Transcript Ayers, Shan - East

INFUSING ASIAN CONTENT INTO
UNDERGRADUATE THEATRE COURSES AT
BEREA COLLEGE
Shan R. Ayers, MFA
Professor of Theatre
Berea College
Berea, KY 40404
August 8, 2013
Use of Infusing Institute Materials
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Each year, we offer a course titled “First Theatres in Human Culture” wherein we link
religious, ritual and ceremonial histories to the beginnings of theatrical performance.
Specifically, we use material from early western sources, from the African Diaspora,
central Asia (India), Native American cultures and East Asia. Materials devoted to
China and Japan constitute roughly 25% of the course content.
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Other courses where we do and can incorporate Asian content are “Theatre and Drama
in a Nonwestern Culture” (Asian content totals 100% in sections on Chinese or
Japanese forms of theatre) and Playwriting (adapting original stories, 10% of course
content).
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When we produce plays that have Asian content, the material gleaned from this
institute will be a starting place for dramaturgical research. A recent example is our
production of Carlo Gozzi’s play, Turandot, set in China .
A quote from our “First Theatres
syllabus.
 “And make no mistake, you are never in a place that is nameless, in a
region without a name – you always find yourself in some word invented
by others – others never seen, long forgotten – before it was recorded in
writing. We are always in words. And not only in words, also in history –
that of the present and that of the past.” Cees Nooteboom, writing in The
Road to Santiago, and used as an opening quotation in Shades of
Hiawatha by Alan Trachtenberg.
My Specific Project
1.
To take the information gathered in these past three weeks to strengthen the East Asian
sections of the “First Theatres” course, especially with regard to the histories of the
religious and ritualistic traditions of East Asia.
2.
To dramatize various stories used in the ASDP Infusing Institute sessions as a way to
bring the material to the students in a different way.
3.
To take stories shared in the literature sessions to a course in playwriting to have
students adapt the stories for the stage with the caveat that they will need to do some
elementary research to maintain cultural integrity (allowing for some dramatic
license).
4.
To have these materials as a resource for future projects within our academic major
and our co-curricular production program.
An Example of adapting a story for the stage;
The “Eating Crabs” Youth Book
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The characters are AGE (Ah-geh), a Manchu gentleman;
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JIAREN (Gee-ah-ren), his southern Chinese wife; TUAN
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TI, (Too-ahn-tee), AGE's aunt; a servant girl who is
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unnamed; and the NARRATOR.
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NARRATOR
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(He addresses the audience)
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To live to one hundred merits some praise, don't you think? But it doesn't compare to taking advantage of the pleasures of
springtime. If you come upon some good village wine, drink a few bowls. When you see beautiful flowers in the field, stick some
in your hair. There are no flowers in the underworld, so I am told. There are no wine houses in the afterlife. How do I know?
Looking in the mirror, I see more lines than last year. When I look at you, sir, your face, too, is showing signs of wear. But, you ask,
what does this have to do with our story? Well, nothing, but poetic language sets the stage. So, here goes; Our story is one of
eating crabs. It is written in a language that you, ma'am, can help your husband understand. Laugh, too, when you hear something
funny, but don't laugh so much that you hurt your face!
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(As NARRATOR describes this next part, the characters, AGE and JIAREN should enter and pantomime the action)
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Once, there was a young man, but I am sorry, I don't know his clan name or what he was called, so we just call him AGE, Manchu
for man. Anyway, he lived on a manor for two years and a half. He decided to marry and took a wife from the southern regions.
Didn't know her name, her pedigree or anything about her. He just up and married her. She was a shrewd woman, very clever and
sharp. She, being from the south, spoke Han, but quickly learned Manchu. She became half Manchu and half Han, a wild woman.
We call her JIAREN, Han for beauty. (Aside) But just because she told me to call her that!
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Why don't I let them tell the rest of the story.
Later, as the story continues . . .
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TUAN TI
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I cannot go calling if I look like this. I must prepare.
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(SERVANT returns)
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Set my dragon basin there. Put the perfume over here. Place the embroidered mandarin
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duck pillow on the seat. Help me undo my hair so I might comb it with my tortoise shell
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comb. While I comb my hair, go get my most beautiful gown. Go, go.
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(SERVANT goes)
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Comb and straighten, comb and straighten. Add the ribbon, dress it right.Yes. That will
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do. Now, I must wash my face with this fine linen. I must clean my delicate tongue so I
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will be ready to talk, brush my teeth to their whitest white. To match my teeth, hibiscus
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white powder for my face. As delicate as a porcelain doll. Cherry red lipstick for my
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tiny, tiny mouth.
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NARRATOR
Well, not so tiny.You will soon see.
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Perfume in the part in my hair, ink on my temple hair.
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TUAN TI
To hide the coming of old age!
NARRATOR
Turandot,
by Carlo Gozzi , Directed by Deborah G. Martin.
Scenery and lighting by Shan Ayers, Costumes by Mary Ann Shupe
Japanese inspired Puppets for teaching
Training with Masters
Tonda NingyoKaikan, Biwa-cho, Japan.
In performance, Iida, Japan
Iida International Puppet Festival, 2002
Used to teach Collaboration
Iowa State University, Iowa City, Iowa.
Bibliography beginnings
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Bowers, Fabian. Japanese Theatre. Charles E. Tuttle Company. Tokyo. 1974.
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Ando, Tsuruo. Bunraku: The Puppet Theatre. Walker/Weatherhill, New York. 1970.
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Keene, Donald. Bunraku: The Art of the Japanese Puppet Theatre. Harper and Row,
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New York. 1973.
Yoshinobu, Inoura. A History of Japanese Theatre, I: Noh and Kyogen. Japanese
Cultural Society,Yokohama. 1971.
Toshio, Kawatake. A History of Japanese Theatre, II: Bunraku and Kabuki. Japanese
Cultural Society,Yokohama. 1971.
Mann, Susan and Yu-Yin Cheng, eds. Under Confucian Eyes: Writings on Gender in
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Chinese History. University of California Press, Berkley. (Chapter 18, The “Eating Crabs”Youth
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Book, Mark C. Elliot, Translator.
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Morton, W. Scott and J. Kenneth Olenik. Japan: Its History and Culture, 4th ed. McGraw
Hill, New York. 2005.
Yasuda,Yuri. Old Tales of Japan. Charles C. Tuttle Company. Tokyo, Japan. 1956.