Kyogen in New York!

The grand 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)

He walks briskly.
He put his hands in his pockets and walked briskly with long strides.
They walk at twice the normal speed, or even faster. They're residents of this town, and they walk as if this is their everyday routine.
Everyone walking in the streets is walking quickly. They cross the street even when the light is red. Cars honk their horns without hesitation, and the sound echoes clearly between the skyscrapers. People have all sorts of skin and hair colors.

Just walking around is a busy task. This is New York.

In a world where shops and companies are constantly changing with the times, how will the Kyogen performance "The Heart Of KYOGEN," which carries on a 650-year tradition, be perceived by New Yorkers?

During this visit to the United States, I conducted workshops at educational institutions such as New York University, Princeton University, Keio Academy of New York, and on the final day, I traveled to Washington D.C. to attend George Washington University. This performance will be held at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in New York.

The contents are as follows:
As soon as the show began, a Kyogen actor appeared saying, "Hurry, hurry!" and started the show by saying, "We are now hurrying to New York." Another Kyogen actor appeared, and the two walked through the streets of New York, saying, "Hurry, hurry!" Along the way, they pointed out landmarks, saying, "Who is that big woman?" "That's the Statue of Liberty," and "What is this tall tower?" "That's the Empire State Building." Then, before they knew it, they had arrived at [venue name], "Let's open the doors to the venue," "Clatter, clatter, clatter (sound of doors opening)," and the intro began with the premise that they had arrived at the venue. This was a performance style not typically seen in Japan, but it was specially created for overseas audiences. The audience was delighted and laughed at this alone. Of course, it included subtitles.

Our method is to give a lecture before the performance.
Kyogen is a form of theater where the stage background never changes, and the actors express everything through dialogue and actions without relying on sound or lighting. Here, we incorporated a performance element and turned it into a quiz where the audience had to guess the actors' actions. Some of the answers were quite difficult, but the audience seemed to enjoy themselves while racking their brains.

And now, let me introduce the "face" that is also 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 particular mask represented the spirit of a mosquito. This reaction is the same in Japan, and even the interpreter seemed surprised, repeatedly asking us, "Really?"

They even got to try it out, albeit briefly. I was happy to see them actively try out the Kyogen stances and vocalizations. I think this reflects the national character of wanting to deepen their understanding by physically experiencing and feeling things for themselves. The high participation rate even led to a few extra treats...

The program consists of "Ne-Onkyoku" and "Fushi." Both are easy to understand and are popular in Japan.
Subtitles are now standard practice for 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, so we meticulously discussed and rehearsed how to bridge that gap. Thanks to that, the stress I used to feel was relieved, and I was able to perform on stage very comfortably.

After the show, we had a wrap-up party with the staff, and being able to talk about various things was a great bonus.
Should we focus on lectures or performances? Ideally, we'd like to make it performance-only, but wouldn't including lectures deepen understanding? What is our style, and what do we truly want to convey? A heated discussion ensued. We hope to use this discussion as fuel to deliver an even more powerful performance next time.

The customers were of various ages. Some were fluent in Japanese. Among them was a student from Columbia University. When I spoke to them, they said they were interested in and studying classical Japanese literature and medieval culture. I was surprised by their knowledge of areas that even we rarely get to explore.
Japan is a country with a long history and a diverse culture. That's why, I feel like I've learned that it's not just manga and cosplay, but a variety of other attractions that have been scattered throughout each era.