Traditional Japanese Theater [Hardcover]

Karen Brazell is a professor in the department of East Asian Studies at Cornell University and is the winner of the National Book Award for her translation of The Confessions of Lady Nijo. She is also editor of Twelve Plays of the No and Kyogen Theaters, and coauthor, with Monica Bethe, of No as Performance and the three-volume Dance in the No Theater.This is a collection of the most important genres of Japanese performance—noh, kyogen, kabuki, and bamrili puppet theater—in one comprehensive, authoritative volume. Organized by genre, each section features a rich selection of representative plays and explorations into each theatrical style and is prefaced by an illustrative essay covering a wide range of subjects, from stage direction to musical accompaniment. With classic and new translations of more than thirty plays and scenes—along with Brazell's detailed, historically rich supplementary material and copious illustrations—no better anthology exists for students of this most fascinating and diverse dramatic tradition.A compact introduction, rich variety of fine translations of representative plays, detailed stage directions, and extensive photographs make this an ideal teacher's tool...This is not only a fine anthology, but the only anthology of its kind.A collection of translations of traditional Japanese plays that will become the standard textbook for courses on Japanese theater. A compact introduction, rich variety of fine translations of representative plays, detailed stage directions, and extensive photographs make this an ideal teacher's tool.Promises to become a classic.Part I. An Introduction to Traditional Japanese Theater
Japanese Theater: A Living Tradition
Historical Perspectives
General Characteristics
The Stages
Four Figures of the Thunder God: The Major Genres
Noh: lóÍ