IBTarts

The uninhabited man

2011-03-24T13:35:00.002+09:00

Life is routine with moments of serendipity and coincidence. One of my IB classes is working on a version of Goldilocks. I have asked them to fuse Kyogen and Butoh. Which makes the lovely word: Kyo-Toh. They grapple with the forms of each and decide which to use. Beautifully sliding feet and ugly gazes. Moments of stillness and frenzy. Later that day I drive home and press CD. Richard Thompson is singing The Uninhabited Man; one of my favourites. [title link above] As people drive badly around me I am soothed by Richard. Then I hear his chorus. 'Whose been sleeping in my bed...' and I smile at the happy collisions and coincidence. The IBO asks us to synthesise and make connections. Is it 6 degrees of separation? The next day the class lie on the floor and listen to, 'who's been sitting in my chair...' Today it happens again. An ex colleague and chum is flying into the island from Japan. He does not know that I have had an e-mail about a student transferring from Japan to Phuket. The tsunami of course. My old student may become my new ...er..old new student. Connections. What next today? One of my present students is called Storm. She is Australian and African. I have a feeling I am going to walk through a deluge of rain this evening, past a bar called Gale, and meet a man from Ghana who knows Wole Soyinka but has never heard of Richard Thompson. Life is routine with moments of.....

Curriculum Design: from Greeks to Geeks

2010-10-24T14:21:00.003+09:00

That title is enough to put anyone off. Apologies. I have been from Greece to South Africa today working on how to impart the wonders of Theatre to my two lovely IB theatre groups. How do I make it fun yet focussed? How do I link the Oresteia to the Truth & Reconciliation Committee in South Africa. Because we have to make connexions, you see. One student asked about Jacobean Revenge Tragedy and I was off after Webster. And now the plot summary is in front of me for The White Devils. It is complicated. That is Revenge Tragedy for you. Then to Complicite and 'devising from text'. All great stuff. And a stumble into a blog or two. So there we are on a hot sunday. From Greeks to Geeks. This entry is short and shallow.

Who is Joe Louis?

2010-08-21T14:15:00.003+09:00

According to wikipedia Joe Louis was the Word Heavyweight Boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. That is a long time in Boxing, hence the longevity of his name. Then I arrived at my new school in Thailand and a local teacher told me something else. She told me that Mr Louis was coming to school. I was non-plussed. I read this a bit later: Sakorn Yangkhiawsod, (more widely known as Joe Louis), the founder of the Hun Lakhon Lek Joe Louis Troupe, was one of Thailand's top puppet masters and the country's last 'Grand Master' of small puppet performers. Six months ago someone warned me that there would be no culture in Southern Thailand. Well, Mr Louis' Troupe are coming to school. Will it be the Ramayana? Will it be similar to Japanese Bunraku? I went to Bunraku earlier this year, for the first time, expecting boredom. I nearly wept when the two puppets committed suicide. The three puppet masters evaporated before me. It is time to do some research. Here is a start: The Joe Louis puppet play requires the synchronised efforts of three puppeteers who jointly control and manipulate the one puppet creating highly animated, life-like movements. This enables the puppet to move or dance gracefully. Unlike any other Thai traditional puppet play, the Joe Louis puppets are able to mimic a range of human gestures and through these gestures, express emotion. For example, the puppets are able to move their wrists to 'wai' (a greeting gesture in Thai culture), or embrace (to show affection), point their fingers or clap, shake their heads or nod. The elegant movements of the puppet flow entirely from each motion made by the puppeteer. [ from the website in the link ] It is a beginning. It compares with Bunraku. Time to go here I think: http://www.accu.or.jp/ich/en/arts/A_THA2.html

Bunraku at last

2010-02-19T13:34:00.003+09:00

Finally. After twelve years of living in the Kanto plains I take myself to the National Theatre of Japan. It is a building I do not like. Like many government buildings in Tokyo it is not friendly to visitors. We are kept outside in freezing conditions while the attendants inside busy themselves with minor work which requires no eye contact with the folks who have paid at least ¥5000 stuck outside. Once inside there is a helpful desk to hire an English translation of the performance. This is helpful and vital. It is not free. However the accompanying guide is in English too. But little else.One would have thought that with an 18% drop in tourists more could be done to welcome non-speakers of Japanese. As I looked around I saw no other foreign person. Of course you wonder. Twelve years in Japan. He has not learnt the language? I know. I know. I am ashamed. I am not a linguist. But to the show. We were lucky to get a guided tour backstage. The puppet was revealed. The master explained the manipulations. We stood where they stand. And saw the gully. And the high shoes for the master so that his two assistants can duck below him. The play was a good one. The Love Suicides at Sonezaki. The Osaka company did not disappoint. The tension was exhausting. Would they do it? The title suggested so. But the final scene stretched the chord of tension tight. What did I learn? The singers change and spin in on a turn table. The main puppeter is visible but the rest wear KKK style black headgear. The story is shared with Kabuki. Japanese audience members require subtitles to understand it. The company is male. It held me. I was captivtaed by the manipulation of each puppet. The tragedy and the prolonged death wish. At one point I found that I had not put my ear piece back in and I was still visually held. I liked it.

Complicite in Tokyo

2009-03-06T10:27:00.002+09:00

We were at the first night. Complicite did not disappoint. The cast enters in a line. A brief introduction. Then things start happening. Curtains rise. Birds flutter. Actors rapidly change in the dusk.

Butoh, Bunraku, Kabuki elements were there.

Physical and ensemble theatre too.

Tanizaki presents this impossible girl to us. A blind bitch. And an unctuous servant/lover Sasuke.

A Brechtian narrator. But mainly magical moments and visual splendour. Do Complicite just illuminate but not inhabit?

At the end the curtain rises again to reveal white light, a line of actors and the cinematic display of crowds in modern Tokyo. We are back to earth.

Physical Theatre?

2008-11-23T11:31:00.003+09:00

Click on the title above and you will be there. The music is called 'Dreamer,' by Toni Childs.

The actors use one prop; a book. This book allows them to dream of: crossing streams, being pirates, bullying a friend. Pages get ripped, fences get peeped over and flowers are strewn.

One of the lines in the lyrics is: I sometimes run and chase the view.

This kept repeating in my mind. I thought that the use of the book was a way into dreaming and views. They stand on it and peep over fences. They dream. Good and bad.

Starring: Resa, Michelle, Ceci, Andrea, Alyssa, Alisa, Namita and Sofia. Dream.

Tina! meets Comus

2008-09-21T17:21:00.004+09:00

I FELL in love with a band 30 years ago. Comus. They were unlike anything I had ever heard. I saw them 5 times in London. Then they disappeared. Over the years I caught scraps of news about them but no sighting. They were another lost band. Dead.

Out of the Scandinavian mists this year came a festival called Meloboat 08. And Comus were going to play. I could NOT believe it. Impossible. They did though. It is on YouTube.

MySpace too. Click the title. Suddenly they are alive again. You can hear them in a third way. We have chosen their music to be in Tina! the play about Faust. They are both dark and scary. It is wonderful that people have waited and discovered them these last 30 years. Enjoy.

At the cliff's edge

2008-05-30T09:58:00.003+09:00

There is something perfect about this photo. The light, the perspective, the sense of emptiness. Where did the driver go? What is the significance of the split in the white line? And for the first time since taking this photograph in April, I see myself in the mirror. What else is there full of symbolic menace? It is the start of an Antonioni movie [The Passenger?]. It is the image at the start of my next play, Tina! It is the end of my memoirs! It is ...well? What do you think?

Finding the next Play

2008-05-08T11:26:00.003+09:00

The next school play is one of those exciting and excrutiating tasks a drama teacher has to do. It can be a great freedom. No one tells you what to pick. No one insists on a musical. No worries. Well that is what has happened to me. There are 3 questions. How many kids want to be in it? What play has something for everyone and a new genre to challenge us? Is anyone going to be offended? The kids worry about the first. The teacher worries about the second. And the Principal always asks the third. For this coming year the favourite is a pastiche of Marlowe's FAUST. We found it on a Times web page of resources. Someone calling himself Mad Dog [ no it can't be a woman] is the author. That is all we know. Attempts to find Mad Dog have not been a success. Whoever he is, he writes well. It is a joy to read. So 'Tina!' by Mad Dog. It has something doesn't it? [painting = Vision of Faust by Falero]

Out of Africa

2008-04-24T15:02:00.003+09:00

We are approaching African Theatre. We have identified elements of common use: dance, music and mask. Two years ago we were fortunate to see a version of the Oresteia set in a South African township. It had chant, dance, singing and musical instruments. But most memorable; the throat singing. The play is called Molora and I have written about it here, a year or so ago. I enjoy the connections that slowly emerge. South Africa, throat singing, Mongolia, Korea, mask. Then a parent asks, "Can a student create a puppet theatre?' We look at puppet making and African stories. Something is beginning to connect. [ the photo above is from Tatyana Baganova's troupe ]

Stefan Sagmeister

2008-03-27T11:50:00.004+09:00

I stumbled across this designer when Amazon sent me details of his latest book. Then I watched a 15 minute lecture he gave. Then I was hooked. He talks about happiness and design. Read and be happy:- STEFAN SAGMEISTER (born 1962 in Bregenz, Austria) is a graphic designer. Designed album covers for Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones, David Byrne, Aerosmith and Pat Metheny. THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN MY LIFE SO FAR Complaining is silly. Either act or forget. Being not truthful works against me. Helping others people helps me. Everything I do always comes back to me. Money does not make me happy. Travelling alone is helpful for a new perspective on life. Assuming is stifling. Keeping a diary supports my personal development. Trying to look good limits my life. Worry solves nothing. Material luxuries are best enjoyed in small does.

H + G

2008-03-16T16:35:00.002+09:00

This show opens on Thursday 20th March at 5.30 p.m. in the Black Box at YIS. Erika Bleyl has taken a well-known children's story and politicised it. She mixes agit-prop and song into an original script.. She is inspired by the work of Dario Fo, the Italian playwright and Nobel Prize winner for Literature. This is another original show at YIS and furthers her experience of IBT. It is 20 minutes of Theatre. Reviews and thoughts after the show. Break a leg. [ The photo was taken as the sun fell low in the sky at 5 p.m. Perfect.]

Mt Fuji

2008-03-15T16:17:00.002+09:00

The nicest spring I had was a winter in Japan. On a clear day one can see Fuji-san from school. And yet we have ignored it in IB work.

The IB syllabus

2008-03-12T11:25:00.005+09:00

Good day. After a silence of many months it seems a bit risky to start again with a piece of writing about the IB syllabus. Apologies. But for the 3 or 4 of you who want to know more; here it is. I have tried to put some examples of what it all means, in practice. IB THEATRE • We began a new syllabus in 2007. • There are a number of changes. • We investigate three areas: Theatre in the Making = how do I make a set design, costume, stage flat.....???? Theatre in Performance = come to my 10 minute show about Amnesty International on the roof. Theatre in the World = I am researching Mime performance in Paraguay. It is about witchcraft. Assessment is in four areas: External Assessment 1 Research Investigation : How does vaudeville entertain old folks in up-state New York? SL 1500-1750 words HL 2000-2500 words With supporting visual material 2 Practical Performance Proposal - I am making a play based on the painting of Hiroshige [see pic. above] IBO offers a variety of stimuli HL/SL 1000-1200 words Internal Assessment 3 Theatre Performance & Production Presentation - I am doing a mini TPPP ; 10 minute talk about my first three months. Oral presentation of the 2 years, with visuals SL 20 minutes HL 30 minutes 4 Independent Project Portfolio - I am devising a 20 minute play based on the first scene of Macbeth; now set in IZU. Investigating something not taught in class SL 2000 words HL 3000 words. SL = standard HL = higher

Happy Christmas

2007-12-17T15:52:00.000+09:00

In the spirit of the season christmas season I have decided to write again. Watch this space please.

Street theatre?

2007-04-17T12:18:00.000+09:00

I made it into my local newpaper in Cornwall, England. Read all about it. Click on the title please.

Fell among thieves

2007-04-13T10:38:00.000+09:00

I was directing a play in Tokyo when one night a reliable actor never appeared. He rang me later and apologised with, 'I fell among thieves.' It is an excuse I have used often myself since that night. However, I have found a formidable web site. The British Library has an archive as you can see. Within it are collections of interviews with a host of theatre people. A wondrous source for research material. Please take a look. Everyone from playwrights to back stage people are questioned. Just click on Fell among Thieves. I found it via a Chinese British playwright. www.benjaminyeoh.com

Places seen and been

2007-03-06T22:17:00.001+09:00

create your own visited countries map Just click on the title above the atlas to set your map up. Can you beat me? I think I have been to over 50 countries. But I still have not visited Greece, the very birthplace of THEATRE. Shame on me.

Hidden faces

2007-02-28T22:59:00.000+09:00

Today the 9th grade were putting the finishing touches to their Mask work. This week is the last for some of them. They may never have a drama class again. In 10th grade it is an option at IGCSE. Anyway, these four calm girls are quietly getting on with it. And it is looking impressive. They begin with the mask under their chair. They put it on but we do not see a lot. We are left to wonder. Then they pull out a sketch book and look at a church? One of them does not. She seems to be furiously finishing her drawing. What does it all mean? It is simple, harmonious, still and mysterious. I like it.

From the Tanner

2007-02-26T21:26:00.000+09:00

These are the five IB students who keep me going on Monday and Wednesday. They had been out in the park and on the roof assessing the potential for Promenade theatre. They came up with some good plans and locations. But when I suggested a real performance they remembered something about Chatroom [http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=12951] which I do not think is a vehicle for promenading. And then I talked about a performance of Roger Salmon Cornish Detective; Site - Specific, Geevor Tin Mine by Kneehigh Theatre [www.kneehigh.co.uk] that I saw in 2001. All this of course prevents me from progressing from the last entry about my Malaysian play.

Remain Standing

2007-02-06T15:00:00.000+09:00

Before I came to live in Japan I lived in Malaysia. It allowed me to do a lot of theatre. The main product of this was a Trilogy of plays which I called, 'Bending towards the East'. The photo shows four of the women in the first play, 'Remain Standing'. It was a great success and sold out for three weeks. Last week I read parts of it to a Japanese audience and it lived again. I will say more about its origins and outcomes in the next entry.

I bought a painting

2007-01-02T10:34:00.000+09:00

Some fifteen years ago I saw a painting in a gallery in Manila. It was an acrylic image of a native women and I fell in love with it. However, the thought of transporting her and paying so much for it stopped me committing a life time to her. But every time I went to Manila we met; it seemed that no one else wanted her either. Then upon one visit she was gone. And I wanted her more than ever. I have never seen her again. But I did discover other paintings by Mario de Rivera. I now own five to make up for my silly mistake. As my mother once said, 'Silly idiot. Let so many women slip though his fingers.' This painting is the fifth and is called Bosque Marurugi. I was fortunate, this Christmas, in dining at Mario's house with him & his family. Bosque [forest] was one of his new works on the wall. And I am now used to carrying paintings on planes. It has everything I like about Mario's work: textiles, weaving, women seen before, colonial faces, gold foliage, distant hills, butterflies and one or two annoying rocks to remind us that nature is not all beauty. It is so crowded that one can discover things later. I still search for her. And don't you see a piece of theatre here about lost love and weaving?

Happy New Year

2007-01-02T10:28:00.000+09:00

This photograph is one of my better shots taken with my Ricoh in December on a glorious sunny day. The view reminds me a little of my home county of Cornwall. And its composition owes something to my theatre experience. Have something in the foreground to justify the background. That knife and fork suggest that the visual meal is there to be taken. This is some 40 minutes from Yokohama and is a special place.

PAIN

2006-12-03T19:50:00.000+09:00

Will be on Friday 8th December. I have been wanting to have an IMPROV night for ages. Did one several years ago. The school diary has a PAN planned. But I have added an I and got PAIN. Performing Arts IMPROV night. The winners will be rewarded with a cup. But not the normal cup. And especially for the IBtarts we will feature a THEATRE TRADITION game. I like the idea of creating Macbeth in the style of PANTOMIME. Lady M.: 'A little water clears us of this deed." Audience:"Oh no it won't!"

The Burial has passed

2006-10-23T21:52:00.000+09:00

Yes the Burial is buried. And from comments and e mails received we were equal to previous productions. One or two regulars felt it had surpassed others. 'You out did yourself.' What delighted me was the moments on stage of creation. Where did that come from? I mused. Not from me. It had just happened instinctively. This photo is from one of my favourite scenes. There is speech, simple arm movement, the stomping of feet and reflected light across faces. Very watchable I say!

You can't just pluck your honour off a bush you didn't plant

2006-10-08T20:07:00.000+09:00

What a change in the weather from Friday to Sunday. Wind/rain to calm/sun And in between a clear night with the most staggeringly clear MOON. I felt this was a good sign. And so it was. The Sunday rehearsal was reassuring. At last. Sound, light and acting. The cues were tighter, and in the second run I began to hear the meaning clearly stated. However, several light cues will be have to be adjusted; my fault. But I like the shade and gloom that signifies the state of Thebes. And the audience are close. The photo is of my bag that carries the script and iBook. And on it, the poster I admire the most from my Ricoh. There is another more GLAM poster for the student audience. The title of this is from the mouth of Antigone. How contemporary.

3 weeks tonight

2006-09-23T21:52:00.000+09:00

I bought this camera today. It is a very expensive gadget that many idolise. The cast of Funeral will now be subjected to it over the next few days as I try to get to grips with: ISO, f-stops and noise. The film will develop. Which leads me to this opinion on character from Tennessee Williams: ...' He insisted that people don't always develop. "Paralysis in a character can be just as significant and just as dramatic as progress......and less shop worn." ' And another quote looks at character action on the stage. 'Even the parlor maid races around the room, as if it's just a summer job until her audition for Cirque du Soleil comes through. As staged by Robyn Nevin, it's a textbook example of how unconfident directors confuse busyness with energy. You can have energy in the stillest moment in the play, and the actor's failure to understand that is so squaresville all the cool irony in the world can't make up for it." I cannot recall who wrote that. But it's good isn't it? Creon and the Guard had stillness. Which character has paralysis? [ 3 weeks tonight is opening night.]

The Rice Boys

2006-09-15T13:08:00.000+09:00

Do you remember the 2 boys who came from the UK and performed a series of plays? Perhaps you remember the one about CHEESE. You would have been in 9 or 10th grade. They are coming back to Japan. They will perform a 90 minute show at St Maur on the 6th October. I would like us all to go. This will be the first external play visit for some of you. I ask you to cough up 500 yen to see it. Then you can create a review of the show. You will have a chance to talk to the actors later because.... They will come over to YIS on the 10th October and conduct a workshop with IB students. If you wish to see their show from last year then I have it on film. Put the FRIDAY show in your diaries please. And prepare some questions to ask them post-performance.

A Chorus Line

2006-09-13T22:19:00.000+09:00

Here are my noble Gang of 6. I think they now realise why I kept telling them that they are the most crucial part of the show. They inform the audience and create transitions. They bring a visual sense to the stage. I am amazed how quickly they pick up ideas even when I have explained them in a dreadfully inept way. It is still early days and I can't wait to see them in costume and involved in more intricate moves. We need to add more layers of movement. And I should listen to other music. How do you explain the moment when the mood seems right between action and sound? Today the addition of Daiki's piano playing lifted the long passage of Creon. And there is an actor who was perfectly cast. There is still much to do and many miles to go.

The Burial at Thebes

2006-09-06T10:16:00.000+09:00

And so a week has passsed and the rehearsals begin to become a part of our weekly lives. And depending on your responsibilty you may ask: What is my costume? Shall I learn my lines sooner than last year? Is this Magic realism? Is this presentational? Is Tiresias a MAGUS? What is a MAGUS? 'I am not the target. I am the arrow.' Are you a target or an arrow? Is this photograph, of an artist and his son, relevant? What is the language? Could it be 'borrowed' for one of the characters in the play?

The Gurkha Brothers

2006-08-20T15:38:00.000+09:00

Welcome and namaste to all. The vacation is over and the photo above is possibly my most dramatic moment in the entire trip; Peter Jackson and I in Bhaktapur, Nepal considering a double act. I saw no live theatre. I saw no concert. I read no play. But I did fly into Bhutan, saw the Photala in Tibet, and fly out of England over my birthplace. And I vomitted in all the countries I visited starting with the letter T. Quote of the holiday: Always tell the truth; it saves you having to remember anything.

Easy Set Designer Program

2006-05-30T16:37:00.000+09:00

Ever wanted to design a set quickly and easily, and save all the hassles of drawing on paper? Now that we are using iBooks around the campus, this design program is simple and quick to use. Sets can be designed with different stage layouts and flats - and coloured too. Please visit this site to download a demo of the program: http://emergency.nearest-exit.org/~aaron/SetDesigner/index.php Registration and licence fee is quite inexpensive, if you wish to purchase your own copy.

The Voysey Inheritance

2006-05-13T23:46:00.000+09:00

This play is playing at the Royal National Theatre,London. It had been revived recently or rediscovered. It is about a family and the effect upon them of fraud. The purpose of this blog is to get you to read Paul Miller's analysis of the director's vision compared to that of another play he saw in the same week. Both directors are called Peter. Over to Paul: ... it's the contrast in directorial approach which fascinates. Peter G makes it his task to tune in with perfect pitch to the tone and intent of the writing in all its scope and details; Peter S takes the play as a jumping off point to make an event which describes to the audience what they should feel about what they are watching. Gill understands how theatrical authentically lived actions are on stage; Stein emphasises the artificial in the setting to create a sense of strangeness which is separate to the play's incidents. Gill's actors uncannily catch and embody the nuances of class, power and gender positions as they ripple through the play; Stein's actors, though gifted, are crudely cast and thus have to put on odd accents to imitate the social background indicated in the play. In Voysey the appearance of the domestic staff to clear the grand dining table is poetic and real, casting a perspective on the upper-middle class family they serve and being in itself a perfect miniature piece of textured physical theatre; in Blackbird various people ostensibly working in the factory peer and leer through the window at the back every few moments, conveying nothing true about factory life and shattering what drama there is on stage with bathos....... If you can think like that and write like that ......... the IBTA examiner will adore you. Connections, dynamics, bathos.

The Best Japanese Dance I know

2006-04-16T10:57:00.000+09:00

This is the AWAODORI which I fell upon in 2004 at a Ginza festival. I was out shopping and was lucky to be there. The dance of fools, as it is sometimes called, involves two groups. The men creep around making the music and the women create the dance moves. On one level it is very simple but within that are complex formations as they make their way down the street. At the time I thought it was the nearest thing to a carnival in Rio. It is boisterous, funky and beautiful. I put it into my 2004 production, 'The Navigator' with costumes and hats borrowed from the Kanagawa Awadori group. The dance is mainly celebrated in August in the city of Tokoshima but the great blogger Q-Taro has led me to Koenji a suburb of Tokyo. Koenji has a 3 day festival at the end of August too. The above photo is from Q-Taro's 2002 visit. And more info on Koenji is here : http://www.koenji-awaodori.com/ See you there then!

The Final Curtain

2006-04-06T21:44:00.000+09:00

And so the work is handed in. And so it is checked and rechecked. And the 12th grade heave sighs of relief. No more Evans and no more Theatre deadlines. Within one portfolio submitted was this photograph by Miki Kotani which captures a moment of rehearsal last autumn. It was taken from the balcony and I like the way all the men are on stage and Raina [ Daisy Brasington ] is holding forth. There is stillness and action. ANd the lines of light define the space. And the reflected light illuminates the prevailing colours. For me it celebrates the most calm and professional show I have directed. One hopes the students' Portfolios convey this and are graded accordingly.

remembrance of things passed

2006-03-07T15:13:00.000+09:00

To establish the final aide memoire I hereby state the following useful: notes, dates, scores, word counts and other things. RESEARCH COMMISSION HL : 2500 words SL : 1750 words. You can be under/over by 10%; certainly NO more. Focus = an unfamiliar THEATRE TRADITION Advise and suggest : Yes. Tell and order = NO. INDIVIDUAL PROJECT [HL ONLY] Approximately 1500 words [ this is not included in the Portfolio count ] PORTFOLIO HL : 4500 words SL : 3000 words [ of your own words; does not include bibliography, extensive quotes, play text etc.,] You can be under/over by 10%; certainly NO more. TIMETABLE Monday 13th March : final theorist S.Meisner Wed 15th March : last class. Reviewing all work, sharing problems, FAQs, Monday 3rd April : HAND IT ALL IN. Wed 5th April : Final corrections, form filling, signing that it is your own work. ARMS and the MAN There are a sample of photos on the PIT LOBBY IB Board. Put your initial beside ones you want for Portfolio. I will then make copies for 15th March.

The Awa Village Stage: Tokushima

2006-03-03T12:53:00.000+09:00

From the Edo Period and through the Meiji period, villagers participated in performances working together to make things up as the play progressed. A village stage was maintained in all the villages. In the grove of the compound of the village shrine the stage was built to be well concealed. With its simple appearance the village stage reveals an atmosphere that can’t be found in modern urban theatre. The annual events that were held would be compromised of the puppet show and the ballad drama singing and dancing. This would smooth the way for an amateur dramatic performance, along with these events everyone would congregate in a banquet hall for a feast and thus allowing different people to fulfill various roles in the social life of the village. This was the tradition of the village. But is it what we term a Theatre tradition? Are there a set of rules handed down?

Les Voix Diphoniques

2006-02-22T14:30:00.000+09:00

After listening to the remarkable voices from the Xhosa people on stage during Molora I went looking for knowledge. The site below calls it OVERTONE singing and cites singers like Michael Vetter, Christian Bollmann, Michael Reimann from Germany, Roberto Laneri from Italy, Rollin Rachele from the Netherlands, Josephine Truman from Australia, Les Voix Diphoniques , Thomas Clements, Iegor Reznikoff and Tamia from France. Overtone singing is also practised by a number of ethnic groups (Oirat, Khakass, Gorno-Altai, Bashkir, Tuvin, Kalmuk) of the republics of Russia bordering on Mongolia. In Rajasthan (India), in Taiwan among the Bunun ethnic group, in Tibet among the monks belonging to the Gyuto and Gyume monasteries. In South Africa among the Xhosa population, the practice of overtone singing style is known throughout recordings. NHK Educational channel will broadcast last night's performance of MOLORA on Sunday 12th March at 10 p.m. http://membres.lycos.fr/tranquanghai/overtones_Khoomei.html

Japanese research site

2006-02-10T15:35:00.000+09:00

This is a good site for those who want to research Japanese theatre. It has an archive with back numbers. It has a wide spread of information. Every issue interviews a Japanese artist and international presenter. There is a Play of the Month. Recommended. http://www.performingarts.jp/

Molora

2006-02-02T19:01:00.000+09:00

Right. We are all off to the theatre on the 21st February at 7 p.m. Who is responsible? Still in her 30s, Jael Farber has produced a number of probing works that bring to life tragic events in her country’s recent history. Based on the ancient Greek tragedy of the Oresteia trilogy, Molora premiered in Germany in 2004. Acquaintances of Kanagawa Arts Foundation producer Midori Okuyama liked it so much that she was inspired to go see one of Farber’s productions in Australia last year. The result was an invitation to stage Molora in Japan as part of the Kanagawa Arts Foundation’s month-long Shukusai! Butai stage arts festival. And when the actors speak in Xhosa; it is subtitled in Japanese by Keiko Tsuneda. For more information on this play one need only google: Molora Kanagawa. Not connected to this directly but well worth a look for your research is : http://www.performingarts.jp/ You will find a mass of articles about Japan and World Arts. The site is bilingual too. Believe me; it is worth a look.

Children of the Black Skirt

2006-02-01T11:48:00.000+09:00

Watch out for a gothic fairytale with bite! Children of the Black Skirt by award winning Australian young author Angela Betzien is coming to YIS! The grade 11 IB class of Ben Irmov, Miyuki Watanabe and Sophia Yamaguchi will be joined by Emily Tamaru to present a spine tingling reflection on the forgotten children of past generations. Hear the stories of orphans from long ago, but be careful not to upset the cruel governess who walks the corridors of the orphanage wielding enormous scissors. It was orginally staged in Australia in 2003-4 and published by Currency Press in 2005. This haunting one act play will be performed on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th of April, 2006 in the Tanner Auditorium. There will be no ticket sales, as all donations will go to a local children’s charity. During the course of this term, the Grade 11 Theatre Arts Class has to take on a placement. A placement is where one becomes a trainee role within the company. They will choose and explore a placement from one of the areas below. In some cases, their placement will be an assistant to the key supervisor. Dramaturgy – researching, documenting the period (the historical and social environment) of the play as background for the director, actors and crew Directing – auditioning, planning production, conducting rehearsals and providing the artistic interpretation of the play Stage Management – assisting the director, overseeing all crews, and being responsible for the technical side of performance; coordinating and controlling the technical, dress and performances Choreography – interpreting the movement and dance sequences within the play and planning the dance styles Acting – interpreting the characters of the play both physically and emotionally; rehearsing and performing Lighting & Sound Design – designs colours and timings; prepares lighting plots, charts, cue sheets; hangs & focuses lights; operates lights during show; designs sound effects; creates sound cue sheets; makes SFX CDs; operates sound system Make-up & Costume Design - design make-up, costumes, accessories, hairstyles; make costumes; apply make-up and hairstyles; maintain make-up and costumes Set & Prop Design - design of set, riggings, colour schemes, arrangement of rostra; design, make, collect and manage properties used on stage for a place The performance of Children of the Black Skirt will be quite eclectic, even dare I say it abstract! We will endeavour to follow a mix of theatre such as: Epic Theatre ~ Brechtian Techniques (from Bertolt Brecht [1898-1956], Germany) http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/deryan/web2004/brecht.htm Butoh ~ A form of theatrical dance & “avant garde performance art, that has its origins in Japan in the 1960's” http://www.zenbutoh.com/history.htm http://www.dairakudakan.com/rakudakan/e_top.html Blue Man Group ~ A hybrid theatre group that combines “comedy, music and multi-media artistry to create a form of entertainment that is totally unique….developed in the late 80s with three long time friends Chris Wink, Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman” http://www.blueman.com/ The Grade 11 class are lucky this year, as they are able to keep in contact with the author, Angela Betzien by email and this will help with the development of their portfolio work. More information on the one act play, the author, Angela Betzien and publisher Currency Press can be found at http://www.realtv.net.au/shows-descriptions/childrens.html

abonecronedrone

2006-01-28T10:53:00.000+09:00

The music that was used by Butoh during their slide show was a sample. Within it was the music of Sheila Chandra. She is Anglo-Indian and began with a band called Monsoon. The music used is from ABoneCroneDrone. I have the CD. Sheila does not approve of sampling. She calls it theft.

Touching the moon

2006-01-26T11:25:00.000+09:00

Peter Brook once said of Yoshi Oida, " Many actors try and get you to see the moon. With Yoshi he takes you there.' Yesterday, I did not go to the moon with Takuya Butoh sensei. But maybe, just maybe for a second or two I felt the space between my fingers more than my fingers. I knew that it was about finding that moment of blankness when you: cut your finger, fall off the chair or walk into the glass door. Or go down a step that is not there. I was suprised at the gothic, the dead, the near dead or the livind dead. However, when all that is beyond me I just enjoy the images of Butoh and wonder which ones I can borrow to make my own moon.

Camel Battleship - the first door.

2006-01-23T11:49:00.000+09:00

I searched for some meaning to the meaningless in Butoh. The following words help me. The founder of Dairakudakan, Akaji Maro says this : " If we pick up a stone our action is limited to throwing or banging. It is the same with more complex instruments like a typewriter. In developing our functional movements we have discarded and forgotten other movements. " 'If someone tries to prepare food and cuts her finger, or makes a mistake writing kanji, this moment of surprise is the first door of Butoh. Time is stopped by the event and in this moment she enters the black world. In such moments humans can find forgotten moments." From Tokyo Journal Winter/Spring 2002

The Russians are coming

2006-01-15T18:46:00.000+09:00

I wonder if the Russian Embassy next door to the American Club in Tokyo will listen into TIP'S production of Chekhov's 'The Cherry Orchard'? Or are they listening to more political things? Mind you, the play is all about change. If the orchard is chopped down in a modern production you would hear the new gazprom pipe-line to the EU being dug. The TIP production is being directed by Malcolm Duff. Malcolm and I were at Trent Park College in N.London; at the same time, same year and same drama course. Between there and here we had never met. We last acted together at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Take a look at the webcam of this stunning outdoor theatre: http://www.minack.com/dayvisitors/webcams.htm We were in a play by Barrie which was unfinished. "Shall we join the Ladies?" The owner of the Minack, Rowena Cade had wished it to be done. So we did it. One night a dog walked across the stage, Mike's dress-shirt lost buttons and we glued Jim's cup to the saucer. What larks. Anyway. Back to the play in Tokyo. Let's all go to the Saturday matinee on the 29th. Malcom will be on stage fielding questions. Perhaps after querying the mood created in the play you can ask about the dog on the stage at the Minack. Or my dubious student life.

Butoh coming

2006-01-11T15:18:00.000+09:00

The Dairakudakan company are coming. On Wednesday 25th January Takuya MuraMatsu will be working with us. Their sites are : www.dairakudakan.com & www.geocities.co.jp/Hollywood-Stage/8138/rakudakan/english/memberindex.html

2006-01-08T21:34:00.000+09:00

Letter: Dear Daisy, Thank you for agreeing to help me with the play, in particular the costumes and masks/makeup. The play, At the Hawks Well is an Irish play however it lends itself very clearly to the Japanese theatre tradition of Noh. However I don’t know very much about this tradition, hence contacting you as you are conveniently based in Japan. Having seen pictures of traditional Japanese dress I would very much like to incorporate that aspect and the use of masks into my production. However I know very little about the significance of specific styles of Japanese dress. In terms of the masks I would like them to be less intrusive than some of the traditional masks, perhaps even taking the design from the masks and turning it into a makeup design. After designing the make up and costume I will also need help with other aspects regarding Noh theatre, for example movement of characters, stage structure and song. Thank you for your help. Yours sincerely, i havent decided on a name yet but i will think of something clever envenshually, more to the point - is this good enough or should it be longer - cus its not in the wordcount ne, so it could be more informative. also i cant find much about the play at the hawks well itself but i have found loads on it being like noh and naturally lots on Noh and blah blah blah is this due tomorow>? i feel like it is.. but im not sure. oh ib is so confusing.

After the death of my daughter

2006-01-04T17:28:00.000+09:00

Throughout the IB course I am telling students to make connections. Here is one mother's journey. I look at it from time to time. "After the death of my daughter I thought clean lines would repel me forever: the crisp triangulations of hospital sheets, the white oblong of her bed. Instead it was emotional incoherence of clutter that I found unbearable: cups and glasses, pieces of paper. I cleaned out her drawers,unmade her bed, painted over the bumps and grinds of wheelchair marks in the hall. Outside it snowed. Through the terrifying white I went to the Donald Judd Exhibition at the Tate. Here space and light lifted me. I could look up for the first time, feel free to feel nothing. The works are not clinical. The coloured perspex is warm, the shadows they cast are subtle and changing. The polished metal shines, the granite is flecked with light, the copper mirrored sides reflect back and forth until everything and nothing is caught there. I am caught there. A flicker of movement. A shadow. Someone coming out of shadows. Someone who walks in the world." Jenny Vuglar. The Observer. 26th December 2004. London

Brooks Brothers Sale

2006-01-03T18:28:00.000+09:00

I had a great day today. Lunch with an ex student. Then I asked her to accompany me to Brooks Brothers at Motomachi. Little did we know that it was SALE time. 30% reductions. Very tempting. So I tried on a Corduroy suit reduced from 75 to 50K. Still expensive. But after all, it is Brooks Bros. We did get time to talk about last year's gossip and the effect of yesterday upon today. When I asked her to forward one piece of advice for present students she offered this: IF YOU HAVE WORK DUE TOMORROW DO IT YESTERDAY. She wishes NOW that she could do IB again. Properly. Ah, the wisdom of hindsight. And on that positive note: Happy New Year to all readers. And please let me know of any other SALES. With a transition into the obvious play : Miller's 'Death of a Salesman.'

Cutting edge; thin ice.

2005-12-29T08:44:00.000+09:00

With the best of weather illuminating Japan I have been out and about with a chum who teaches in Hong Kong. He is in rapture to the style, colour and charm of pedestrians. We have, in one day conquered: Akihabara electronics, Jinbocho books, Daiba sunsets and Minato-Mirai horizons. We even went into Brooks Brothers. It is an excellent shop. And there I was always dismissing it because of the hideous shop front in Motomachi. Those flags! But within, some rather snazzy pants called Hudson. I even ascended the Landmark Tower and shot 12 views of Mt Fuji. And Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Later we speed- walked to combat the cold. We headed for the Red Brick Buildings and the temporary ice rink. Through the blue light we discovered a student. A 12th grade student. Down on the ice. And he a skillful footballer. "There are more here," he said. And indeed there were. "It's my birthday," said another as she ricocheted into the encircling fence beyween ice and pavement. What did I make of all this? Well, later I considered: What play would benefit from being staged on ice? I could not think of one. It would be too Disney, too Ice Follies, too difficult. And yet images of Chekhov's women skating to Moscow passed in front of me. The next day I was back at Landmark searching for a Barry Eisler novel; he writes about John Rain a Japanese-American assassin. I found 'Rain Storm' and will give it a try. Then I stumbled upon a lovely book. 'A Guide to the Japanese Stage' subtitled, 'From Traditional to Cutting Edge'. Now there's a claim. It looked less fuddy-duddy than anything seen before on the subject. And indeed it is. It mentions Butoh and Dairakudakan. It mentions Super Kabuki. It mentions Yoji Sakate who I have met and who invited me to give a workshop at his Rinko-Gun Theatre. Cutting edge indeed. The index is clear, the writing is straightforward and it is in chunks that welcome reading. I learnt several things within five minutes. For example, Sankai Juku Butoh has "eliminated grotesque strangeness and over-emotional physical expression". Now I must see them to know if this is true. The book even has seating plans of major theatres. And for the price of Y2200 I think it is a bargain. It has something for every IBTA student and teacher. There are still copies in Yurindo. Skate on over, why don't you?

Fish & chips please

2005-12-18T11:19:00.000+09:00

A man walks into a fish and chip shop. I am reading the daily paper. He asks if he can take the magazine section. I agree. He sits on the next table. He reads. Seconds pass. And then. He talks. "Now. Right. There's a mistake there with the possessive pronoun." I turn and nod. A chip dangles on mid-air fork. I can see this is the start of some considerable report. I ask, "What page are you on?" I see another copy of the magazine under my chips. [ The possibility of a play begins.]

So what is a Theatre Tradition?

2005-12-13T15:26:00.000+09:00

Yes. This dreary question that needs addressing for the RC. Well here is yet further light on the subject Definition of a Theatre Tradition for the purposes of this exercise - A tradition has a set of given conventions. - A tradition is a theatre practice that has developed into a fixed form with fixed conventions and tradition either over time or due to the nature of the culture from which it derives. Thus: Pantomime, Weimar Classicism, Noh, Chinese Opera, Kyogen are acceptable. But not dancing or make up. Trivial Question : What was the magic realism in Truly, Madly, Deeply?

first post...

2005-12-12T22:44:00.000+09:00

TESTING TESTING ONE TWO THREE>>> Anybody got any "spare" ideas bout research commision?? Im thinking about doing something to do with costume or make-up as i haveney tackled anything of that nature yet - other interests inculde - the irish (for reasons other than the guiness..) and ballet - maybe irish ballet>? but where to go from there ---> bed i think...

WARM WELCOME

2005-12-08T21:14:00.000+09:00

Yes. The contributors have swelled this evening. Four new people. Excellent. Now for more than just signing-up? Remember. The sun shines out of our arts. Today the 7th grade created a sarong performance. They moved in unison. A butoh hiss and the held sarongs, all 17 of them, floated to the floor. Why do I love the precision of this? Is it a dance or theatre? Does it matter? Is the eye pleased by harmony? Are we programmed for this? Is it our biology? And I am not the Lindberg baby.

LEAR on BLOGS

2005-12-08T06:51:00.000+09:00

King Lear on blogging: "... so we'll live, And pray, and sing, and tell old tales and laugh At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues Talk of court news; and we'll talk with them too. Who loses and who wins; who's in and who's out; And take upon's the mystery of things, As if we were God's spies." Nicked from Paul Miller's blog

Changes

2005-12-08T02:20:00.000+09:00

Monday was a strange lesson at first. It's like hosting a party. The host must get the atmosphere right. And the guests must suspend some of their disbelief. You may find echoes of this in a hilarious play called "Abigail's Party" by Mike Leigh. Excrutiating things happen at a party in the UK. Look for the script and video. Tonight there are Koto performances in the nearby temple; below St.Maur. Today I have increased my blog experience and added some LINKS. Look right and click why don't you? And to the future: make 25th January BUTOH DAY at YIS. Dairakudakan are coming! Now why isn't their name on the LINKS? Bear with me. Or is it bare with me? English speakers please advise! In my next blog I am considering publishing the names of late-givers; written work. Let the world decide.

Butoh YOKO

2005-12-02T09:30:00.000+09:00

I was pleased to see that Daisy and Rae have signed up. And I have had a nice e mail from DAIRAKUDAKAN Butoh Company. The proposed date for their workshop at YIS is 23rd January. It will include: film of their work, short talk and then practical movement workshop. I will be looking for an INTERPRETER. Check out their website at www.dairakudakan.com. They have a show in Setagaya this month. I can get you discount ticket; up close to the stage. So let me know and grab your white face paint. It's all about images and the beauty of ugliness. What is beauty? Some say it is average. The agreed face.

STart AGAIN

2005-11-24T10:23:00.000+09:00

Before November dies I am trying to get this to your eyes. PLease help by writing in something that is IB theatre connected. Or a question? ART. RSC in Ikebukuro. What is a Theatre Tradition? When is the BUTOH day in school ? When can we go to Kichijoji? The sun shines out of our arts.

opening statement

2005-08-21T23:02:00.000+09:00

Dear Tarts Being Theatre Arts people what better way to be called. Please use this blog to talk to all theatre people about the current work: the play. Or any other comments about curent work: home work, research, plays seen and work delayed. Try and keep your comments stored separately. They are all relevant and can be used again in your PORTFOLIO. I am going to inform all TEACHERS that we are the first department to introduce a DEPT BLOG at YIS., They may look into it. So - it goes without saying - but I will say it. Whatever you write here will be read by the WORLD. Please use it. Please refrain from rudeness and profanity. Without you the BLOG is nothing. If it goes well I will publicise it more widely in the IB world. Isn't it good that no one else has got this blog name ? Comments and suggestion to me the moderator. tim evans head t.art