Monday, November 09, 2020
Noh Theater Struggles To Survive The Pandemic
The Theatre Times: Kennosuke Nakamori’s sonorous voice fills a small room as he practices the lines of a traditional noh play, even though he hasn’t performed before a live audience in months.
He moves gracefully as he rehearses the studied movements associated with the ancient art, but his serene exterior belies deep worries about the future of noh.
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It would be absolutely devastating if noh theatre was not able to continue after the pandemic. I’ve taken five theatre history courses in my academic career and one of favorite areas of theatre history to cover has always been noh theatre. Theatre in general throughout the world has survived so many tests, trials, and turbulations; from the church’s interference, to plagues, all the way to red scare. It’s so troubling to hear that noh is not receiving funding while other types of theatres in Japan are. It would be such a terrible loss if Japan didn’t realize the impact that noh has had on the history and artform of theatre and would let it continue to dwindle. While circumstances might seem bleak for noh, I am keeping the faith that the incredible artists that perform it will continue to find ways to keep it alive. I wonder if they were able to do any kind of workshops, history lessons, or tutorials online if this would be able to help generate revenue to save for when they are allowed to perform in person again.
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