled.
Our method is to give a lecture before the performance.
Kyogen is a form of performance in which the background never changes, and the actors express everything through their lines and movements without relying on sound or lighting. This part included a performance, and the audience was asked to guess the actors' movements in a quiz format. Some of the answers were quite difficult to guess, but the audience enjoyed themselves even as they racked their brains.
We will also introduce the "faces" that are featured on the flyer.
Kyogen masks are used to portray animals as well as gods and spirits, but everyone was surprised to hear that this mask was for the spirit of a mosquito. This reaction is the same in Japan, but the interpreter also seemed surprised, asking us repeatedly, "Really?"
They also had the chance to try out a little bit of Kyogen. I was pleased to see them actively trying out the postures and vocalizations of Kyogen. I think this is a reflection of the Japanese national character, which wants to deepen understanding by experiencing and feeling things for themselves. There was such a high participation rate that we even ended up giving them a little treat...
The pieces are "Neonkyoku" and "Fushi." Both are easy to understand and are popular in Japan.
Subtitles are now commonplace in overseas performances. I've been working with Noh Society, the organizer, for nearly five years. If the subtitles aren't pressed at the right time, there's a time lag between the acting and the audience's laughter. We discussed and rehearsed in detail how to bridge this gap. Thanks to this, I was able to relieve the stress I'd been feeling and perform on stage with great ease.
After the performance, we had a party with the staff and were able to talk about various things, which was a great benefit.
Should the performance be centered around a lecture or performance? While we would prefer a performance-only event, wouldn't a lecture deepen understanding? What is our style and what do we really want to convey? A lively discussion unfolded on these and other issues. We hope to use this discussion as inspiration to present an even more powerful performance next time.
The customers were of all ages. Some were fluent in Japanese. One of them was a student at Columbia University. He told me that he was interested in and studying classical Japanese literature and medieval culture. I was surprised at his knowledge of subjects that were difficult for us to access.
Japan is a country with a long history and a diverse culture. This is why, I feel like I learned, each era is filled with diverse charms, not just manga and cosplay.
