Noh in Bloomsburg Pennsylvania

I am rehearsing an English language noh play in Bloomsburg PA at the moment.  The play is called "Crazy Jane" - a gorgeous piece written by David Crandall about a madwoman.  I am playing Jane. No typecasting there!

I have never posted about noh (Medieval Japanese theatre) - only kabuki and nihon buyoh - but noh is something I studied before I started my training in nihon buyoh.  Very different, but there are connections in some of the stories and texts.  I study in the Kita School, with noh expert Richrd Emmert and master noh performer OMURA Sadamu.

I am part of Theatre Nohgaku, a group dedicated to bringing noh to North America. Every year the group meets in Bloomsburg to rehearse, train etc, and I am lucky to be able to be here this year.

For more on noh in general see www.theatrenohgaku.org

Crazy Jane performances are on Friday August 13 and Saturday August 14 - if you happen to be in Bloomsburg ... or in Philidelphia or New York City if you don't mind a 3 hour drive!
Details on the show on the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble's website:

http://www.bte.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=92&cntnt01origid=140&cntnt01returnid=234

Photos of Odori on FLICKR

Another thank-you to everyone who supported TomoeArts in our landmark project Odori. It was a huge success on all counts. Messages from the artists in Japan say they are all back to their regular busy lives in Japan working, teaching, and performing. They had a wonderful time here, and say they miss Canada!
Take a look at some photos from the show – taken by the amazing Trevan Wong and a few photos of the workshops too. Check out the new Odori: The World of Kabuki Dance photostream at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46550780@N03/sets/72157624348511596/show/with/4734721079/

It would be great to hear some feedback on Odori – so if you have any comments or thoughts – please let us know. We really want to hear what you think. We hope to do another large-scale traditional performance in the future, so any input is welcome to help us plan for the future!

The Complex World of Kabuki Costuming

When you need costumes for a show, you rent them from a big costume house. These costume houses have hundreds of different kimono and obi, props and bits and pieces, in a variety of sizes. Each dance has fairly specific requirements, motifs and colours attached -- and there are always some options within the guidelines. For instance, the piece I will be dancing, Shiki no Yamamba, uses two motifs: mountains and autumn leaves. You can have one motif on the fan, and the other on the kimono -- but you should have both. When you ask for a costume for a particular dance, the first question is whether they will have your size (which for me being 6 feet tall is a definite issue!), then if there are variations to choose from you have artistic freedom.

When you rent costumes for a show, you are also renting costumers. A performer cannot dress him or herself -- it is simply impossible. You need two knowledgeable humans to know how to put on a kimono - hugely detailed work because every knot and bow and doo-dad means something and you can't get it wrong. Just the tying of the obi is a lifetime study!

We have two costumers for Odori...both from Shochiku Costume House - the company that does costumes for the kabuki-za. It will be very, very exciting (and a rare chance for me!) to be costumed by these professionals.

Odori: The World of Kabuki Dance April 10-11, 2010

Odori: The World of Kabuki Dance showcases odori the dance of the kabuki theatre performed by 3 master dancer-actors from Japan: Fujima Shôgo, Izumi Tokuho and Fujima Monyo. These master dancers will join TomoeArts artistic director Colleen Lanki (Fujima Sayû) to bring Vancouver audiences two evenings of the art of odori - kabuki dance.

Do not miss this rare chance to see dances from the kabuki theatre performed in full costume wig and make-up!

There is a free lecture-demo on kabuki dance on April 9 at 7:30pm.

There will also be workshops, a display of kabuki ukiyoe (woodblock prints) and a series of talks and lectures. Please check the TomoeArts website soon for a complete list of events or contact info@tomoearts.org.


Tickets prices are $25/$20 seniors/$15 students.

To purchase call the Theatre at UBC box office: 604.822.2678.
Theatre at UBC website: www.theatre.ubc.ca