Kabuki
Kabuki (歌舞伎) is Japanese traditional theater; its roots go back to the Edo era. It has been recognized as one of Japan’s three classic theaters; among them there are nohe and bunrakun. Kabuki was included in the UNESCO-’s intangible cultural heritage list. Kabuki is a way to bring art to the people. It covers detailed designed clothes, attractive makeup, unusual wigs, and the most important part is the actors exaggerated game. Early thought movements need for rendering the audience the meaning of the performance: it is very important because during the performance the old Japanese language is used, which is very difficult to understand even for Japanese. Movable area of stage, rotating platforms and manholes allow actors unnoticed appear or to disappear and rapidly change scene. Another feature of Kabuki stage is the bridge (hanamichi), which runs through the audience, giving a dramatic entrance or exit opportunities. The atmosphere complements with the traditional Japanese instruments live music. Many elements are merged, in order to get a charming and stunning presentation. Scenarios are usually based on historical events, heartbreaking tragedies, love stories, the moral contradictions and other stories. Kabuki’s unique feature is that the part which is staged in the presentation only a part of the whole story (basically the best part). Nevertheless, for having pleasure during the performance it is recommended to read at least a little about the history, which should be in the performance. In some theaters the performance content and explanation are given in English. Initially, Kabuki played only women. Later in the Edo era the participation of women was prohibited, and up to date only men play in Kabuki Theater. It’s interesting that there are male actors who specialized in playing only female’s roles. There are also assistants dressed in black who appear on the stage. They help the actors or give the necessary items. They are called “kurogo” and considered non-existent people. In Japan there are no special clothes to wear for going to the theater; however, Japanese women on the first day of performance sometimes wear Kimono.
the material is taken from http://ostarmenia.com/hy/cinema-theatre-arm/kabuki/
