Japanese Theater workshops

	Japanese Theater workshops
	As a result of funding from the Title VI grant, in spring 2005 we held a series of three lectures and workshops at Austin College on Japanese theater, including Bunraku, Kabuki, and the Suzuki acting method.
	Bunraku The Tonda Bunraku Troupe presentation on Feb. 4, 2005 drew nearly 200 people from on and off campus. The Saturday workshop had a dozen participants. At least one of the students who attended the Bunraku demonstration plans to attend the troupe’s summer workshop at the University of Massachusetts. Having aroused interest, we are now interested in the possibility of having a full-scale Bunraku performance on campus in the future. Dr. Kathleen Campbell, a Professor of Theater Arts at Austin College, who supervised the workshops, reported that the students who attended the Bunraku workshop were thrilled to have an opportunity to actually handle the puppets and experience the difficulty involved in bringing them to life.
	Suzuki On February 10, 2005, the SITI company demonstration on the Suzuki Method drew about 30 people to Austin College. About six AC students also participated in the demonstration. Fourteen students attended the Saturday workshop, which included a morning session on Suzuki training and an afternoon session on Viewpoints training. Dr. Kathleen Campbell said that the results from the SITI company workshop were almost instantaneous: "It was an invaluable introduction to a very rigorous form of training. The impact on the students was immediate; in most cases, students changed and grew during the short time of the workshop; many commented afterward on what they had learned about basic stage presence and use of space." Campbell also reports that she will be doing a JanTerm on devising theatre which will draw on Suzuki’s work along with others.
	Kabuki Distinguished kabuki expert Dr. Leonard Pronko gave a presentation on Kabuki theatre on March 31, 2005, which attracted about 60 people. Twelve students attended the workshop the following Saturday morning. Dr. Pronko and his assistant taught them traditional Kabuki walks and other basic dance moves. The workshop was physically demanding, but the students responded enthusiastically and are already actively using some of these techniques in their work.
	Dr. Campbell was extremely pleased with the workshop series and found it very provocative. “I can say that these presentations and workshops provided our students with a valuable and much needed introduction to Asian theatre, both traditional and contemporary. Because we are a small program, we have not been able to incorporate much non-Western theatre in classes or productions. This program whetted our students' appetites for more.” All workshops and performances were recorded on video and will be available for future classroom use.

Title VI Grant Activities