Chinese Theater

PEKING OPERA
Chinese theater traditionally was considered as the highest form of arts in China.
• is also known as the Beijing opera
• still follows traditional Chinese arts in stressing meaning, rather than precise actions
• is a stylized Chinese form of opera dating from the late 18th century, in which speech, singing, mime, and
acrobatics are performed to an instrumental accompaniment
• became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century • was regarded as one of the cultural
treasures of China and was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court
• The opera artists’ goal is to make every performance exceptionally beautiful in every movement they will
make.
Two main styles of music:
These styles are very similar and the only difference is the key.
His-p’l has lower sound than erh- huang. They also utilize the technique called fan-pan which is commonly used for
sorrowful songs, and is only sung by bearded characters.
Main Styles of Music
• It comprises about 8 musicians sitting on stools in the far corner of the stage.
• Each performance in a Peking opera begins with the ta-lo and siao-lo, a small and large gong and cymbals.
• In some performances, they also start with a single skin drum or kettle drum.
• The conductor usually sits in the center of the orchestra and creates tempo with this drum.
• The actor’s delivery of lines is rigidly controlled by conventions.
• Each role has its prescribed vocal timbre and pitch, and syllables are often drawn out with regards to
conversational usage in order to maintain the appropriate rhythm.
• Even spoken passages are governed by strict rhythms and tempos.
• Chanted and sung passages are freely inserted into spoken monologues or dialogues.
• Thus, lines are rendered in an extremely stylized manner.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Aerophone
1. Ti-ts – cross flute; usually played along singing
2. Siao – recorded flutes; usually played along singing
3. Sona – trumpet; announces prosperous occasions (victories, good news, etc.)
Violin-Like
1. Hu-ch’in – is a two-stringed violin- like instrument that is held upright against the knee
2. Bu-ch’in – is also a two-stringed violin-like instrument that has a more graceful sound Chordophone
Chinese Theater
Guitar-Like
1. Yue-ch’in – is a four-stringed moon guitar
2. San-sien – is a three-stringed instrument
3. Pi-p’a – is similar to lute with four strings
Idodophone
1. Ta-lo and Siao-lo- signify the beginning of the performance
3. Tan-pi-ku – kettle drum; used to create the tempo of the performance

Roles and Characters:

Sheng -a male role, usually a leading one, dates back to Southern Drama of the Song and Yuan Dynasties (960-
1368). This role appears in operas in all historical periods. Sheng falls into three sub-groups: Laosheng, Xiaosheng,
Wusheng
a. Xiaosheng actors are often involved with beautiful women by virtue of the handsome and young image they
project.
b. Wusheng is a martial character for roles involving combat. They are highly trained in acrobatics, and have a
natural voice when singing. Is about the militant or martial males are skilled in the art of kung fu.
c. Laosheng is a dignified older role, these characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition, and wear
sensible costumes. performed as an aging man or a middle-age man with beards.
Dan - is the general term in Peking Opera for female roles. As early as in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Dan role
appeared. Southern Drama and Northern Zaju, which developed during the Song and Yuan Dynasties (960- 1368)
Nowadays, the Dan roles are subdivided into Zhengdan (or Qingyi),Huandan, Wudan and Laodan
a. Laodan- old woman She sings in their natural voices, in a style similar to that of Laosheng but in milder
tones.
b. Wudan- martial woman is a female martial or acrobatic fighter, and most of them are in a young age.
c. Daomadan are young female warriors  also a female heroic warrior.  They would wear the conventional
costume of a female military officer; plus, a halberd or a long weapon in hands and sometime riding on a
horse.
d. Qingyi are virtuous and elite women Also a role of the kind of faithful and moral women, especially a
faithful wife, lover, or maiden in distress.
 e. Huadan are vivacious and unmarried women . also role of a very lively energetic young woman, or a
young female flirt. Sometimes, a Huadan could be in a low social status, but with a comic character.
Jing- is a painted face male role who plays either primary or secondary roles. This type of role entails a forceful
character, which means that a Jing actor must have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures. The red color
denotes loyalty and goodness, white denotes evil, and black denotes integrity.
Chou- is a male clown role. The Chou usually plays secondary roles whose name also means "ugly". It reflects the
traditional belief that the clown's combination of ugliness and laughter could drive away evil spirits.
Visual Performance Elements:
Peking-opera performers utilize four main skills.
1. Song
2. Speech
3. Dance-acting - This includes pure dance, pantomime, and all other types of dance
. 4. Combat - includes both acrobatics and fighting with all manner of weaponry.
Beijing Opera facial masks
•Beijing opera types of facial makeup in operas are based on certain personality, temperament or some special types
of figures for the use of certain colors.
-Red has expressed his Warriors of strong types of facial
-Black said the types of facial makeup in operas ming criticized people, integrity, bravery and even reckless
-Yellow types of facial makeup in operas that vicious
-Blue or green types of facial makeup in operas that some of the figures represented irritable
-Gold and silver are used on faces of deities, spirits and demons
-Other meaning of colors in Peking Opera Masks/Make-ups base on the Learning Material:
• Red - devotion, courage, bravery, uprightness and loyalty
. • Black - roughness and fierceness
• Yellow - fierceness, ambition and cool-headedness
• Purple - uprightness, sophistication and cool-headedness
• Reddish purple - just and noble character
• Blue - loyalty, fierceness and sharpness
• White - dangerousness, suspiciousness and craftiness. Commonly seen on the stage is the white face for
the powerful villain
• Green - impulsive and violent and stubbornness
Aesthetic Aims and Principles of Movement:
• The highest aim of performers in Peking Opera is to put beauty into every motion.
• The art form, gestures, settings, music, and character types are determined by long held conventions
 Conventions of movement
-Walking in a large circle always symbolizes traveling a long distance
- Character straightening his or her costume and headdress symbolizes that an important character is about
to speak ---
-Pantomimic opening and closing of doors and mounting and descending of stairs

Japanese Theater
Japan is rich in culture and tradition. Ikebana Sakura Noh Kabuki
• is one of the traditions that is very popular until today
• is the traditional form of theater which began at the end of the 16th century
• became the most successful theater entertainment in the red light districts of the great cities
• is considered the most important Japanese contribution to World Theater
• Both noh and kabuki are unique and genuine expressions of the Japanese spirit and culture. • However,
they mirror taste and ideals of different social classes, in profoundly different environments and periods.
SAKURA- is one of the popular traditional songs of Japan
• is a traditional song that produces distinct characteristics used in the Asian style of making melodies also
known as the pentatonic
Vocal Pattern & Techniques
1. Ipponchōshi or the continuous pattern
• used in speeches building up to an explosive climax in the aragoto (oversized, supernatural, rough hero) style
• requires an extraordinary breath control that only few experts succeed in achieving
2. Nori- adapted from the chanting of jōruri (a traditional Japanese narrative music in which a tayū (太夫) sings to
the accompaniment of a shamisen) • implies a very sensitive capacity of riding the rhythms of the shamisen
(string instrument), declaiming each accompaniment
3. Yakuharai- the subtle delivery of poetical text written in the Japanese metrical form of alternating seven and
five syllables

Dances and Movements

 • are accompanied by shamisen music collected and popularized a number of aspects from all previous forms of
Japanese music
Vocal & Instrumental Features
• Gagaku – classic court music imported from China during the 18th century
• Kagura – performed in Shinto shrines
• Nō – chant derives from shōmyō, the sophisticated and rich tradition of Buddhist chanting
Vocal & Instrumental Features
Nagauta • is a love song which reached a golden age in the first half of the 19th century as dance music for the
henge mono (quick-change piece)
• is very flexible, can be performed by one shamisen or by an entire orchestra of 20 musicians  10 are
shamisen players  while other play flutes a. fue taken from the nō b. drums (small drum-kotsuzumi; waist drum-
ōtsuzumi; stick drum-taiko)
Kabuki Stage
• Hanamichi – a flower path, a walkway which extends into the audience and via which dramatic entrances and
exits are made; Okuni also perform on a hanamichi stage with her entourage.
• Kogakudo - kabuki theaters that have stages both in front of the audience and along the sides help create a
bond between the actors and viewers • Mawaro butal -the interior of the theater contains a revolving stage The
Kabuki stage features:
• Suppon - a platform that rises from below the stage
• Hanamicho – a walkway that cuts through the audience seating area to connect the stage with the back of the
theater
The three main categories of the kabuki play are:
• jidai-mono- historical, or pre-Sengoku period stories • sewa-mono- domestic, or post-Sengoku stories and •
shosagoto - dance pieces
Elements of kabuki:
Mie - in which the actor holds a picturesque pose to establish his character and his house name yagō, is sometimes
heard in a loud shout (kakegoe) from expert audience member, serving both to express and enhance the audience's
appreciation of the actor's achievement. An even greater compliment can be paid by shouting the name of the
actor's father. Keshō
Actors are separated into two main categories: • Onna-gata - female roles and; • Aragoto - male roles.
Make-up is also one of the most iconic parts of Kabuki. Actors apply their own make- up by painting their faces and
necks white, then adding stylized lines in red, black, or blue. The colors and lines that are used tell you what kind of
character is being performed. • Red and blue are usually aragoto roles, onna- gata playing young women have very
little paint
-Rice powder is used to create the white oshiroi base for the characteristic stage make-up, and kumadori enhances
or exaggerates facial lines to produce dramatic animal or supernatural character.
• The color of the kumadori is an expression of the character's nature: • red lines are used to indicate passion,
heroism, righteousness, and other positive traits; • pink, for youthful joy; • light blue, for an even temper;• pale
green, for peacefulness • blue or black, for villainy, jealousy, and other negative traits; • green, for the supernatural;
and • purple, for nobility
The play occupies five acts. The first corresponds to
• jo, an auspicious and slow opening which introduces the audience to the characters and the plot
• ha, speeding events up, culminating almost always in a great moment of drama or
• kyu, is almost always short, providing a quick and satisfying conclusion.
Kabuki props are often quite interesting. Flowing water is usually represented by fluttering roles of linen; and
creatures like insects and foxes. Props often have symbolic meanings. Fans are used to symbolize wind, a sword, a
tobacco pipe, waves or food.
Costumes are swung from sticks or manipulated by helpers who come on stage dressed in black hooded robes so
they are invisible to the audience. The female characters generally wear an elaborate kimono and obi.
Costume changing is considered as an art. There are special teams that take care of complete and partial costume
changes and are done as part of the performances.
Wigs are important accessories, with each costume having its own type. Specialized craftsmen shape the wigs to the
head. Wigs are made of human hair or horse hair or, bear fur or yak-tail hair imported from Tibet.