Modern Japanese Theatre and Performance [Paperback]

This fascinating collection of essays commemorates the thirtieth anniversary of J. Thomas Rimer's seminal work,Toward a Modern Japanese Theatre (1974). The essays capture the complex strategies by which Japanese theatre artists, ranging from shingeki to the postmodern, exercise their craft. This edition is a must for those interested in the changing landscape of performing arts in Japan.Modern Japanese Theatre and Performance is a collection of sixteen essays on Japanese theatre, including historical overviews of twentieth century theatre, analyses of specific productions and individuals, and consideration of the intercultural nature of modern Japanese theatre. Also included is a new translation of a 'Superkyogen' play.At the heart of the development of modern Japanese culture, the theatre mirrors the issues and concerns of a society transitioning from the Tokugawa era to the modern period. Modern Japanese Theatre and Performance fills a gap in current Japanese theatre scholarship; the book discusses the role of women in modern theatre, buto dance, experimental theatres that combine traditional theatre with modern forms, and plays by Abe Kobo, Mishima Yukio, and Senda Koreya. With important contributions from both established and emerging scholars, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in theatre, modern performance, or Japanese studies.Chapter 1 Introduction: Modern Japanese Theatre (Revisited) Part 2 Shingeki History Chapter 3 Why Did Sewamono Not Grow into Modern Realist Theatre? Chapter 4 The Rhetoric of the Real Chapter 5 Moment(um) of Memory: Metapatterns in Japanese Theatre Since the 1960s Chapter 6 The Quest for Salvation in Japan's Modern History: Four Plays by Akimoto Matsuyo Chapter 7 Poison Women and National Identity in Postwar Japanese Performance Chapter 8 Senda Koreya and the Tenko Paradigm Part 9 Experimental Theatre(s) and Border Crossings Chapter 10 Structureless in Structure: The Choreographic Tectonics of Hijikata Tatsumi's Buto Clâ