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Betsuyaku and the Comedy of Entropy Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 David Jortner
Abstract: Betsuyaku Minoru was one of the leading postwar dramatists when he passed away in 2020. This special section looks at Betsuyaku’s career from his early 1960s plays to his monumental 2007 work Yattekita Godot (Godot Came). The essays look at Betsuyaku’s relationship with the Theatre of the Absurd, both in Japan and in the West. This is especially true when one looks at the influence of Beckett
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Betsuyaku Minoru's Artful Ambiguity Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 John K. Gillespie
Abstract: Betsuyaku Minoru was a leading luminary of Japan’s ground-breaking angura (underground) theatre movement, his influence extending over 60 years. His signature style, marked by spare staging, absurdist situations and dialogue, abundant humor, and purposeful ambiguity, is reminiscent at times of Samuel Beckett. He builds ambiguity into the structure of his plays, provoking spectators to question
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Godot Came Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Betsuyaku Minoru, John K. Gillespie
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Godot Came Betsuyaku Minoru Translated by John K. Gillespie Characters: Godot Pozzo Lucky Estragon Vladimir Woman 1 Woman 2 Woman 3 Woman 4 Boy Scene One A telephone pole. Just to stage left a bench and bus stop sign. No other props. Early evening. Woman 1 enters stage right, carrying a basket full of knitting materials, sees the bus stop
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Betsuyaku Minoru: The Playwright Who Came Back to a Place He had Never Been to Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Roger Pulvers
Abstract: In this essay by playwright, director, translator, and colleague of Betsuyaku Roger Pulvers, the author looks at Betsuyaku’s work through a variety of perspectives, sharing academic as well as personal insights about the playwright and his work. He examines the ways that Betsuyaku’s plays echo the ambiguity and circularity found within the Japanese language. He also argues for the misapplication
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Sapamochanam (The Curse Liberation), A Kathakali Play by Sadanam Harikumar Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Produced by Sadanam Kathakali Academy, VM Sreelakshmi, Lakshmi Mohan
Abstract: This play is a new interpretation of Urvashi and Arjuna from the epic Mahabharata. Immortal Urvashi of heaven was the life partner of mortal emperor Pururavas of earth, Arjuna’s fortieth ancestor. The story is that Urvashi, assigned to be an eternal virgin who was denied motherhood, experiences the bliss of motherhood because of Arjuna. Indra, Arjuna’s father, has brought him to heaven so
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Performance of Ṭhumrī in Kathak Dance Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Purnima Shah
Abstract: During the eighteenth century, Lakhnau, the capital of the royal state of Awadh, emerged as the refined center for the arts. Over the next centuries, kathak maestros and elite tavāifs (soiree singers and dancers) enthralled patron connoisseurs with their exquisite ṭhumrī performances, receiving lavish rewards. Ṭhumrī exemplified an aesthetic synthesis of the devotional (bhakti) and worldly
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The Many Uses of Censorship: Cultural Regulation on Tamasha in Maharashtra Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Sharvari Sastry
Abstract: This paper is a historical and conceptual inquiry into the nature of performance censorship and resistance, particularly in the context of subaltern “folk” forms, and its relationship to the archive. All censorial gestures also serve as archival ones, insofar as legislating censorship necessitates the generation of a collated record of objectionable material. However, this paper argues that
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The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan: Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo by M.W. Shores (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Alex Rogals
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Comic Storytelling of Western Japan: Satire and Social Mobility in Kamigata Rakugo by M.W. Shores Alex Rogals THE COMIC STORYTELLING OF WESTERN JAPAN: SATIRE AND SOCIAL MOBILITY IN KAMIGATA RAKUGO. First Edition. By M.W. Shores. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021. xviii + 261 pp. Hardback, $99.99. Expanding upon
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A History of Butō by Bruce Baird (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-11-16 Tara Rodman
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: A History of Butō by Bruce Baird Tara Rodman A HISTORY OF BUTŌ. By Bruce Baird. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. 288 pp. Paperback, $39.95; hardcover, $125.00. In A History of Butō, Bruce Baird traces the contingencies of timing, economics, personality, reception, and others that shaped the trajectory of some of the
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Betty Bernhard Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Carol Fisher Sorgenfrei
Abstract: Betty Bernhard’s legacy in Asian theatre is due primarily to her extraordinary insight into discovering and promoting aspects of Indian performance—including Gujarati folk drama and issues of gender/sexuality—that were traditionally marginalized or overlooked; to her fundraising prowess and advocacy on behalf of Indian artists and colleagues, enabling international travel to pursue their
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Jonah Isaac Salz Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Julie A. Iezzi
Abstract: This article chronicles the life and work of Jonah Salz, a theatre director, producer, teacher, scholar, and translator, who co-founded both the Noho Theatre Group (1982) and the Traditional Theatre Training (TTT) program (1984) in Kyoto, together with kyōgen actor Shigeyama Akira. Salz was the editor-in-chief of A History of Japanese Theatre (Cambridge UP 2016); has written and published
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Mortal Bromance: Homoeroticism on the Takarazuka Stage Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Tove Solander
Abstract: The Takarazuka Revue is an all-female music theatre company founded over a century ago. It is an important institution in Japanese culture and has garnered quite a lot of scholarly attention, but only rarely from a Theatre Studies perspective. This article draws on Azuma Sonoko’s model for analyzing how onstage and offstage levels overlap and interact in the Takarazuka Revue. I challenge
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Yakiniku Dragon as Prophecy and Reflection Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Seung-moo Paik
Abstract: The admiration of Korean critics for Yakiniku Dragon, a play about a Zainichi (Koreans in Japan) family, prevents an accurate interpretation of the play. This excess praise stems from the mixed emotions Korean people feel for the Zainichi. Mixed emotions, in which anger and love, disappointment and affection are superimposed, originate from a history of an absent father figure and influence
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Towards a Definition of Performance During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Study of Ramlila in India Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Prateek
Abstract: This article demonstrates how Covid-19 transformed the performance aesthetics of ancient theatre traditions in India. I draw primarily on the October 17, 2020 performance of the Ramlila, the folk staging of Ramayana, produced by the Shri Ram Dharmik Leela Committee, Tri Nagar, one of the most popular theatre troupes in North Delhi. In the first part of the article, I explore the metatheatricality
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The Revived Mak Yong Theatre in Indonesia's Riau Islands: Narrative and Performance Structure Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Alan Darmawan
Abstract: Mak yong is a form of theatre that combines music, dance, story, dialogue, and slapstick comedy in its performance. The traditions of mak yong are currently practiced in Malaysia, southern Thailand, and Indonesia’s Riau Islands. Focusing on mak yong that has been revived in the past fifteen years in the Riau Islands, this essay discusses the contemporary productions of mak yong and the consequences
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Den Kisot (Don Quixote) by Goenawan Mohamad (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Arthur S. Nalan, Irwan Jamaludin, Kathy Foley
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Den Kisot (Don Quixote) by Goenawan Mohamad Arthur S. Nalan, Irwan Jamaludin, and Kathy Foley DEN KISOT (DON QUIXOTE). By Goenawan Mohamad, directed by Endo Suanda. Indonesian Cultural Arts Insitut Seni Budaya-Bandung Theatre, Bandung, Indonesia, 15 July 2022. Goenawan Mohamad, author and co-founder of Utan Kayu artists’ community
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Ceng Jing Ru Shi (Ago) by Stan Lai (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Chiayi Seetoo
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Ceng Jing Ru Shi (Ago) by Stan Lai Chiayi Seetoo CENG JING RU SHI (AGO). Text and direction by Stan Lai. Theatre Above, Shanghai, China. 9–22 December 2019. Ceng Jing Ru Shi 曾經如是(Ago) is the latest work written and directed by Stan Lai, which was premiered in Shanghai in December, 2019. The play lasted for more than five hours
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Noh as Living Art: Inside Japan's Oldest Theatrical Tradition by Yasuda Noboru (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Jane Traynor
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Noh as Living Art: Inside Japan’s Oldest Theatrical Tradition by Yasuda Noboru Jane Traynor NOH AS LIVING ART: INSIDE JAPAN’S OLDEST THEATRICAL TRADITION. By Yasuda Noboru. Translated by Kawamoto Nozomu. Tokyo: Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2021. xiii + 103 pp. Hardcover, ¥2,200. Yasuda Noboru’s Noh as
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Engeki: Japanese Theatre in The New Millennium Volume 5 ed. by Japan Playwrights Association, and: Engeki: Japanese Theatre in the New Millennium Volume 6 ed. by Japan Playwrights Association (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Beri Juraic
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Engeki: Japanese Theatre in The New Millennium Volume 5ed. by Japan Playwrights Association, and: Engeki: Japanese Theatre in the New Millennium Volume 6ed. by Japan Playwrights Association Beri Juraic ENGEKI: JAPANESE THEATRE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM VOLUME 5. Edited by Japan Playwrights Association. Tokyo: Japan Playwrights
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Jana Sanskriti: Performance as a New Politics by Ralph Yarrow (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 David Mason
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Jana Sanskriti: Performance as a New Politics by Ralph Yarrow David Mason JANA SANSKRITI: PERFORMANCE AS A NEW POLITICS. By Ralph Yarrow. New York: Routledge, 2022. 180 pp. Paper, $44.95. During the independence movement of the early twentieth century in India, overtly political theatre established itself as a fundamental
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A Man of the Theater: Survival as an Artist in Iran by Nasser Rahmaninejad (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2023-04-04 Suzi Elnaggar
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: A Man of the Theater: Survival as an Artist in Iran by Nasser Rahmaninejad Suzi Elnaggar A MAN OF THE THEATER: SURVIVAL AS AN ARTIST IN IRAN. By Nasser Rahmaninejad. New York: New York University Press, 2020. 266 pp. Paperback, $21.95. Nasser Rahmaninejad is an Iranian artist who began working in theatre in 1959. During the
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Being Lost and Becoming: Exploring the Performance of Pain and Empathy in Maya Rao's Khol Do (Take It Off) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-11-12 Raman Kumar
Abstract: This article critically engages with Maya K Rao's Khol Do (Take It Off), as a dance-theatre performance of pain and empathy through which the notion of being and becoming is contested. This nonverbal performance, revolving around one of the stories written by Saadat Hasan Manto that is based on the atrocities occurred during the India-Pakistan partition, is about a man in search of her daughter
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An Examination of Theatrical Forms of the Ashiq-Minstrel Tradition Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-11-12 Sercan Özinan
Abstract: This article examines the "ashiq-minstrelsy tradition," one of the ancient oral traditions of Anatolia. It evaluates its historical background, form, and performance conventions as a continuation of local cultural heritage. The article also discusses the theatrical forms of the tradition by making use of the ritual research of Roland Grimes.
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Exploring the Diversity of Japanese Traditional Puppetry Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-11-12 Claudia Orenstein
Abstract: A preliminary summary of Fulbright research exploring Japan's diverse puppetry and performing object traditions taking place during the Covid pandemic. While focusing primarily on ritual puppetry, including various versions of Sanbasō (a performance generally using three puppet characters taken from the noh play Okina, done for purification and blessings) and on the hinkoko tradition (the
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Global Modernizing Gestures in Staging a New Theatre Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-11-12 Hyo Jeong Hong
Abstract: This article investigates the reformation of a guyoenkeuk (舊演劇 old theatre) into a shinyoenkeuk (新演劇 new theatre) by the nationalist theatre reformers and the Wongaksa Theatre. This reformation was associated with the first half of Korean theatre reform and the Patriotic enlightenment movement under the Japanese protectorate (1905–1910). This article attends to claims by Korea's cultural
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Indian Drama in English: The Beginnings ed. by Ananda Lal (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-11-12 Sukanya Chakrabarti
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Indian Drama in English: The Beginnings ed. by Ananda Lal Sukanya Chakrabarti INDIAN DRAMA IN ENGLISH: THE BEGINNINGS. Edited by Ananda Lal. Kolkata: Jadavpur University Press, 2019. 243 pp. Hardcover, Rs. 450.00. Ananda Lal's Indian Drama in English: The Beginnings fills a critical lacuna in the study of Indian theatre history
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A Journal of the Plague Year by Terayama Shūji in Collaboration with Kishida Rio: "Contagious Magic" for a Time of Epidemic Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Tsuneda Keiko, Colleen Lanki
Abstract: Terayama Shūji (1935–1983), a leading figure in the Japanese avant-garde theatre movement, founded his theatre troupe Tenjō Sajiki (The Peanut Gallery) in 1967. Terayama and company member/collaborating writer Kishida Rio (1946–2003) scripted Ekibyō ryūkōki (A Journal of the Plague Year) in 1975 as the last of three plays created for a European audience. Inspired by Daniel Defoe’s fictional
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Yi Kwang-su's Gyuhan (Sorrows of the Inner Room): Korea's First Modern Play? Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Owen Stampton
Abstract: Scholarly enquiry into the formation of modern drama on the Korean peninsula has given way to vibrant debate over the years. The enigma of the inception of modern drama continues to elicit diverging opinions regarding the “first” modern Korean play. In 1916, writer, activist, and journalist Yi Kwang-su published his highly influential critical work “Munhak iran hao” (What is Literature?)
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The "Homosexual Code" in Contemporary Korean Theatre: The Case of Shakespeare's R & J in Seoul Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Yeeyon Im
Abstract: This essay critiques the vogue of “the homosexual code” in contemporary Korean theatre, with a close-up analysis of ShowNote Company’s Shakespeare’s R & J that premiered in 2018. It first examines the surge of queer-themed films and theatres since the mid-2000s in relation to the growing visibility of homosexuality, the changing concept of masculinity, the “flower boy” syndrome, and neoliberalism
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Transnational Queer Solidarities and Ambivalent Affects in the Yeoseong Gukgeuk Project Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Roweena Yip
Abstract: In this article, I examine siren eun young jung’s Yeoseong Gukgeuk Project, an ongoing contemporary art project about yeoseong gukgeuk, a Korean all-female performance form whose survival in the twenty-first century is marked by precarity. Situated at the intersections of archival documentation, ethnography, and visual art, I conceptualize the Yeoseong Gukgeuk Project as an archive of affect
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Reinventing Physical Culture through Yojō-han: A Midsummer Night's Dream by Yasuda Masahiro Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Boram Choi
Abstract: In his A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2004), Yasuda Masahiro presents his perspectives on human bodies to discuss the subjects of human identity and communication with other people in the modernized Japanese society. He insists that Japanese people have fewer opportunities to recognize their inner condition and gradually lose their ability to interact with other people as they are working as
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Isan Contemporary Performance: Embodied Isan Tone in Thai Contemporary Performance Making Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Tanatchaporn Kittikong
Abstract: As an identity, Isan (the northeast region of Thailand) is a problematic political construct that reflects ambiguous self-understanding and self-representation. Isan has long been challenged by Thai politics which cast the image of the Isan people as lower social status. However, the richness of Isan expression through Isan language, music, and cultures has always flourished. The research
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Mahābhārata Senki (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Sang Mi Park
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Mahābhārata Senki Sang Mi Park MAHĀBHĀRATA SENKI. Presented by Shochiku Co., Ltd. Kabuki-za Theatre, Tokyo, Japan. 1–25 October 2017. As part of the celebration for the 60th anniversary of the 1957 cultural agreement between Japan and India, a Hindu masterpiece was adapted for the Japanese audience in 2017. Mahābhārata Senki
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Japanese Contemporary Objects, Manipulators, and Actors in Performanceby Mari Boyd (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Peter Eckersall
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Japanese Contemporary Objects, Manipulators, and Actors in Performanceby Mari Boyd Peter Eckersall JAPANESE CONTEMPORARY OBJECTS, MANIPULATORS, AND ACTORS IN PERFORMANCE. By Mari Boyd. Tokyo: Sophia University Press, 2020. 349 pp. ¥3080. In Japanese Contemporary Objects, Manipulators, and Actors in Performance, the theatre
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Contemporary Group Theatre in Kolkata, Indiaby Arnab Banerji (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Kristen Rudisill
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Contemporary Group Theatre in Kolkata, Indiaby Arnab Banerji Kristen Rudisill CONTEMPORARY GROUP THEATRE IN KOLKATA, INDIA. By Arnab Banerji. London and New York: Routledge, 2020. 168 pp. Hardcover, $160; Paperback, $48.95. Arnab Banerji’s accessible and informative book provides a window into the complex world that is Bengali
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Music of the Baduy People of Western Java: Singing Is a Medicineby Wim van Zanten (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Kathy Foley
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Music of the Baduy People of Western Java: Singing Is a Medicineby Wim van Zanten Kathy Foley MUSIC OF THE BADUY PEOPLE OF WESTERN JAVA: SINGING IS A MEDICINE. By Wim van Zanten. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2021 [KITLV 313]. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/48323. DOI 10.1163/9789004444478 [open access]; hardback $198
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Performing the Arts of Indonesia: Malay Identity and Politics in the Music, Dance, and Theatre of the Riau Islandsed. by Margaret Kartomi (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Jennifer Goodlander
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Performing the Arts of Indonesia: Malay Identity and Politics in the Music, Dance, and Theatre of the Riau Islandsed. by Margaret Kartomi Jennifer Goodlander PERFORMING THE ARTS OF INDONESIA: MALAY IDENTITY AND POLITICS IN THE MUSIC, DANCE, AND THEATRE OF THE RIAU ISLANDS. Edited by Margaret Kartomi. Copenhagen: NiAS Press
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Shakespeare in Singapore: Performance, Education, and Culture by Philip Smith (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Chelsea Curto
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Shakespeare in Singapore: Performance, Education, and Culture by Philip Smith Chelsea Curto SHAKESPEARE IN SINGAPORE: PERFORMANCE, EDUCATION, AND CULTURE. By Philip Smith. London: Routledge, 2020. 206 pp. Hardcover, $160.00. In Shakespeare in Singapore: Performance, Education, and Culture, author Philip Smith argues that Shakespeare
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Mahābhārata Senki (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Sang Mi Park
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Mahābhārata Senki Sang Mi Park MAHĀBHĀRATA SENKI. Presented by Shochiku Co., Ltd. Kabuki-za Theatre, Tokyo, Japan. 1–25 October 2017. As part of the celebration for the 60th anniversary of the 1957 cultural agreement between Japan and India, a Hindu masterpiece was adapted for the Japanese audience in 2017. Mahābhārata Senki
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Performing the Arts of Indonesia: Malay Identity and Politics in the Music, Dance, and Theatre of the Riau Islandsed. by Margaret Kartomi (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Jennifer Goodlander
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Performing the Arts of Indonesia: Malay Identity and Politics in the Music, Dance, and Theatre of the Riau Islandsed. by Margaret Kartomi Jennifer Goodlander PERFORMING THE ARTS OF INDONESIA: MALAY IDENTITY AND POLITICS IN THE MUSIC, DANCE, AND THEATRE OF THE RIAU ISLANDS. Edited by Margaret Kartomi. Copenhagen: NiAS Press
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Music of the Baduy People of Western Java: Singing Is a Medicineby Wim van Zanten (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Kathy Foley
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Music of the Baduy People of Western Java: Singing Is a Medicineby Wim van Zanten Kathy Foley MUSIC OF THE BADUY PEOPLE OF WESTERN JAVA: SINGING IS A MEDICINE. By Wim van Zanten. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2021 [KITLV 313]. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/48323. DOI 10.1163/9789004444478 [open access]; hardback $198
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Reinventing Physical Culture through Yojō-han: A Midsummer Night's Dream by Yasuda Masahiro Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Boram Choi
Abstract: In his A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2004), Yasuda Masahiro presents his perspectives on human bodies to discuss the subjects of human identity and communication with other people in the modernized Japanese society. He insists that Japanese people have fewer opportunities to recognize their inner condition and gradually lose their ability to interact with other people as they are working as
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The "Homosexual Code" in Contemporary Korean Theatre: The Case of Shakespeare's R & J in Seoul Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Yeeyon Im
Abstract: This essay critiques the vogue of “the homosexual code” in contemporary Korean theatre, with a close-up analysis of ShowNote Company’s Shakespeare’s R & J that premiered in 2018. It first examines the surge of queer-themed films and theatres since the mid-2000s in relation to the growing visibility of homosexuality, the changing concept of masculinity, the “flower boy” syndrome, and neoliberalism
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Shakespeare in Singapore: Performance, Education, and Culture by Philip Smith (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Chelsea Curto
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Shakespeare in Singapore: Performance, Education, and Culture by Philip Smith Chelsea Curto SHAKESPEARE IN SINGAPORE: PERFORMANCE, EDUCATION, AND CULTURE. By Philip Smith. London: Routledge, 2020. 206 pp. Hardcover, $160.00. In Shakespeare in Singapore: Performance, Education, and Culture, author Philip Smith argues that Shakespeare
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Contemporary Group Theatre in Kolkata, Indiaby Arnab Banerji (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Kristen Rudisill
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Contemporary Group Theatre in Kolkata, Indiaby Arnab Banerji Kristen Rudisill CONTEMPORARY GROUP THEATRE IN KOLKATA, INDIA. By Arnab Banerji. London and New York: Routledge, 2020. 168 pp. Hardcover, $160; Paperback, $48.95. Arnab Banerji’s accessible and informative book provides a window into the complex world that is Bengali
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Isan Contemporary Performance: Embodied Isan Tone in Thai Contemporary Performance Making Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Tanatchaporn Kittikong
Abstract: As an identity, Isan (the northeast region of Thailand) is a problematic political construct that reflects ambiguous self-understanding and self-representation. Isan has long been challenged by Thai politics which cast the image of the Isan people as lower social status. However, the richness of Isan expression through Isan language, music, and cultures has always flourished. The research
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Transnational Queer Solidarities and Ambivalent Affects in the Yeoseong Gukgeuk Project Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Roweena Yip
Abstract: In this article, I examine siren eun young jung’s Yeoseong Gukgeuk Project, an ongoing contemporary art project about yeoseong gukgeuk, a Korean all-female performance form whose survival in the twenty-first century is marked by precarity. Situated at the intersections of archival documentation, ethnography, and visual art, I conceptualize the Yeoseong Gukgeuk Project as an archive of affect
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Yi Kwang-su's Gyuhan (Sorrows of the Inner Room): Korea's First Modern Play? Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Owen Stampton
Abstract: Scholarly enquiry into the formation of modern drama on the Korean peninsula has given way to vibrant debate over the years. The enigma of the inception of modern drama continues to elicit diverging opinions regarding the “first” modern Korean play. In 1916, writer, activist, and journalist Yi Kwang-su published his highly influential critical work “Munhak iran hao” (What is Literature?)
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Japanese Contemporary Objects, Manipulators, and Actors in Performanceby Mari Boyd (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Peter Eckersall
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Japanese Contemporary Objects, Manipulators, and Actors in Performanceby Mari Boyd Peter Eckersall JAPANESE CONTEMPORARY OBJECTS, MANIPULATORS, AND ACTORS IN PERFORMANCE. By Mari Boyd. Tokyo: Sophia University Press, 2020. 349 pp. ¥3080. In Japanese Contemporary Objects, Manipulators, and Actors in Performance, the theatre
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A Journal of the Plague Year by Terayama Shūji in Collaboration with Kishida Rio: "Contagious Magic" for a Time of Epidemic Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2022-03-16 Tsuneda Keiko, Colleen Lanki
Abstract: Terayama Shūji (1935–1983), a leading figure in the Japanese avant-garde theatre movement, founded his theatre troupe Tenjō Sajiki (The Peanut Gallery) in 1967. Terayama and company member/collaborating writer Kishida Rio (1946–2003) scripted Ekibyō ryūkōki (A Journal of the Plague Year) in 1975 as the last of three plays created for a European audience. Inspired by Daniel Defoe’s fictional
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Scenes of Objection: Performance and Protest in Manipur Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Jisha Menon
Abstract: This article examines three scenes of protest, from a short story, a theatre production, and a public protest, respectively. It argues that these scenes demonstrate the power of embodied objection to function as voice when speech itself is unheard. The screaming, naked bodies in these scenes exceed liberal conceptions of agential voice and reconceptualize vulnerability and exposure as a mode
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The Terrible Beauty on the Stage: Narrative and Performance Aesthetics of Kutiyattam Analyzed through the Representation of Shurpanakha Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Salini V G
Abstract: Kutiyattam, the classical theatre tradition of India, has always given equal importance to women practitioners as well as their performance. The particular narrative structure and performance style of kutiyattam is such that a character or a context is perceived from multiple dimensions and points of view. The female characters many a time get equal space as their male counterparts where
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Everybody's Comfier with a Good Pillow: Rakugo's Makura Prologues Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 M.W. Shores
Abstract: Rakugo, traditional Japanese comic storytelling, boils down to three parts: makura, hondai, and ochi, or introduction, story proper, and punchline. Scholars have systematically scrutinized hondai and ochi because they consider them fundamental to the art. Makura (lit. pillows), on the other hand, have received scant attention. This is because technically the art can do without them, particularly
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Lakhon Yike Theatre and Robam Yike Dance Genres: Origins, Performance Structure, Music Repertoire, and the Ongoing Process of Modernization Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Francesca Billeri
Abstract: Through the analysis of some performances and interviews of well-known lakhon yike troupe’s leaders conducted in Kampot province of Cambodia in 2015, this article offers insight into the performance structure, the process of adaptation of yike songs from other genres, particularly the wedding genre (phleng kar), and shows the connection between songs and the dramatic scenes. Cambodian music
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The Tokyo Festival World Competition 2019 Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Cody Poulton
Abstract: During the fall of 2019, as part of its annual theatre festival, the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre hosted its first “World Competition,” featuring six works from five continents and Japan that were curated by leading artistic directors from their respective regions. An artists’ jury chaired by Juliette Binoche selected three winners for best technical artist, best performer, and best overall
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Performing Democracy on Stage: ToBakYi's Kumhi's May and the Politics of Mourning in South Korea Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Hayana Kim
Abstract: This article investigates the relationship between grief and democracy by focusing on the South Korean Theatre Company ToBakYi’s 1988 production of Kumhi’s May—one of the first plays to dramatize the 1980 Gwangju Uprising and the state-sanctioned military massacre therein in the time of South Korea’s transition from military dictatorship to democratic rule. Demonstrating how theatre grapples
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Prakrits in Performance: Theatricality and Multilingual Drama in Premodern India Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Amanda Culp
Abstract: Drawing from recent scholarship on the role of Prakrit in South Asian literature at large, this article queries the ways in which the multiple languages of the premodern drama might have functioned in performance. Rather than reading the variance as verisimilar, replicating the diversity of spoken languages found in the premodern subcontinent, this work adapts J.L. Austin’s concept of the
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Shakespeare in the Theatre: Yukio Ninagawa by Conor Hanratty (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Jennifer Yoo
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Shakespeare in the Theatre: Yukio Ninagawa by Conor Hanratty Jennifer Yoo SHAKESPEARE IN THE THEATRE: YUKIO NINAGAWA. By Conor Hanratty. London: The Arden Shakespeare, 2020. 248 pp. $100. In this text, Conor Hanratty presents the first English-language work dedicated exclusively to Ninagawa Yukio (1935–2016) and his long career
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A Poetics of Modernity: Indian Theatre Theory, 1850 to the Present ed. by Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Kristen Rudisill
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: A Poetics of Modernity: Indian Theatre Theory, 1850 to the Present ed. by Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker Kristen Rudisill A POETICS OF MODERNITY: INDIAN THEATRE THEORY, 1850 TO THE PRESENT. Edited by Aparna Bhargava Dharwadker. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2019. 519 pp. Hardcover, $105. Aparna Dharwadker’s edited volume, A
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Theater in the Middle East: between Performance and Politics ed. by Babak Rahimi (review) Asian Theatre Journal Pub Date : 2021-10-13 Hala Baki
In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Theater in the Middle East: between Performance and Politics ed. by Babak Rahimi Hala Baki THEATER IN THE MIDDLE EAST: BETWEEN PERFORMANCE AND POLITICS. Edited by Babak Rahimi. London and New York: Anthem Press, 2020. 184 pp. E-book $40. Given the dearth of English-language scholarship on theatre of the Middle East, Rahimi’s