Discuss the importance placed on and use of symbolism in Sanskrit, Chinese, and Noh theatre forms. Most of the Asian theater does not rely on realism as they use symbols and images as used in most of the scenes. An example of a symbol is in the use of a flag to represent an army. The use of symbolism is significant in various forms of Asian theater as they bring out more profound messages that are meant for the audience. The props and the scenes used in the plays are symbolic (Boisseau).
Compare the Public and Private theatres in Elizabethan England. What was the stage arrangement? Where did the audience sit? How extensively was scenery used? How was a locale indicated?
There were two forms of theaters in Elizabethan England; the indoor theater also referred to as private and the outdoor or in other terms the public theatre. The private theaters were costly, smaller in size, and they had a specific select audience. Public theaters were open to everyone, and they were characterized by raised platforms that were surrounded by the audience on the three sides of the theater. The viewers of public theaters were mainly from the lower classes; this is the reason why the public theaters were referred to as popular. The spectators in private theaters used to sit in pits, galleries, and boxes and they were mainly of the high class which is why the theaters were preserved for the people referred to as the select audience. The pit, benches, and boxes faced the stages from three sides of the theater to enable all the audience to watch the performance (McLaughlin 5).
Modern Theater in Japan
Towards the end of the twentieth century, the modern drama was made up of Shingeki which was a combination of naturalistic acting and contemporary themes which were different from the style of Kabuki and Noh. The orthodox modern theater was transformed during the postwar period whereby there was a drastic increase in creative new dramatic works that created new revolutionary concepts. Shingeki was highly accepted in Tokyo; this is because it challenged the traditional drama that was mainly focused on the portrayal of tragic history. The plots of Shingeki were complex as they were made up of play-within-a-play sequences and the mixture of reality and fantasy ("Japan Modern Theater").
Theatre forms such as No and Kabuki were perfected through the use of a narrator who used English to translate to the international audiences. The article on modern theater in Japan is enlightening as it discusses the ways through which theater in Japan was transformed. The one thing I was able to learn from the article is the ways through which modern theater borrowed ideas from traditional Japanese theater such as the use of masks to portray different personas like in Noh Theater. I have also learned that modern drama in the late 20th century used both fantasy and realism in the plots ("Japan Modern Theater").
Modern Japanese Theatre
My topic discussion is the modern theater in Japan and how it has transformed over the decades. Traditional drama in Japan was rigid and mainly focused on history and mythical figures; this brings the question as to whether the Japanese theater is appealing to modern audiences. The transformation of classical theater such as Kabuki or Noh has to perspectives to it; there is the argument that these forms of drama should be preserved and the other case is that theater forms such as Kabuki and Kyogen have become irrelevant to modern people.
In my opinion, there is the need to preserve the history of theater in Japan, but that does not mean that the drama forms cannot evolve to current times. For example, the use of translators during Japanese plays is an excellent way of ensuring modern spectators understand the scenes and enjoy the plays.
The two links to articles about modern Japanese theater are:
"8 Great Kinds of Theater in Japan." All About Japan, 7 Jan. 2018, https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/3350/
Croyden, Margaret. "THEATER; 'New Look' Kabuki." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News Multimedia, 19 July 1987, www.nytimes.com/1987/07/19/theater/theater-new-look-kabuki.html.
I found the two links through an online search about the traditional and contemporary Japanese theater. Both pieces discuss essential aspects regarding the history of theater in Japan. The two articles describe the different forms of conventional plays such as Kabuki, Noh, Kyogen, and Bunraku and so on.
Works Cited
Boisseau, Rosita. "Costumes of Complexity: From Nô to Mata Hari, 2,000 Years of Asian Theatre." The Guardian, 22 Feb. 2018, www.theguardian.com/fashion/costume-and-culture/2015/jun/19/paris-exhibit-asian-theatre-costumes.
"Japan Modern Theater." Country Studies, www.country-studies.com/japan/modern-theater.html.
McLaughlin, Erin M. "The Rise and Fall of Elizabethan Theatre." (2007). https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1585"context=honors_capstone
