Close to a dozen participants stomped, crouched, and leaped across room 104 in the Center for Dramatic Art Tuesday afternoon.
The dramatic movements were part of a workshop taught by Yuriko Doi, an internationally-known Kyogen actor.
Kyogen, a form of classical Japanese comic theater, combines singing and physicality to entertain its audience. The form gained popularity in Japan following World War II.
Jiayun Zhuang, assistant professor in the department of dramatic art, said that learning Kyogen and other forms of Asian theater can help western actors broaden their horizons.
“Kyogen is a completely different form of representation of consciousness,” she said. “It gives a different opinion of how to stage perception of reality.”
Doi, who has been practicing Kyogen for close to 40 years, led her students in some common poses and sequences of the theatrical form.
“Relax, chest up, relax your shoulders,” she said. “Now reach up, like you are punching someone.”
Once in character, the group strode purposefully towards the corner of the room, wielding their fans at an imagined enemy.
Not even Doi could contain her laughter while performing the sequence.
“I love the satire and humor of Kyogen,” Doi said. “It’s often a lower person outwitting the higher class.”
The group practiced one of these stories, in which a worker steals from his master’s melon patch. The eleven students went through the motions and chanted the lines together.
“My life is so hard that I am constantly thinking of evil schemes like this!” they cried, fully embodying their character.
Junior drama student Renee Jackson participated in the workshop.
“It’s really valuable to learn about different forms of art,” she said. “What’s most intense about Kyogen is that it’s about controlling your body in a different way than you would in regular life.
You need to be in a specific physical place to satisfy this stylized form of theater.”
Doi agreed that Kyogen emphasizes the physical aspects of performance. She said that she loves teaching the new concepts to Western acting students.
“It’s a different way to express themselves,” she said. “It wakes them up!”
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