Asian Theatre

When people think of Asian theatre, often the first thing that comes to mind is the traditional "oriental" or "eastern" theatre. However, Asian theatre actually spans over a great many countries, combining various customs and literary works.

Asian Theatre Includes:

• • India

  • Sri Lanka

  • Myanmar

  • Thailand

  • Laos

  • Cambodia

  • Vietnam

  • Malaysia

  • Indonesia

  • China

  • Korea

  • Japan

While there are many more countries in Asia (48 total), these are among the few that have the most prominent cultures when it comes to theatre.

Religions

Religion is a huge factor when it comes to Asian Theatre. In fact, many forms of drama were created in the first place in order to convey aspects of their Religion.

Some of the many influential religions in Asia are:

• • Hinduism

  • Buddhism

  • Islam

  • Confucianism

In India, the dance-drama known as Krishnanattam was created in order to portray the Hindu god Krishna's birth to his ascent into heaven.

Buddhist processional theatre, called nibhatkin, was also popular in Myanmar. It is a mystery play which shows the life of the Buddha and his earlier incarnations.

In Cambodia, they would pantomime the Hindu creation myth, The Churning of the Milky Ocean. In fact, this story may have originated from actual theatrical performances.

Java, an island in Indonesia, has combined its older Hindu-Buddhist traditions with Islamic culture, resulting in the sophisticated court theatre and dance.

Overall, religion remains one of the most prominent influences on Asian theatre.

Politics

Throughout history, politics have also played a big role in Asian Theatre throughout the various countries.

During the Cultural Revolution in China, all traditional forms of theatre were banned. Instead, Five Revolutionary Model Dramas were created in order to further their political ideas. These were the only shows allowed to be shown.

In the 1800s, India was under the control of the British East India Company which brought a lot of western influence into their traditional forms of theatre. One example of this was the instroduction of spoken drama into India.

King Rama VI of Thailand also played a huge influence on Asian theatre. Due to his love of Western dramas, he spent much of his time as king incorporating western shows into Thailand. He translated Western dramas into Thai and even built several Western-type stages.

Social Influences/Economic Conditions

In addition, social influences and economic conditions have a big part in determining who is able to attend Asian dramas.

The old days of India were dominated by the social structure known as the caste system. More extravagant shows were meant for those who were higher on the caste system while those near the bottom made do by creating their own simplistic forms of theatre.

Although the economic conditions in Laos still make it one of the poorest countries in the world, its culture is at the moment going through a process of revival.

No/Noh- a Japanese musical drama that uses elaborate costumes and masks. The actors use extremely slow and measured acting techniques to go along with the minimal music used. This is performed in a wooden stage structure (as seen in the diagram below). Noh Theatre is considered one of the great classical traditions of world theatre.

Banraku- The art of traditional Japanese puppet theatre. The wooden marionettes are about four feet tall and made to look realistic and elaborate. Each doll has three attendants wearing all black and gauze masks. The narrators of the show would wear elaborate costumes.

Kabuki- A Japanese form of theatre that combines singing, dancing, and acting. The actors used elaborate makeup in order to show the emotions of each character. This form of theatre was originally performed by women began in the 16th century. However, as it gained popularity it was taken over by men.

Chinese Terms:

zhengmo- singing male lead

fumo- supporting male character

xiaomo- young man

zhengdan- singing female lead

fudan- supporting female characters

laodan- old female character

xiaodan- young woman

jing- evil or comic characters

za- supporting minor characters

Japanese Terms:

shite- lead/main character

waki- supporting role

shite- zure- main character's companions

waki- zure- the supporting character's companion

kokata- child roles, are performed by young boys

kojin- foreigners or “barbarians”

gojin- people of the Wu kingdom

nankaijin- native of the Southern Sea

irui- various animal characters