7 September 2018

library@esplanade

Join us for a laughter-filled evening! Mr. Doji Shigeyama, renowned Kyogen performer from the Shigeyama family in Kyoto, will introduce interesting elements of Kyogen and perform a bi-lingual play with his co-performer Mr. Minoru Suzuki. During this lecture-performance, audience members will not only learn about a traditional performance genre from one of the best Kyogen performers in his generation, but also enjoy a comedy play and interact with the performers.

About Kyogen

Kyogen is one of Japan’s four oldest traditional performance genres, together with Noh, Kabuki and Bunraku. Characterised by its humourous storyline and stylistic presentation style, Kyogen performance is very different from the other three genres with its emphasis on kinetic movements and relatively simple language. Often performed between Noh plays, Kyogen plays provide a much-welcomed comic relief after the performance of the more intense and solemn Noh plays. There are many different categories of stories such as the master-servant categories; husband-wife categories; mountain-priest categories, etc. in the Kyogen repertoire. Kyogen has attracted great interests in both Japan and overseas, and was translated into English as early as 1879.

About the Artists

Mr. Doji Shigeyama is a versatile and bilingual Kyogen performer who is the 14th generation of Kyogen performers in the Shigeyama family, a major Kyogen performance family under the Okura School tradition based in Kyoto. Mr. Shigeyama was trained by his grandfather Sennosuke II and father Akira, and made his Kyogen debut at age 3.

Other than traditional Kyogen, Mr. Shigeyama has also created and performed many new style Kyogen plays. Effectively bilingual, he performs bilingual Kyogen both in Japan and overseas. Mr. Shigeyama has also directed, written and performed in various other theatrical forms besides Kyogen. He is probably best known to the Singaporean audience as the character Shakespeare in Sandaime Richard, (dir. Mr Ong Keng Sen) at Singapore International Festival of Arts in 2016.

Mr. Minoru Suzuki is a disciple of Shigeyama Senzaburō. Originally from Tokyo and an actor in contemporary theater, he developed an interest in Kyogen and entered the Shigeyama school in 2006. In the same year Minoru performed in the classic Kyogen play Bōshibari, followed with an official debut with the play Nasunokatariin 2013.

Since then, Mr. Suzuki has been active on the Kyogen stage. He played the role of Kylo Ren in a special Kyogen play performed in conjunction with the releasing of Star Wars: the Last Jedi in Japan in September 2017.

Details of the Lecture & Performance

Date:

Friday, 7 September 2018

Time:

7:00pm - 8:30pm (Registration starts at 6:30pm)

Venue:

library@esplanade
8 Raffles Avenue #03-01 Singapore 039802

Admission:

FREE

Register for the Lecture & Performance

Click button or scan QR to register:

In an event if the registration is full, or you would like to cancel your registration, please e-mail us at jcc@sn.mofa.go.jp.

Kindly register early to avoid disappointment. We regret that as there is limited seating, seats will be confirmed only upon receipt of confirmation email from JCC. ALL EVENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE.

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