The Complexity of Traditional Chinese and Japanese Theater Arts Essay

Introduction

Asian theater continues to evolve as a part of a big cultural revolution connected to tangible globalization taking place in the East as well as the West. Theater remains a highly appreciated performing art in Japan and China, but outside influences become more apparent. Drama traditions of Beijing opera, Noh theater, and Kabuki theater are quite similar in their origins and content. Both Noh theater and Chinese opera developed as a form of entertainment for powerful and wealthy social classes. Japanese and Chinese drama originated primarily from religious and historical texts. While certain similarities between the two are apparent, costumes, set design, and acting styles make Chinese opera and Japanese Noh and Kabuki theaters immensely different.

Origins

Traditional Japanese theater includes four performance traditions, including noh, kyogen, kabuki, and bunraku. This essay is going to focus on noh and kabuki. Chinese opera, on the other hand, is full of dozens of different regional theaters with Peking (Beijing) opera being the most popular (Miettinen, “Theatre of the Capital”). Noh theater and Beijing opera both emerged as entertainment for the court. The samurai class claimed the patronage of Japan’s oldest Noh theater, while Peking opera gained favor in the reign of the Qing dynasty and its followers (Miettinen, “Noh, Crystallised Aesthetics”). Chinese opera “as a comprehensive theatrical form consists of more than three hundred national and local genres” (Siu and Lovrick 225). The cultural climate in Asia began to change slowly, and, as a result, commoners started to become patrons of sophisticated drama productions modified and simplified for new audiences.

The opposite process was true for Kabuki theater developed by female entertainers. Comedic plays gained popularity since the start of the theater in 1603, but public outrage over the vulgarity and excess eroticism of kabuki led to the government prohibiting women from acting in the plays (Miettinen, “Kabuki, Theatre as Spectacle”). Kabuki theater transformed into ‘male’s kabuki’ and began to distance itself from commoners attracting more serious dramatists and performance professionals (Miettinen, “Kabuki, Theatre as Spectacle”). While Noh and Beijing theater traditions originated from privileged classes, Kabuki drama moved from the bottom towards the Olympus of Japanese social hierarchy.

Acting Techniques

Both Japanese and Chinese theaters required particular acting skills and physical preparation. Kabuki and Chinese opera were full of non-realistic acting and dynamic fighting sequences based mainly on martial arts (Miettinen, “Theatre of the Capital”). Strength and poeticism characterized the acting in traditional Asian plays. Both Chinese and Japanese actors used dancing to highlight climactic action and dramatic plot twists. Beijing opera and Noh theater, however, encouraged composed facial expressions and movements. Slowness and precision were integral to the performances (Miettinen, “Noh, Crystallised Aesthetics”). Noh actors’ dancing was limited to a few circular motions, while Chinese performers practiced expressing a wide range of emotions, including anger, restraint, and hesitation, by minimalistic movements. Kabuki acting, on the other hand, was comprised of expressive facial expressions and dynamic body moves (Miettinen, “Kabuki, Theater as Spectacle”). Kabuki theater created excitement and thrill among the audience, but Noh and Beijing performances possessed hypnotic, almost magical qualities.

Costuming

Japanese and Chinese dramas were famous for exquisite, grandiose costuming. Various flowers, patterns, and ornaments had symbolic value being full of meaning and secret messages about the character and their background. Costume changes became a part of Kabuki performances often held in tea houses (Miettinen, “Kabuki, Theatre as Spectacle”). Kabuki theater and Peking opera used make-up to help actors portray different emotions. While white paint remained a symbol of regality and privilege, red make-up indicated a villain in the story (Miettinen, “Theatre of the Capital”). Noh actors, on the other hand, used unique masks and sophisticated brocade robes to perform (Miettinen, “Noh, Crystallised Aesthetics”). Facial expressions were considered vulgar during the establishment of Japanese theater. As a result, masks were valuable works of art that became a crucial part of early Noh drama productions. While there are numerous nuisances and traditions in clothing, Japanese and Chinese costumes charm audiences with their symbolism and grandiosity.

Content

Themes of Chinese and Japanese plays come from historical texts, anecdotes, and religious scripts. Poetry is often adapted by dramatists adding more symbolism and literary allusions to the stories. Noh theater, however, does not have a sharp distinction between prose and poetry, creating a net of sophisticated aesthetics for the audience to enjoy. The primary ethical dilemmas of Noh plays include ethical conflicts between two different ideologies among the samurai class (Miettinen, “Noh, Crystallised Aesthetics”). Kabuki performances are simple in their narrative and include plays about the Japanese feudal period (jidaomono), domestic (sewamono), and acting (shosagoto) plays (Miettinen, “Kabuki, Theatre as Spectacle”). Chinese opera is categorized based on the themes it explores (civilian and martial) and the skills required from the actors (singing, fighting, recitation, etc.) (Miettinen, “Theatre of the Capital”). Thus, differences in content between Japanese and Chinese traditional plays are apparent, but their historical and religious origins remain quite similar.

Music

Chinese and Japanese dramatists do not treat music as a background but rather a crucial part of any performance that can enhance the story and appeal directly to the audience’s emotions. Noh and Kabuki theaters have the same musical origins with Kabuki melodies often being derived from earlier Noh plays (Miettinen, “Kabuki, Theatre as Spectacle”). If the singing is present, it is usually very low and monotonic because of the centuries-old male-only performances. Peking opera is famous for women’s excellent falsetto technique (Miettinen, “Theatre of the Capital”). Noh performances are quite different from Chinese opera because the music does not accompany the action but rather gives aural addition to the story. Overall, Noh’s musical traditions are minimalistic, with silent moments deliberately emphasized.

The innovative side of Noh theater is demonstrated by using drummers’ shouts and the wooden stage as instruments. Large pots hidden underneath the floor amplify actors’ stamping during particularly dramatic moments (Miettinen, “Noh, Crystallised Aesthetics”). Kabuki, on the other hand, uses the ‘shamisen’ and wooden clappers to accompany narration, especially at the beginning of the play and during climaxes (Miettinen, “Kabuki, Theatre as Spectacle”). It is clear that while Chinese and Japanese theaters use different techniques and instruments, cultural differences influence the part music plays in traditional plays and operettas.

Theatrical Space: Set Design, Lighting, and Props

Theatrical space and set structure remain immensely important in both Chinese and Japanese drama productions. Traditional plays were set on wide wooden stages, with some performances taking place in tea houses where visitors were required to make necessary reservations to attend (Miettinen, “Theatre of the Capital”). Prop and furniture placement still remains symbolic for the Noh and Beijing theaters. Minimalistic stages of the Noh theater with basic prop frameworks and unpainted wooden roofs are the opposite of the complexity Kabuki set designers have to offer (Miettinen, “Noh, Crystallised Aesthetics”). The acoustics of a traditional Kabuki theater characterized “the experience of the audience of a theatrical genre of particular importance for Japanese culture, with its peculiar mixture of spoken theater and music” (Büttner et al. 1112). Revolving stages introduced by Japanese dramatists create optical illusions, and quick set stages integrated into the performances become highlights for the audience (Miettinen, “Kabuki, Theatre as Spectacle”). The wooden floors of the Chinese opera are often carpeted to make the tricks more comfortable for numerous acrobats involved in the plays.

Theatrical spaces used gas lights, but electric lights were introduced in the twentieth century. Modern lighting, however, as well as different microphones and amplifiers seemed to ruin the authenticity of both Chinese and Japanese performances and restrict the dancers’ movements on stage (Miettinen, “Theatre of the Capital”). Performance became more Europeanized as new inventions started to take hold in the plays because of their practicality.

Conclusion

Japanese and Chinese theaters share their historical and religious origins from numerous texts, scripts, and anecdotes. Acting techniques are precise and particular for both Noh and Peking dramas. Costuming and music remain an important part of any theatrical production, but Asian dramatists pay a lot of attention to the symbolism of the ornaments and patterns on the fabrics as well as musical traditions. Symbolism is also apparent in the set design and prop placement. On the other hand, the Noh, Kabuki, and Beijing dramas manage to remain authentic and distinctive from one another by modifying their historical sources and integrating new exciting technologies to improve the production quality. While sharing certain techniques and core cultural elements, Japanese and Chinese theaters keep their individual characteristics as they continue to evolve and change.

Works Cited

Büttner, Clemens, et al. “The Acoustics of Kabuki theaters.” Acta Acustica United with Acustica, vol. 105, no. 6, 2019, pp. 1105-1113, Web.

Miettinen, Jukka O. “Kabuki, Theatre as Spectacle.” Asian Traditional theater and Dance. theater Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, 2018. Web.

—. “Noh, Crystallised Aesthetics.” Asian Traditional theater and Dance. theater Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, 2018. Web.

—. “’Theatre of the Capital’ or the Peking Opera.” Asian Traditional theater and Dance. theater Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, 2018. Web.

Siu, Wang-Ngai, and Peter Lovrick. “Chinese Opera: The Actor’s Craft.” Asian theater Journal, vol. 33, no. 1, 2016, pp. 225-226. Web.