Q4. Does midori programming ultimately help or hurt contemporary Kabuki?
James R. Brandon states "midori programs are assembled by bringing together independent, relatively short pieces and scenes taken from longer works". These programs typically feature a segment from a period drama and a segment from a domestic drama. Additionally, there is often a separate dance piece. The program is accompanied by music and narration. This is a stark contrast to toshi kyogen, where longer works can last more than eight hours.
The concept of midori programs is very interesting to me. Brandon talks about midori programs aims to entertain a younger audience. I initially felt that midori programs ultimately hurt contemporary Kabuki. While I have never seen a Kabuki performance, I compared it to the plays and musicals I have seen live. Would I have valued the experience as much if they only showed me the highlights? Would the characters resonate the same way? I would imagine it is more difficult to connect with a character if I only saw certain scenes. Also, often some of the best parts of a performance occur in between the big moments.
After I kept thinking about it, I belief that midori programs actually help Kabuki. While I see some potential issues with it, I also can see the benefits. I had a hard time thinking of a western performance that lasts eight hours or more. Young or old, there are few people that have 8 hours to devote to watching a performance in one setting. Regardless of actually having the time, I feel like few in our modern society would be willing to watch a performance for eight hours straight. In general we are an instant gratification, right now type of society.
Midori programs provides an avenue to expose more people to the performance. While it obviously changes the performance by focusing on selected scenes, it gives the audience a taste of Kabuki. Assuming they like the performance, maybe they will attend a toshi kyogen when it is performed. Exposing more people to Kabuki outweighs the drawbacks of midori programming. In my opinion, midori programming helps contemporary Kabuki.
Ken Wagner
I agree with Ken. I understand that a traditionalist might feel strongly that kabuki theatre should be kept intact. The dedication of the actors, musicians, and trainers who work to produce a day long play (lasting over eight hours) should be commended. However, it does not seem conducive to a modern audience. Especially for tourists who wish to have sampling, a kabuki buffet of sorts, the midori seems a strong alternative. I think it would be a loss of a national artform for the full length show to go extinct. Much like the Oberammergau passion play- maybe it could occur once a year. -Hailey Drescher
ReplyDeleteI think of it like this -- I'm not a sports fan (except for ACC college basketball, as North Carolina law requires). Baseball and football, from my point of view, are a few seconds of excitement weighted down by hours of deadly dull piddling around. If I watch a highlights reel, I'm entertained, yes, but that doesn't really make me a football fan, does it? What are the things I'm missing? Why are they significant? What aspects of participating in American culture embodied by football do I miss out on by just watching a highlights reel? If I just watch I highlights reel, will that make me more or less likely to enjoy a real game?
ReplyDeleteI think the whole idea of the Midori programs is really interesting in general, and I can definitely see both sides that Ken explained. I do think it is an excellent point that few people (in our culture, especially) would be willing to devote such a large amount of time to viewing a performance. In that case, it does allow people to at least be exposed to some parts of it and perhaps those smaller parts will capture someone's interest enough to prompt them to want to see the full performance. But I think Kelly's sports highlight example brings up some interesting things to consider also. You can't possibly understand everything about a performance of some kind by just viewing the highlights. The experience is very different. I think I fall somewhere in-between on this, but it is very interesting to think about.
ReplyDeleteJenna Barclay