Noh Training Project Japan 2019
June through July, 2019
Japan
Our workshop offerings in Japan this year provide a wealth of different experiences which will allow participants a deep dive into different facets of noh. (Please note: the performance and mask workshops run simultaneously, so it is not possible to attend both.) All other workshops can be attended individually or consecutively. Available seats are limited, so please be certain to register as soon as possible. Please note that workshop fees cover participation and workshop materials only, and that airfare, ground transport, meals and accommodation are not included.
• Sculpting Silk
Noh Costume Workshop
June 10-18
Kyoto and Fukuyama
The costume workshop begins with several days of lectures by renowned Japanese textile and noh costume scholar Monica Bethe. We then travel to Fukuyama to visit the noh stage of the Oshima family (Kita School). After an introductory lecture on the costumes and masks as used in performance, we are invited backstage for a final rehearsal and full performance. The workshop culminates in the unforgettable experience of spending a day dressing and being dressed in noh’s elaborate costumes.
Total cost: ¥100,000 (limit 8)
• Kata Boot Camp
Basic Noh Movement
June 19-21
Fukuyama
A chance to drill basic noh movement patterns in a very intensive non-traditional pedagogy. Traditionally, noh performers start training as soon as they can walk so the movement becomes ingrained as they grow up. Though amateurs often train only 2 or 3 times a month with a teacher, over a lifetime of self practice,,they approach noh more like a martial arts than a performing art. In light of this, we’re working with noh professionals to develop a new training method that will attempt to imbue participants in a short time with the building blocks of noh movement. This 3-day intensive will help prepare participants for the 3-week immersion in Tokyo that follows. (Fukuyama) ¥25,000 (limit 12)
• Pause Between Silence
Writing New Noh
June 15 – 19
Tokyo
Theatre Nohgaku is committed to promoting the creation of noh in languages other than Japanese; this workshop is an outgrowth of that commitment. We begin with an overview of noh’s poetic structures, including scene names, syllabic requirements, and musical features. Participants create outlines for new noh and are guided through the process of creating their own scenes.
Total cost: ¥50,000 (Limit 8)
• Power through Resistance
Noh Chant, Movement, Instruments
June 23-July 12
Tokyo
Led by Kita School performers in conjunction with professional noh musicians and members of Theatre Nohgaku, participants engage in intensive training in the performance of noh. Each day starts with utai (chant), followed by shimai (dance) and hayashi (instruments). Evening practice sessions give participants an opportunity to hone the skills they are learning, and weekly attendance at performances and recitals provides context and inspiration. The workshop culminates in a recital on the Kita School’s noh stage in Meguro.
This workshop is physically strenuous and requires frequent kneeling, standing, and sustained concentration. Participants should expect to focus exclusively on the workshop for the full three weeks in order to receive the maximum benefit.
Total Cost: First time participants ¥120,000 – cost includes two pair of white tabi footwear, rehearsal fan, printed materials and translations, practice wear (yukata, hakama, obi), pictures of final recital and DVD. Returning participants who already have full practice wear ¥85,000. (limit 12)
• Revealing the Hidden
Noh Mask Carving
June 23-July 12
Tokyo
Participants will create their own noh masks in the home studio of master carver and instructor Hideta Kitazawa. Finished works will be displayed at the Kita School’s theater in Meguro for the final recital of the Power through Resistance Workshop.
Total Cost: ¥80,000 (Limit 3)
• Noh Time is a Presence
Exploring noh techniques for contemporary work
July 15 – 19
Tokyo
This workshop will give participants the chance to apply techniques they have learned over the course of the workshop to “non-noh” work. This is an inaugural workshop and the structure is still under development, with evening sessions dedicated to creating and sharing short pieces. (Tokyo)
Cost: ¥20,000 open only to those who have participated in a previous workshop.
*N.B. The cost of individual workshops listed above DOES NOT INCLUDE AIRFARE, GROUND TRANSPORT, and LODGING OR DAILY EXPENSES. Theatre Nohgaku can offer advice and assistance, if needed, in securing lodging, but participants are solely responsible for their own arrangements.
For registration, or additional information, please contact the workshop coordinator by submitting the below form:
[ ntp.japan.summer “@” gmail.com ]
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