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A Family of Performers
Family is an integral part of kabuki. Actors often undertake the role of performer, theater owner, costume designer, and director. As a result, the involvement in kabuki is highly intensive both on and off stage. The actors frequently come from family dynasties who have passed down their knowledge and passion for the commoners' art. These familial lines create a sense of familiarity for the audience. Knowing the family line of performers who are acting in the performance allows the audience to better prepare for the actors' stylistic impressions.
Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII Kanzaburo was no ordinary kabuki actor. His passion for the artform helped to propel it forward into a new age of technologically advanced society. The "XVIII" after his name signified him as the eighteenth member of the Nakamura family to perform in kabuki. The Nakamura family line is known for their unique performance styles and broad reach in kabuki theater as many have owned and operated their own theaters and directed their own productions.
Kanzaburo was vital to the resurgence and modernization of kabuki. He understood his power as an influential actor to help guide kabuki into the view of a modern audience. Melting together the traditional aspects of kabuki and the desires of the modern audience, "He knew that the time had come to break tried-and-true rules of the kabuki stage, but he often stated that an actor had to first master traditional forms in order to know how, when, and why to break or change them" (Kominz 2013, 268). During his time Kanzaburo contributed three significant changes to kabuki. His hope was to help future generations retain this significant artform of Japanese culture as it not only is unique to Japan, but it also helps to situate the nations' history in the context of art. Kabuki was and continues to be a commentary by Japanese people as much as it is molded by their own history. |
Kanzaburo's Contributions to Kabuki
- Cocoon Kabuki: A modernly styled version of kabuki which incorporates real environments, such as ponds of water on stage, and musical pieces composed in the genres popular at present.
- Heisei Nakamura-za: A transportable kabuki theater which could be used to bring kabuki to audiences all around Japan.
- Noda Kabuki: Kabuki performances of rewritten versions of traditional scripts which are more engaging for the modern audience.
(Kominz, 2013)
Photo used under Creative Commons from Dumphasizer